Text by Alex
Area 51, a highly classified U.S. Air Force facility, is shrouded in mystery. Rumors suggest it’s a base for studying crashed UFOs and even detaining aliens, enticing many thrill-seekers to risk breaking the law by trespassing into this military zone. Recently, military enthusiast Gabriel Zeifman flew his private plane and captured distant photos of Area 51 from the air.
▲Area 51 is considered extremely mysterious due to rumors that it's a base for studying crashed UFOs and even holding aliens.
Located in southern Nevada, about 135 kilometers southeast of Las Vegas, Area 51's official names are Homey Airport (KXTA) or Groom Lake, and the airspace around it is restricted. Zeifman piloted his two-seater Cessna 150 and could only fly along the edge of the no-fly zone, covertly snapping photos with his Nikon D3500 DSLR and 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G lens.
▲Gabriel Zeifman and his two-seater private plane.
In an interview, Zeifman said, “I’m interested in all military airspaces and really wanted to see them for myself. Since I have no authorization, I can only take a few photos when the airspace is calm (i.e., no military operations) while flying to other destinations.” His takeaway this time? “Besides seeing the legendary Groom Lake, I also spotted other parts of the mountain range, including all the targets and infrastructure.”
After decades of secrecy, the CIA was compelled to respond to a 2005 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and finally acknowledged the existence of Area 51 in June 2013. Declassified documents revealed that the facility was used to develop and test top-secret projects, including the U-2 spy plane. Nowadays, the U.S. military refers to this highly enigmatic site simply as a “training range.”
After Zeifman shared his aerial expedition online, it drew numerous comments. While some were disappointed not to spot any alleged aliens in his photos, others issued warnings: taking photos of military facilities—even in the U.S.—is illegal and can lead to trouble, possibly even visits from the FBI or MIB (“Men in Black”!); they urged fellow photographers not to test the law.
Zeifman uploaded a large collection of his photos (some in RAW format) to Google Drive. Photography enthusiasts interested can download them to see if they can make any new discoveries.
Sources: PetaPixel, The Drive