Area 69

Area 69 (also known as No Fly Zone or Restricted Area) is a highly protected and secretive government research facility in the heart of Bone County, San Andreas depicted in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. It sits immediately to the south of Verdant Meadows, to the west of Las Venturas, to the east of El Castillo del Diablo, and directly to the north of Green Palms.

Design and usage
The base is a spoof of Area 51 in southern Nevada, but named after the 69 sexual position. The in-game base differs greatly from Area 51, evidenced by the lack of a large runway, smaller overall size, and different layout. In the past, Area 69 was associated with the long-held rumor of aliens and UFO sightings in the game. Entering or flying low enough over the base will result in a 5-star wanted level. Flying over the base results not only in the wanted level, but also tracking and attack from SAM sites and pursuing Hydras. Flying too close to the edge of the base will also result in attack from the nearest SAM site, although a wanted level will not be obtained if close enough to the base's periphery. The base's four SAM sites may be destroyed using powerful weaponry such as missiles from a jet, a rocket launcher, or a minigun. Furthermore, their heat-seeking missiles may be avoided using countermeasures (flares), if equipped on the player's aircraft.

The base houses various clandestine government projects, including the Black Project Jetpack, a couple of weapons, including the Minigun and the SPAS 12, and a couple of body armor and health icon spawn points. Echoing the conspiracy theories surrounding Area 51, it is implied that the facility may be tied to local housing projects involving UFOs and extraterrestrial life, as suggested by the presence of the nearby Lil' Probe'Inn, the dialog on the base's PA system during the "Black Project" mission (Quotes: "Would the owner of a green alien saucer move it somewhere else please." "Would the personnel working with the alien body, please put it away." and "Personnel found stealing alien technology will not be invited to the next employee outing."), and by dialog on Marvin Trill's in-game radio show. Much of the base consists of underground research labs, although the player can only enter these labs during the course of a single mission (or by finding a way into San Andreas' "Blue Hell" — an area under the main terrain mesh — and finding the underground base there). Infiltration may also be obtained, should the player take a "Freeway" motorcycle to the base, and park it by the vent. Once the player leaves the motorcycle, he will fall through the vent and will land in the interior of the base. The above-ground structures include a series of watch towers, a contol tower, small airstrip and three garages for military vehicles. These garages are the first area in the game in which military vehicles will automatically spawn.

Local impact
Public relations for Area 69 have suffered from a great deal of distrust and suspicion from the people of Bone County. There have been reported over 30 deaths due to people attempting to trespass onto the base. In fact, front-page headlines of an issue of The San Andreas Times read, Over 30 people killed in Area 69, Demolish Area 69!!, and also Area 69 = Rubbish.

Pickups, weapons and inventory items

 * M4 - Behind a staircase leading to a watchtower
 * Night Vision Goggles - On a watchtower platform
 * Thermal Vision Goggles - Inside the control room
 * SPAS-12 - In a dark hallway inside the base
 * Minigun - In the control room inside the base
 * Jetpack - In the Jetpack room (Only during and after Black Project).

Vehicles

 * Barracks (on airstrip)
 * Two Hydras (after Vertical Bird)
 * Cargobob (near Hydras)
 * Patriot (on airstrip)
 * Two Rhino tanks (in hangars on airstrip; after Black Project)
 * Tug (within underground complex; only during Black Project)

Events of GTA San Andreas
After making his way out to Bone County to meet up with Mike Toreno at the abandoned airstrip, Carl Johnson begins performing dangerous and difficult tasks for this shady government agent, whose "paymasters" remain unidentified (although it is speculated that Toreno may be working for the NSA or the CIA). After temporarily satisfying Toreno's wishes, Carl receives an unexpected visit at the airstrip from The Truth, who Carl hasn't seen since leaving San Fierro. The Truth, disturbed by Carl's allegiance to Toreno, makes his own request: to steal the Black Project from the nearby Area 69 military research facility. The Truth drops Carl off in front of the facility's main gate, and drives off in a hurry, leaving Carl to infiltrate the base alone. Armed with thermal vision goggles, Carl sneaks into the base, and down into the underground research labs. Carl is forced to shoot his way through soldiers and scientists alike, as he makes his way into the depths of the compound, where he finally locates the jetpack. Climbing into the jetpack's straps, Carl boldly applies thrust and escapes through the open sky bay overhead, and blasts off away from the facility as quickly as possible to avoid being shot down by SAM sites and military personnel. As he escapes, a voice over the loudspeaker can be heard frantically shouting, "Get General Mills on the line!", a tongue-in-cheek reference to an American cereal manufacturer.

Later in the game, a helicopter chase will lead Carl to fly over the base during "Misappropriation".

Trivia

 * The name is yet another reference to the 69 sex position.
 * In one of the inaccessible underground labs, the area looks very similar to Black Mesa of Half Life. In addition, on a table, a crowbar can be seen, which looks very similar to Gordon Freeman's crowbar. In addition to this, a SPAS 12 pickup can be seen, and in the real Half Life game, in Black Mesa, a SPAS 12 pickup is found in a very similar spot. Black Mesa and Area 69 are also both based on Area 51.
 * It is possible to enter Area 69 without any cheats or mods. The player must steal a Freeway and enter the Area. There is a vent where the player has to park it. Get off the motorcycle and the player will fall on a Minigun. The player can get out by killing himself, or finding the vent you came through and getting back on the bike.
 * In the real life Area 51, guards patrol the area and will arrest anybody caught trespassing.