Area 51 - Black Jets: A History of the Aircraft Developed at Groom Lake, America's Secret Aviation Base Hardcover – March 15, 2014

Actually, this book is only a summary of the black airplanes tested at the Groom Lake (and surrounding areas) north of Las Vegas. So the B2 bomber is acknowledged but not discussed (as it was not tested at that location). Still, the book talked about many planes I had heard something about as well as some that I had not known about. The book also gives some history on the myths behind Area 51. The book does not go into a lot of technical details; so it was a fairly easy read. The book’s coverage of black jets seemed quite complete; though in such a secrecy-shrouded environment, who can know for sure?There are also a number of photos. Photos (and maps) don’t show up well on the Kindle’s e-ink reader (so I had to use the Kindle app to view them on my PC). Also, when I finished reading the book, my Kindle indicated the book was 75% read (as reference materials were the final 25% of the book).Note: As I’d already read Ben Rich’s book (“Skunk Works”), there was some information overlap. I felt Rich’s book, being written from a personal viewpoint, was a more interesting “read”. But both books have something of value for the reader.

Area 51 is often feted by UFO gurus as a secret site for the US government's efforts to reverse-engineer UFO spaceships and research into extraterrestrials. In reality, the most top-secret military base built in the United States has been a testing ground for some American spyplanes and X-planes with potential military applications.Renowned writer Bill Yenne chronicles the history of Area 51 and all the planes that have been flown at the base since the 1950s, from the U-2 Dragon Lady to the Bird of Prey and RQ-170. He also devotes one chapter of this book to MiG fighters that were acquired by the US for evaluation testing at Area 51, and Yenne also discusses the mythical Aurora spyplane and Black Manta tactical spyplane, whose existence was postulated based on anecdotal sightings.For anyone interested in secret US military aircraft, Area 51: Black Jets is a valuable guide to understanding aviation development at the most secretive military installation in America.

It tells the story of Superman as a pilot of the SR-71 and U2s good book to bring us back to fight for our Country not devil gangs that has infiltrated our neighborhoods and Russia ruling us by white supremacy of our Elect good with using the Constitution and The Declaration of Independence as Americans

With all of the material that is available today about the "black jets" it seems that much of what Bill and his editors have put together repeats much of the data and the photos that have been seen before. The things that interested me the most were the photos and data he brings out about the location, geography and use of the adjacent sites for things of a nuclear nature. Also, much of the mapping etc., has only been available from more unique sources and Bill has put them all together in one place. The final chapters on some "speculative" items was interesting, and I think seemed to have been written with a little "tongue in cheek" approach. All in all a good buy with much to interest the "black jet" person, but not the "black jet" specialist.

Having lived in Las Vegas for over 25 years, I've noted that most of the local and even national and international news stories center around the publicity seeking jerks with their theories of alien beings. These are, as the author pointed out very politely, totally bogus, but are much to the delight of the people in charge of the critical defense programs that do exist. Yenne has taken a ton of now unclassified data and pieced together an interesting story of aerospace history. A great read.

"Area 51 Black Jets" doesn't contain much in the way of new or groundbreaking information about the many classified jet aircraft that have been tested since the mid-1950s at the top-secret U.S. Air Force base in Nevada designated Area 51. Most of the material has been available in other articles and books for some time, and many of the aircraft he covers are now on public display in museums.But Mr. Yenne succeeds admirably in drawing together, in a well written, profusely illustrated and very readable volume, enough information to satisfy the curiosity of the aviation novice and to refresh the knowledge of the enthusiast, not only about the aircraft themselves but also about the facility. This is a singularly impressive accomplishment.Always sober and to the point, as one would expect from an aviation historian and author of Mr. Yenne's stature, "Area 51 Black Jets" gives no credibility to the bizarre, sensationalistic, juvenile and utterly unsupportable conspiracy theories that have dogged operations at Area 51 since its inception. If you're looking for tales of extraterrestrials from crashed spacecraft or genetically altered children who piloted flying saucers from the Soviet Union in the time of Stalin, you'll have to look elsewhere--like in the science fiction section.I enjoyed "Area 51 Black Jets" immensely, and it has earned a permanent place in my aviation library. If you want to know the REAL story of the mysterious lights in the sky over southern Nevada, you can't do better than to start with this volume. Congratulations on a great book, Mr. Yenne.

Covers the A12/SR71, U2, F117, B1, and several drones. Nicely done.

I love this book, plain and simple. The pictures and text are all first class and it's a worthy addition to my archives. There are many high quality images here that I have not seen elsewhere or published before. When you see the picture of the Aurora refueling behind a KC-135 Stratotanker, you know you are holding something special in yoru hands,

My husband loved this book he found it very interesting hasn't finished reading it yet

A superb read

Great book! any fan of the Blackbird should get this book.

interesting book covers a number of unique planes not just sr71

Yes,an excellent book by this author.It does sumerized the articles I have read over the years.Very good pictures.A good price.Highly recommented.Gary