Pilot experiments to see what happens when a civilian aircraft approaches Area 51's heavily restricted airspace
Published on Oct 17, 2025 at 8:56 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Oct 17, 2025 at 3:50 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
The skies above Groom Lake are supposed to be quiet, unless you’re in the US Air Force.
But one civilian pilot decided to see just how close he could get to Area 51 before someone noticed.
It’s all part of National Geographic’s new docuseries ‘Area 51: The CIA’s Secret.’
The teaser clip shows exactly what happens when curiosity flies a little too close to America’s best-kept secret.
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How close can this pilot get to Area 51?
Pilot Coe isn’t trying to sneak into restricted airspace.
He’s skimming its perimeter, flying within legal limits.
Still, the radar lights up.
“They just picked us up back on radar,” he says calmly.
The Air Force has eyes on him.
Out here, even a blip on the screen is enough to get their attention.
Area 51’s boundaries are tighter than almost anywhere else in America – a 440-square-mile patch of invisible sky marked as 4808 North.
The closer Coe gets, the more curious the Air Force becomes.
At 12 miles out and 10,000 feet up, the legendary base finally comes into view.
And the radio crackles to life.
“Say destination. Are you familiar with restricted airspace?”
The question isn’t really a question – it’s a warning.
Seconds later, the tower makes it explicit: “Turn north immediately, sir, for restricted airspace.”
Coe follows the instruction.
He never crosses the line, but the exchange says everything.
The Air Force is always ready and watching.
Even a legitimate flight gets tracked, called out, and redirected the second it brushes the edge of the box that hides America’s most secret operation.
The curiosity that never lands
Curiosity around Area 51 never really cools off, it just finds new altitudes.
A few months ago, observers filmed the Air Force’s elusive RATT55 jet touching down at Hangar 18.
Sparking fresh talk of ongoing stealth tests at Area 51.
Not long after, Washington filmmaker Johnny Harris approached the Area a different way, driving across the desert instead of flying through the sky.
From a ridge at Tikaboo Peak, he caught fighter jets carving the horizon and a helicopter sweeping over his campsite at dawn (see more in the clip at the top of this story).
More proof that the base’s watchers never blink.
Each story stops short of the same line – the point where the known world ends and the classified one begins.
Everything past that stays locked behind the heat and silence of the Nevada desert.
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
