Area 51 'The Real Deal' at the Museum of Flight in Seattle - 26 April 2014

Submitted By Connie May

Record crowds came to Seattle's Museum of Flight on Saturday, April 26, 2014 to hear about the 'Real Deal' on Area 51 and tour one of showcased planes at the museum, the M-21.

The day was highlighted by declassified presentations from Thornton, 'T.D.' Barnes, president of Roadrunners Internationale and former employee of the Central Intelligence Agency on the Oxcart/A-12 and other programs Area 51-aka Groom Lake, Nev. and author and aviation archeologist, Pete Merlin.

Barnes discussed life and the history out at the facility where everything was kept secret. Barnes has been integral in many facets of our national defense, including a tour in the U.S. Army where he served as an intelligence specialist in Korea in 1956. He worked with the CIA and NSA to exploit radar and ECM intelligence from Soviet Union MiG planes and radar in Cuba. Barnes is a veteran of the NASA High Range in Nevada. He joined the special projects team at Area 51 for the CIA's A-12 Project OXCART, a number of Soviet MiG plane exploitation programs, the Have Blue stealth plane, and others that remain classified today.

Pete Merlin presented slides and a history of Groom Lake. Peter Merlin is an aerospace historian who has authored numerous books on aviation and space technology and history, and two volumes on aerospace safety. He has also appeared on more than a dozen documentaries for the History Channel, Discovery, National Geographic, and others.

The presentations were followed by a detailed tour and walk around of the Museum's M-21. "I was very pleased with the Museum of Flight's role in supporting the legacy of the nation's secret heroes, the Area 51 veterans and their recently declassified projects", said Barnes. "The project played significant roles in maintaining national security and supporting our armed forces." The Oxcart program included the M-21, a unique variant of the A-12, the earliest Blackbird type. The one at the museum was built as a CIA program- code-named 'Tagboard'.

The M-21 carried unpiloted vehicles for intelligence gathering. These drones were intended for launch from the M-21 'mother ship' for flights over hostile territories. Design features of the M-21 include the second seat for the Launch Control Officer and the launch pylon on which the drone is mounted.

The Museum's M-21 was built in 1963, and is the sole surviving example of its type.

Photos by Ted Huetter, PR manager at the Museum of Flight and Connie May

Former Area 51 Radar Specialist TD Barnes giving
a presentation at the Museum of Flight

Author and Aviation Archeologist Peter Merlin

Touring the Blackbird at the Museum of Flight

Author Connie May in front of the M-21 "Mothership"

J58 Engine of the Blackbird

D-21 drone mounted atop the M-21 "Mothership"

Museum of Flight poster

TD Barnes and Peter Merlin signing books

Author Connie May in front of the Lockheed Electra 10E that was in the National Aviation Heritage Competition at the Reno Air Races. Now on permanent display at the Museum of Flight

Higher res photos can be found here

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Ysterplaat Wings & Wheels Airshow - Justin De Reuck Photography | Photo gallery. The Ysterplaat Wings and Wheels Airshow was held on...

Black Hawk Radio Control Pilots sponsor an air show in the UNI-Dome - WCF Courier | CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The public is invited to the 11th annual radio-control air show in the UNI-Dome at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.  The show, sponsored by the Black Hawk Radio Control Pilots, will feature pilots and aircraft from Iowa and surrounding states performing aerobatic flying maneuvers, air races, aerial combat, flight demonstrations and scale model aircraft dating from Wordl War I to the present....

New Years Eve Airport Day - Fly Another Time | Spent the day out at NW Regional Airport on New Years Eve day.  It was a warm, sunny Texas winter day with temps in the 70s.  Perfect for cleaning up the 170 and catching up with friends around the airport.  The great weather brought out quite a few visitors to our airport.  Below are a few pictures from the day....

OHIO air News #170 - Charles Johnson | OAN#170, the first of 2012 with the newest news from 2012 and late news from 2011.

