This Week's Ask ME Anything

We're taking a break from the UFO world and diving into the mysterious black budget aviation realm next week and introducing a military and aviation historian who also happens to be a brilliant author, Bill Yenne. Bill's latest book is "Area 51 Black Jets, A History of the Aircraft Developed at Groom Lake, America's Secret Aviation Base".

Praise for Bill Yenne’s Black Jets of Area 51

"Area 51 Black Jets by Bill Yenne comprehensively and pictorially depicts Area 51 as it was. The book factually portrays the projects that occurred there. Unlike so many books that tend to focus on the myths of Area 51, this is a book that those of us honored to have worked at Area 51 in the service of our country are proud to share with family and friends. We can say that this is what we did — this is our legacy. The book is informative, containing detailed depth and covering all the bases, but is not too technical for the tastes of the general public. This is not a book that the reader will lay down and not finish. It holds one’s interest from front to back - a good read."

— TD Barnes (Former NASA High Range and Area 51 Special Projects, President Roadrunners Internationale)

“Bill Yenne has pulled back the curtains of the mysterious Area 51 with the definitive word on what exactly transpired with amazing detail, dry wit, incredible illustration and impeccable research. Truly illuminating."

— Daniel Bautz (Host of the Grand Dark Conspiracy radio program)

I've read it and it's very good, his level of research could fool you into believing he was in the know on these ultra highly classified projects.

Considering the fact that when Simon created AboveTopSecret.com way back in 1998 his core topics were secret military bases and secret military aircraft, I'd say that Bill's expertise and vast knowledge on both are going to make for a fascinating Q and A session.

We'll be kicking Bill's AMA off on Monday around 1:30 pm Central US Time.

Here's a brief bio on Bill:

When most of us think of Area 51, we think of aliens, UFOs, and controversial government cover-ups. It's easy to forget that, since the mid-1950s, the United States' famed extension of Edwards Air Force Base has served as a top-secret CIA testing ground for many of the most groundbreaking advancements in American military aviation technology. In Area 51 - Black Jets, author and military historian Bill Yenne offers the first fully illustrated chronology of Area 51's most famous aircraft projects, including Lockheed's U-2 "Dragon Lady" and SR-71 "Blackbird" reconnaissance planes, drones ranging from the early Lockheed D-21 to the modern-day General Atomics MQ-1 Predator, and the famous F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter produced by the Have Blue program during the 1970s. Each project is given its own fascinating chapter illuminating the aircraft's development at this famed location. But beyond the aircraft themselves, Area 51 - Black Jets also covers a handful of the many classified experimental programs carried out at Area 51 over the years, such as Have Doughnut, Have Ferry, and Have Drill - secret undertakings that successfully reverse-engineered such enemy aircraft as the Russian MiG during the Cold War. Presented in beautiful hardcover format and illustrated with historic color and black-and-white photographs, diagrams, and maps, this book reveals Area 51 for what it truly is: a clandestine area for the United States' most cutting-edge technological innovators in military aviation.

Bill Yenne is the author of the just released Black Jets of Area 51: A History of the Aircraft Developed at Groom Lake, America’s Secret Aviation Base.

Yenne has also written more than three dozen other non-fiction books, especially on aviation and military history, as well as biographies of people ranging from Alexander the Great to Sitting Bull to Hap Arnold. His other works have included profiles of the B-52 Stratofortress, Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles and secret weapons of the Cold War. He has written histories of the Strategic Air Command, the US Air Force, and a series of books about great American planemakers from Convair to Lockheed, as well as his recently-updated The Story of the Boeing Company. He has contributed to encyclopedias of both world wars and had appeared in television documentaries on the History Channel, the National Geographic Channel and ARD German Television. He is on the web at www.BillYenne.com.

This should be a treat for our aviation and military history buffs so dig up that burning question you've always wanted to know the answer to and ask it on Monday.

Springer...

reply to post by Springer

Facts ... this one should be kicking'!!

We should get ed snowden in also for that q & a lol

reply to post by Springer


Sounds interesting, looking forward to it.

:-)
leolady

lol whats the estimated percentage of questions that are going to be alien related?

i hope when he answers questions he is'nt going to say "its all in my new book"....

Oh I'm going to enjoy this ..
Thanks springer. The whole ask me anything thing is such a good idea. Although maybe what I'd like to see is a page or forum with all the questions and answers. I'd like this made by staff on ATS. But I'd like to be able to go onto ats and find the questions and answers straight away. I never have time to follow the threads as it's such a fast pace

But thanks again look forward to next week

thepeacemaker:

what I'd like to see is a page or forum with all the questions and answers. I'd like this made by staff on ATS. But I'd like to be able to go onto ats and find the questions and answers straight away. I never have time to follow the threads as it's such a fast pace

Yes, I would like this too, but I suppose it depends on how the AMA guy replies - whether the initial question is quoted or just linked to. Sometimes there is so much in the original question and only a sentance which is the actual question. Obviously we would just want the question being answered and not the "I have enjoyed your book blaa,blaa" part. :-)

reply to post by SecretKnowledge


Why? If the question demands a dissertation that has been covered in a book I just wrote I would say that. Wouldn't you? Why would anyone rewrite what has already been written if it's huge?

