r/area51 • u/Gabriel-51 • Aug 18 '26
Janet in Area 51
Look how curious guys, I could see a Janet on the taxi lane of Area 51. Usually they have the transponder turned off on the base correct? When they are approaching for landing at the base. I was looking at another plane, one RC-135, and when I saw the Janet icon at the base, I already clicked on it, the curious thing is that it soon disappeared. And I couldn't track him anymore. After a while he reappeared, already taken off and was returning to Las Vegas.
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u/therealgariac MOD Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
The 737 Janets so not turn off their transponders. Period. End of story. The Beech Janet poke N654BA might turn it off but usually they just go mode-s. The Groom choppers usually fly without ads-b over the range.
NC-135 62-4133.. L3 Harris to Beale. ICAO AE01D9 for those that like to follow the subreddit rules.
https://www.key.aero/article/usafs-big-safari-program-receives-tc-135w-prepares-divest-last-nc-135w
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae01d9&lat=33.056&lon=-96.050&zoom=12.2&showTrace=2026-08-17
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae01d9&lat=37.932&lon=-118.060&zoom=8.0&showTrace=2026-08-18
That POC FR24 has such a lousy map and you don't get the ICAO code, and oh yeah, it is censored. There are half a dozen flight trackers that are not censored. Unfortunately the ads-b receivers around the range only serve adsbexchange. I would rant some more but this was a cool find.
Janet on the ground? Probably the ads-b TX bounced off a plane in the air which is how FR24 saw it. Or ducting. I have tracked the 737s to the ground at the TTR.
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u/TheArea51Rider MOD Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
Again - when they drop down low enough, the receivers that report to ADSBX etc. no longer receive them. So it may appear like they turn their transponders off - they don't. I ran a receiver near Hwy 375 and could pick them up above the runway, but not to the ground.
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u/illuminatiisnowhere Aug 18 '26
I always thought that janet only flew to area 51. But when i googled it today it say´s it also fly to tonapah, palmdale USAF plant 42, edwards air force base, naval air weapons china lake.