Ultralights, Sport Aviation Expo and Penelope Pilot's Page - Girls With Wings | With the upcoming Sebring US Sport Aviation Expo, we thought it a great time to focus our latest 12 page edition of Penelope Pilot's Page on the topic of Ultralights.  According to Wikipedia, the definition of an ultralight is...

The F22 Raptor - Moose Peterson Aviation Photography | The F22 “Raptor” is simply amazing to watch fly! I first experienced a demo flight up close and personal at Reno Air Races in 2008 and watching it being put through its paces was nothing short of impressive. Now that the last one has rolled off the production line, it will be interesting to see how history rates this...

Chanute Air Museum 'definitely in a better financial place' - Left for dead a little more than a year ago, the patient is showing signs of life.  Chanute Air Museum is healthier as it heads into a new year. But looming is the still-unanswered question of whether it will continue to call Grissom Hall home....

MO Aviation Historical Society Meeting January 19 Presents the Tuskegee Airmen Story By Carmelo Turdo | The Missouri Aviation Historical Society is a group of folks with a love of aircraft, and we are striving to record and document the rich aviation history that has been a part of the great state of Missouri for the past century. From Benoist to Zenith, the aviation industry in the "Show Me" state has always been at the forefront of technology, and... 

January 2012 Roadrunner News - Roadrunners Internationale | The Roadrunners of Groom Lake are sad to report that Lt Col Harold Leslie Archer, Sr. USAF (Ret) of Murrieta, CA passed away at his residence on Friday, December 30, 2011.  Lt Col Archer served as a KC-135 pilot before his... [LTC Archer's bio]

Early helos of the U.S. Army from Travel for Aircraft | The U.S. Army Aviation Museum* in Alabama is a world class museum. There is a post about my visit as well as several on various exhibits there — pasting the name into the search window and selecting ENTER will bring up the entire selection. The building is...

Review: Johnny Jet’s “Hot Spots 2012″ On The Travel Channel - Aviation Queen | One of the great things about social media is all the people you get to “meet.”  The aviation and travel tribes have embraced Twitter full, and thanks to the microblogging site, I got to “meet” Johnny DiScala, AKA Johnny Jet.  His eponymous website is a virtual treasure trove of travel links and resources, and is one of my go-to websites.  I was honored when he included me on his list of Twitter travel writers.  So I was *really* excited when I learned he was getting his own special — Hot Spots 2012 — on the Travel Channel....

Race Pilot 3D Full - Android Apps | Race against the clock to complete tricky air courses in this 3D sim.  Race against the clock to complete tricky air courses in this 3D, accurately modelled, air race flight sim....

Balloon Drops UAV That Launches More UAVs - Robots.net | The Navy Research Lab has completed testing of a Balloon-launched UAV that in turn launches smaller UAVs. They're calling the project ADD (Autonomous Deployment Demonstration) A balloon carried an UASUSA Tempest UAV to 60,000 feet. On each of the Tempest's wings, a smaller...

Hawker Siddeley unmanned interceptor - Hitechweb | The first real thought construct unmanned combat aircraft for air combat was born forty years before in the UK. At that time came by Hawker Siddeley Dynamics to design unmanned machine with deltakrídlom a duck tail, one engine-driven Rolls-Royce Spey. On the fighter role was very well equipped: there should be a modern powerful radar of F-4 Phantom, one anti-aircraft missiles Sky Flash in the central fuselage pylon, and two short-range anti-aircraft missiles AIM-9C SRAAM or on the wing. The composition should be controlled if necessary by ground operators via television...

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Air Show funds Cornelius children's library programs - Oregon Live | Friends of the Cornelius Public Library received a $750 grant from the Oregon International Air Show to support fun and educational children's programs that encourage reading and literacy.  One of the Friends' primary goals is to support an annual Summer Reading Program. This year 409 Cornelius children participated in the program, reading more than 6,250 books....

Podcast: Amelia Earhart Flies Again - AVweb | Amelia Rose Earhart, who works as a reporter at a Denver TV station, has been inspired by her famous ancestor to learn to fly. She's now re-tracing Earhart's 1937...