The trick is to do the research and ask questions that haven't answered in the book.

reply to post by qmantoo


Well, this is the internet, it's primarily a READING medium... This site is a forum, it's definitely a reading medium.

reply to post by Springer


last q&a we had the limit was one question each can you point out to some posters that it is more than 0 but less than 8 and even 2 that a lot were hitting him with

reply to post by 999zxcv


The staff and I will be putting the hammer down on people who ignore the request to limit the number of questions they ask.

reply to post by Springer


Sadly, I think you're right about the need to lower the boom on folks who ask endless questions--PARTICULARLY on a FAST PACED AMA.

I suppose it might be a good contingency plan to be able to

NOTE: for the next 15 minutes, those who have asked 1 question may now ask a 2nd

IF THERE HAPPENS TO OCCUR A LULL in the questioning.

But generally . . . lengthy and repeated questions does short-change many less aggressive members.

And, imho, YOU MIGHT BE WISE TO REQUIRE [by require, I mean nuking posts that did not conform] all question posts to begin with a ONE SENTENCE/LESS THAN 3 LINES !!! QUESTION !!!.

If they feel compelled to "preface" or add clarifying stuff to the question--let it come AFTER the question. That way--the AMA person and the readers would have a QUICK AND CLEAR understanding of what the question and reply had to do with.

Alternately:

LIMIT THE QUESTION PREFACE TO 3-5 LINES
followed by A 1-3 LINE QUESTION. PERIOD.

THAT would put the vast EMPHASIS ON THE AMA PERSON and not on aggressive verbose grandstanding questioners.

imho.

Actually, at some point, y'all might want to consider jiggering the software to have a special module strictly for AMA threads . . . wherein the members posts would have very clearly defined slots.

Whether with a 1-3 line question to start or after a 3-5 line preface--that if the member's question/writing went over those parameters, they could not post it at all. That would save lots of mod hassle and it would QUICKLY TRAIN the members how to conduct themselves in an AMA thread.

And, while I'm fantasizing about jiggering the software for the AMA THREADS . . . the AMA ONLY module could include a function to take the 1-3 line questions and post them in sequence with the AMA person's answers on another SUMMARY THREAD that would post in parallel as the AMA thread went along.

That thread would NOT allow any member posting--at least until after the AMA was over.

Perhaps there could be an automatic link to that thread's related question and answer attached to the AMA thread AMA PERSON's post answer that question . . . if that wasn't too complicated.

Springer
reply to post by SecretKnowledge

 

Why? If the question demands a dissertation that has been covered in a book I just wrote I would say that. Wouldn't you? Why would anyone rewrite what has already been written if it's huge?

The trick is to do the research and ask questions that haven't answered in the book.

True that, what i was getting at that future AMA-er's wont be pushing their latest publication

reply to post by Springer


This will be an interesting one to follow. The nice thing is we deliver before it starts, then I'm down until Thursday.

There is a bit of a functional problem trying to get members to be brief in their questions and any preface to their question.

Many members have little to no successful training, schooling in how to do that.

Many of us are wordy, verbose, by inclination and personality. But some of us have learned to be brief when we HAVE to be and some haven't.

I think the 1-3 line limit on a question and 3-5 lines limit on a preface to a question COULD be very instructive for those who have not learned to be brief.

The modeling of those successfully brief would help as well as the software limitation preventing longer questions.

I suspect that after 2-5 AMA's WITH SUCH SOFTWARE TWEAKS, the bulk of the members would be well able to comply within the parameters.

And, I don't think that polished brief English is necessary. Just get the meat of the question out intelligibly.

reply to post by BO XIAN

There is a bit of a functional problem trying to get members to be brief in their questions and any preface to their question.

Too bad there isn't a way to limit the text while in the AMA thread like twitter, so that way they have to be brief.

Don't know if it is plausible but that would help with the functional problem of keeping questions brief.

Limiting lines would be good, but you can still do a bit of rambling in those 3 lines and if good enough ask a couple of questions, but either way it is needed for AMA.

reply to post by SecretKnowledge


OF COURSE they will be "pushing" their latest publication, that's the whole point behind an AMA. To get their info out to the world. This is a value equation world, those who do research share their info with those who are interested.

Come on now...

Hi Springer,

Would it be possible to have Bill Yenne [and future AMA's] quote the questions he is answering? I , like many others, got completely lost in the AMA thread with Mr Stanton. I was able to keep up with the first few members questions however, after that I had no idea who Mr Stantons answers were directed to.

I feel I didn't learn much from that AMA because of this problem. Yes, I could re-read the whole thing another 10 times but I don't have the time for that, really lol

Many thanks

Spiro

reply to post by Spiro


No. Frankly I'm getting a little worn out repeating this. The link at the top of the AMA guest's response posts takes you directly to the question the guest is answering.

Having the guest quote every post they are answering would make a cluttered mess out of the thread and is asking way too much of the guest considering they'd have to try to figure out which parts of most question posts to edit out.

Click the link at the top of their posts and read the question they are answering, easy peasy.