The morning commute for some staff at Area 51 and probably other unknown bases north of Las Vegas starts with a trip to McCarran International Airport. That’s where they board JANET planes — non-descript Boeing 737-600 aircraft, white with a red stripe.
They are in plain view as they come in and out of McCarran. Two articles on thepointsguy.com describe the aircraft and what is known about their operation and their history.
A 1996 article from Mystery Wire’s archive includes an interview with Glenn Campbell, who ran a research center near Area 51 and fueled publicity surrounding the base. Campbell invites investigative reporter George Knapp to see the view from his apartment, which allows him to monitor JANET flight activity and a private parking lot used by people who board the planes.
Campbell went on to appear in “UFO Hunters” and is active on Instagram.
Why is it called JANET? The Nevada Aerospace Hall of Fame attributes the name to former Area 51 Commander (1969-1971) Richard A. Sampson, who “picked his wife’s name to identify the EG&G commuter planes.”