Video: Amelia Earhart to retrace flight of namesake - 9News | Denver- 9News Traffic Reporter Amelia Earhart is about to embark on her first trans-continental flight in a single-engine aircraft.  Evoking memories of a legend, Amelia Earhart will once again take to the skies over the United States, retracing the North American route of her namesake, distant relative and legendary aviatrix. Fueled by a love of adventure and passion for inspiring others to pursue their own dreams, this modern-day Amelia will fly a Cirrus SR22 from Oakland, California to Miami, Florida.  Amelia's thrilling quest to recreate Earhart's trans-continental flight soars on Dec. 26, 2011. Why Oakland? In the late spring of 1937, Earhart flew from Oakland to Miami where she announced her bold...
[Don't forget to check out Amelia's blog too! - which is where the photo came from]

Amelia Earhart Flies A Cirrus - AVweb | Denver traffic reporter Amelia Rose Earhart is distantly related to the famous aviator, and says her parents gave her that name to inspire her -- and it worked. Earhart already has earned her private pilot certificate, and this week she's flying from Oakland, Calif., to Miami in a Cirrus SR-22 to re-trace one of her namesake's famous flights...

Help with the Air Race Classic, June 19-22, 2012 - You Fly Girl | ...Most of us can't be sponsors, but we can certainly be volunteers...

TEASER TRAILER SNEAK PEEK! - THE BOB HOOVER PROJECT Team | An early teaser for an upcoming feature documentary film, currently in production, on the life of flying legend R.A. “Bob” Hoover – THE BOB HOOVER PROJECT....

Roadrunners Internationale December Newsletter | For those of you who did not attend the Roadrunners Internationale 22d reunion last October, the reunion was a major success. As Reunion Committee Chairman Harry Martin put the event together, it appeared at first...

How an A-12 Avenger II canopy landed on eBay [UPDATE] - Flightglobal | Seth Kettleman makes a living buying and selling surplus aircraft machinery on the web. In late November, a strange item popped up on GovDeals.com: an A-12 Avenger II fighter canopy. Kettleman had never heard of the A-12, but he was intrigued so he started Googling. He read that the highly classified A-12 had been canceled in 1991. He also read that the A-12 was canceled before McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics assembled the first aircraft....

Jimmy Stewart showed us that ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ COMMENTARY William C. Kashatus - Times Leader | ...Stewart was a genuine hero, a highly decorated fighter pilot who flew 20 combat missions against Nazi Germany during World War II. After the war, he refused to act in any movie about the conflict or his role in it. It contradicted his personal code of honor.  Instead, Stewart, a bona fide star before the war, renewed his Hollywood career with a film that celebrates life and has become an annual holiday classic...

Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum Displays Newest Attraction By Carmelo Turdo | The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum is sprucing up its hangar to accommodate its newest display – an F-4 Phantom II cockpit restored by Joe Steimann. The aircraft cockpit, originally from a McDonnell Douglas F-4F stricken from the German Air Force after an accident, is now in the colors of the MO ANG 131st TFW formerly based in St. Louis. Other aircraft on display include...

Scuba divers discover airplane submerged off coast of Palm Beach County Divers say plane may be from WWII  - Kathryn Report | It was supposed to be a typical scuba dive. Randy Jordan, owner of Emerald Charters in Jupiter, grabbed his gear and ferried a small group of divers to a spot about four miles east of the Jupiter Inlet. "Completely random drop and the captain just dropped us right on it," said Jordan. "It was just totally by accident."...

Wings of Mercy pilot says volunteering is "highlight" - Smart Brief | Wings of Mercy pilots volunteer to fly medical patients for treatment. "The whole experience has been a highlight of my life," said pilot George Schraft. He recently flew a 26-year-old with brain cancer for treatment from Michigan to North Carolina....

Aviation Nation 2011 – Saturday By Parrothead Jeff | ... I’ve often seen the doors open for tours on these E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) jets, but there’s always been too long of a line for my interest to override my dislike of standing in line.  Thankfully, there was no line during the Saturday airshow so I jumped...

US authorities give Santa Claus’s reindeer-powered sleigh the green light to fly - Pilot News Magazine | WASHINGTON — US aviation authorities have given Santa Claus’s reindeer-powered sleigh the green light to fly on Christmas Eve after a rigorous inspection of the “Santa One” aircraft, officials said Friday.  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said safety inspectors at the North Pole have given the thumbs-up for Santa’s sleigh to cruise through US airspace and came away impressed with improved technology allowing Saint Nick to avoid other aircraft....

NORAD’s Santa tracker pulls out high-tech stops - Air Force Times | Come Donner! Come Blitzen! Come North American Aerospace Defense Command! That's right. This Christmas, NORAD, the premier U.S.-Canadian air defense directorate, is once again using its super high-tech tracking equipment to keep tabs on jolly old Saint Nick.  For 365 days of the year, NORAD is serious about tracking the skies over North America. But beginning at 3 a.m. Saturday, the generals and air-sovereignty commanders will be telling Virginia that, yes, there is a Santa Claus. And they've got the satellite tracking of his sleigh to prove it....


Merry christmas everybody, hope a lot of cool jumps for 2012 ! - Bonjour Bluesky

How Does NORAD 'Track' Santa? - Space.com | For more than 50 years, NORAD — the North American Aerospace Defense Command — has used its high-tech missile-tracking systems to track Santa's progress during his annual Christmas Eve flight around the world....

Local students named winners in PennDOT Aviation Art Contest - Abbington Journal | ..."These students came up with very creative ways to show why aviation is important in Pennsylvania," said PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch. "Considering we received more than 900 entries this year, these winners should be extra proud to be chosen as the best. I thank all of the students, parents and teachers who made this contest a success."...

Video: This Year @NASA: 2011 in Review - Spaceports | ...From the end of one monumental mission, to the beginning of a new era in the human exploration of our solar system....

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ONLINE ADVANCE PURCHASE TICKETING NOW OPEN FOR EAA AIRVENTURE 2012 | Advance purchase admission tickets and camping are now available for the 60th annual edition of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, providing greater convenience for those travelling to “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration.” The week-long 2012 event will be held July 23-29 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.  Advance admission ticketing is made possible through support from Jeppesen.  Both EAA members and non-members can purchase tickets in advance via...

Something Much Louder and Faster than a Sleigh with Reindeer will Thunder Over the Skies of Sacramento in 2012 | Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than locomotives, able to soar beyond our airspace in mere seconds -- the superheroes of the United States Air Force Thunderbirds Jet Demonstration Team will thunder into Sacramento headlining the 2012 California Capital Airshow (CCA). Airshow organizers announced today that the Thunderbirds along with an exciting array of thrilling jets, world-renowned aerobatic performers, and historic aircraft will captivate the crowds and inspire both young and old to dream big this September 8-9 at Mather Airport.  “The Thunderbirds are more than just the colorful Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting...

LIMA 2013 to be held in March, not December - The Sun Daily | They will have more money to spend earlier in the year," he Ahmad Zahid also said Malaysia's first professional aerobatics team, Krisakti, launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak on Tuesday here, has received requests for eight ...

The Voyager: Twenty-five years after the record flight from EAA - The Experimental Aircraft Association | Friday, December 23, marks the 25th anniversary of the Voyager's landing at Edwards Air Force Base to complete the "last first in aviation" - the first nonstop flight around the world without refueling.

Miss the B-17 on Pawn Stars? See it Online! from EAA - The Experimental Aircraft Association
If you missed seeing EAA's B-17 on Monday's (December 19) episode of the History Channel's hit show Pawn Stars, you haven't lost out completely; the show is available online through the Pawn Stars website for viewing at your convenience.

Walking In The Air: Jokke Sommer's 360° Video - Redbull.com | As if shooting through the sky in nothing more than a flying squirrel suit wasn't impressive enough, wingsuit ace Jokke Sommer has started filming his superhuman flights with a 360° camera...

England: Duxford 3 1 - 360 cities | This is a view taken inside the American Airforce Building in The Imperial War Museum Duxford.  The building was....

CIA Pilot BrigGen Dennis Sullivan enshrined in Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame by TD Barnes, President Roadrunners Internationale | ...General Sullivan holds the distinction of flying the only Blackbird surveillance, CIA A-12 or Air Force SR-71, to be hit by an enemy missile. During a flight on 30 October 1967, CIA pilot Dennis Sullivan detected radar tracking on his first pass over North Vietnam. Two sites prepared to launch missiles but neither did. During the second pass at least six missiles were fired at the OXCART, each confirmed by missile vapor trails on mission photography. Sullivan saw these vapor trails and...

Early Boeing B-17 Raids I from War and Game by Mitch Williamson | Early in 1943, the Boeing B-17E began to be replaced by the B-17F. In February 1942, just as Sir Arthur Harris took over Bomber Command, the advance wave of what would become a flood of hundreds of thousands of officers and airmen arrived in England from the United States. The Americans had arrived.   That [...]

Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron HSM-41 " Seahawks" from Military Photos by HadesssLoakoon | Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 41 (HSM 41) is the Navy’s Fleet Replacement Squadron dedicated to training new MH-60R pilots and aircrew. When commissioned on January 21, 1983, as Helicopter Anti-Submarine Light 41 (HSL-41) it was the Navy’s first Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) MK III squadron and flew the Sikorsky SH-60B helicopter. HSL-41 trained pilots and aircrew for the west coast HSL squadrons in San Diego, Hawaii, and Japan....

Pilots for Kids from Flight To Success by Karlene Petitt | Pilots for kids is a group of pilots that visit the children who are the hospital during the holiday months. Today we made some little bodies smile, and I recruited a couple future pilots, too.  "This is where the picture of a cute little girl, holding her cockpit panel poster with her ladybug pillow pet. But I was just notified I cannot post it unless I had written permission. Her mother had said it was alright, but I didn't know the written rule part. She was a doll. Next time I'll know better."...

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2011 air show at Pease earns honors - Seacoastonline.com | The U.S. Army Golden Knights have named the 2011 Service Credit Union Boston Portsmouth Air Show as their air show of the year.  The announcement was made recently during the 2011 International Council of Air Shows convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Members of the Golden Knights parachute team presented air show officials with the award recognizing the show for their outstanding 2011 event.....

US Navy Blue Angels to headline NY's Jones Beach Air Show in 2012 - Washington Post | The United States Navy Blue Angels military jet team has just been announced as the headline attraction at the Jones Beach Air Show. The popular shows take place on Memorial Day weekend. The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation....

RIAT 2012: Polish Mi-14 and An-26 from Hungary - Defense Online | The 2012th 7 to 8 July. held between the Royal International Air Tattoo n (RIAT) is a - a rarity nowadays - types of involvement have been confirmed among the first of the invited countries, such as the Polish Navy Mi-14 Haze ...  

So much awesome in this photo. A beautiful Grumman F7F Tigercat... from You like airplanes, too? | So much awesome in this photo. A beautiful Grumman F7F Tigercat in...

Heart of America Sport Aviation Classic set for 2012 from General Aviation News | A new fly-in event, the Heart of America Sport Aviation Classic (HOA Classic for short), catering to the experimental, light-sport and ultralight segments of general aviation will be held in Lee's Summit, Missouri, October 5-7. This free-to-the-public event is...

Backers of grounded Homestead aircraft show seek new flight plan - Miami Today | Miami economic development officials are scratching for alternatives to keep alive their idea of bringing a world-class aircraft show to the region.  Their hopes were doused last week when the US Air Force again turned down their request to use the military's Homestead Air Reserve Base for the proposed Miami International Air Show....

Martinsburg air show to fly again - Heral-mail | The 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard will host an air show and open house again next year at Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport south of Martinsburg.  The 2012 Thunder Over the Blue Ridge Air Show and Open House will be held at Shepherd Field on Sept. 15 and 16 in partnership with the community, the Airlift Wing announced....

Recovery continues for Reno crash survivor Larry Cruz from General Aviation News | I spoke with Larry Cruz's wife, Tracy, last week about his recovery from the accident at this year's Reno Air Races. He finally made it home on November, two months after the accident. While hospital-bound, friends and family outfit their home to make it easier, and safer, for Larry to move around. A new prosthetic arm is on order and he's....

Bob has Gone West Skuldt from Wisconsin Aviation History by John Dorcey | The fabric of aviation is interwoven with threads of aviators of all types. A common part of each of those threads, each of those aviators, is passion. That fabric lost a thread on Monday, December 19, 2011. Bob Skuldt, a very passionate aviator, has gone west. Bob’s passion for aviation was evident that day in [...]

Tributes paid to former RAF pilot from Much Hadham - Herts and Essex Observer | He started off as a pilot officer with a four-engine Lancaster bomber, and soon went on to become part of the reserve team for the New Zealand Air Race in June 1953. At the last minute, Mac got his chance to take part in the race and, together with his ...

CIA A-12 Pilot Ken Collins Enshrined in KAHOF by TD Barnes, President Roadrunners Internationale | Rushing back from Paris, France where Colonel Collins spoke at the Aeroclub de France re the A-12, he honored all Roadrunners by his being enshrined into the Kansas Hall of Fame. His Hall of Fame plaque is on display at Topeka's Great Overland Station railroading museum at 701 N. Kansas Ave. in Topeka, Kansas. Following his induction, he returned to California where he spoke on Veterans Day in Redlands....

Cultivating passion through rockin’ technology: N Flight Cam joins our adventure from Amelia Earhart | ...I had a great conversation yesterday with a new friend who also shares my love of aviation. We talked about the fact that in order to grow this field, and inspire others to fall in love with the freedom of the sky, we must reject...

Pioneering flight over Mt. Tam made 100 years ago - San Francisco Chronicle | Nineteen eleven was also the year of the first transcontinental air race. William Randolph Hearst, the publisher, sponsored a race with a $50000 prize for the first flier to cross the country within 30 days. Calbraith Perry Rodgers made the trip, ...

Videos of the year: Editors' picks - The Seattle Times | In 2011, Seattle Times photographers and videographers captured the screaming of the Blue Angels and first flights of the Boeing Dreamliner, slipped underwater to see salmon swim in the Elwha River and traveled far and wide to create videos for ...

Video: Now, With Music - Neptunus Lex | Courtesy of occasional reader Kirk, LMCO’s promo video of the F-35B’s sea trials aboard Wasp...

Week in photos Dec. 15, 2011 from U.S. Air Force Live | The Operation Toy Drop photo from this week’s Air Force week in photos exemplifies one of the Air Force’s most valuable contributions while bringing smiles to faces of children during the holiday season....

Lexington grad, elite naval aviator causes commotion on trip home - Lexington Herald Leader | Fiebing said that while women are increasingly a part of the Navy, only about 6.5% of the Navy's total population of aviators are women. "When you add all of the Navy's female aviators together, the total female population grows to over 800 that fly ...

Hobby Quest: Kids Can Learn the Science of Flight - Patch | ...The class gives resident children something to do during their winter break. They will learn all about the science of flight, develop skills, and create and fly a model airplane - which they get to keep! All materials will be provided by the instructor of the class....

The best and worst of 2011 - Flight Training Blog | Welcome to the second annual Best and Worst of for the flight training industry. The 2010 blog, which you can read here, pointed to flight...

So, how will Stratolaunch stack up? from The Original Rocket Dungeon | Parabolic Arc just posted this cool graphic to compare Stratolaunch with other US space launch systems.  The graphic is sorted by LEO lift capability.  Visit the Arc for the...