USAF policy regarding the sighting of UFOs?
- Forum Veteran
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- Joined: 03 Jul 2006, 23:15
What is the current USAF and/or Civil Aviation policy regarding the sighting of an unidentified flying object?
I have heard rumours that reporting such a sighting is detrimental to your flying career. That it is not something you want to be talking about. While we can throw conspiracy theories around about this... is it true? And why?
You dont have to believe they exist, or if they are even lil' green men. But said objects have been seen and caught on tape with no meaningful conclusions being drawn.
Its almost as if the authorities in charge would rather be ignorant of the issue and simply deny all knowledge. Maybe save themselves paperwork too.
But who knows.
I have heard rumours that reporting such a sighting is detrimental to your flying career. That it is not something you want to be talking about. While we can throw conspiracy theories around about this... is it true? And why?
You dont have to believe they exist, or if they are even lil' green men. But said objects have been seen and caught on tape with no meaningful conclusions being drawn.
Its almost as if the authorities in charge would rather be ignorant of the issue and simply deny all knowledge. Maybe save themselves paperwork too.
But who knows.
- Forum Veteran
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- Joined: 17 May 2005, 15:21
I once knew a pilot who had a UFO hit him in the head. It was later identified as a speed handle that had been purposely dropped on him for being a jerk and always causing danger to maintainers. If anyone ever accuses me of doing it my excuse is that my hands were greasy and it slipped. Yeah - that's the ticket - yeah....
- Elite 1K
- Posts: 1222
- Joined: 26 Apr 2004, 20:20
This really is a good question, maybe Gums can answer it.
- Elite 3K
- Posts: 3301
- Joined: 13 May 2004, 23:37
Honestly...nothing happens (least nothing I am aware of) I can personally attest to that (myself and another person) saw one - I know, I'm nuts but reguardless...it still happened.
The only time it "will" get attention is if it lands on the White House lawn, even then, someone will come up with a reason why you never saw it
Strange Event – United Kingdom
April 1978
You know, I am sure many of you have had something strange or something happen that was so exciting or important happen to you, that you said to yourself, I will never forget this day or date in my life.
Well, I had a few of those (exciting days) but this event took the cake and I knew I would “never” forget that date but as amazing as the event was, I have forgotten the exact date but not the event because it was experienced with another person and it was unforgetable (reported too).
Now I know as soon as I expose this story (my event) people will say I am nutz or whatever else comes to mind about the story. At times I too wondered why or how I (we) were so lucky to have been witness to such an event that I still cant explain. The very day after the event, the very next morning I and SSgt Mike Bugno (Maintenance Operations, Weapons Controller) reported this event to the USAF, OSI at RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk, United Kingdom and that was the last we ever heard about it.
I have to admit, it is not an easy story to tell, over the years I have been told it was lights, stars or even a helicopter (all laughable). Many of you will have to search your hearts and minds and know when you see something or participated in something where you have no physical prove, you just have to live with the fact it happened and let it go at that.
I sure hope a few of you have had something happen you could not explain, regardless it happened and you can’t prove it but maybe have a witness with you as I did. It still feels so odd to have to defend something so strange, it makes you wonder why nothing was done or ever exposed about it, one of life’s crazy stories I guess but I felt the need to share it.
When I was stationed at RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk, England from January 1977 to January 1980 I witnessed what had to be called a “UFO Sighting”.
I know, I know, it sounds crazy but never the less, it happened. One of my assignments after the crew chief assignments with the F4 to A-10 aircraft conversion was a volunteer assignment as a “board controller” at the RAF Bentwaters, Maintenance Operations Center, better known as the “MOC”.
Trying to find local housing (apartment or small house to lease or rent) near or around the RAF Bentwaters community was almost impossible. You had to know someone that was moving and try to negotiate talking their place if the landlord had not already signed an agreement to lease it to somebody else.
So of course, I like most young “SSgt’s” back then had signed up for and hoped for “base housing” to become available but that did not happen for almost two years. However, there was Base Housing available at another base about sixty (60) miles away, a place called RAF Wethersfield, it was a USAF Communications site that housed one of many NCO Leadership School. It was a very small base whose runway was shut down most of the time, only opened for visiting TDY troops and their flight activities so it was quiet and lots of housing was available.
It was offered to me, I knew other guys that were living there and they all carpooled before it became so popular and well known to the general public.
Anyhow, my wife and I drove to that base one day, we liked what we saw and we accepted the offer to take one of those homes but it was about an hour and fifteen minute drive each way.
Darn good thing there was a “duel carriage way” (A-12 highway) nearby or the drive would have been far worse. Anyway, I joined the car pool too, and we all took turns driving our vehicles back and forth to work at RAF Bentwaters while sharing the cost of fuel.
I was working the swing shift the night of this event; normally the hours were from 1530hrs to 2400hrs daily. This week (the week of this event) three of us were driving with SSgt Mike Bugno (he lived across the street from me at RAF Wethersfield, the very same housing area and we also worked together at the MOC, lucky for us as it turned out).
Two of the guys lived in a town called Ipswich, which was on the way to base, we would pick them up or drop them off from time to time (shared the cost of gas since they did not live in our area but it was on the way), every penny helped, fuel was expensive even then.
Anyway, after dropping these two guys off, Mike and I still had about a forty minute ride home. We had just passed through the little town of Finchingfield just off the main road the A-12, headed towards RAF Wethersfield (our home). We drove about another five or six minutes as we approached the crest of a small hill, you could see in the background many miles away, the American base called RAF Mildenhall (it was about thirty or so miles away but at night it lit up the entire sky).
Anyway, we are in Mikes VW Bus, nice big open front window, great view of the road ahead, I notice this really bright light near Mildenhall (least I thought it was from that area). I watched it for a few seconds; it appeared to get bigger and brighter. I remember saying to Mike, “Mike, look at that light” it is the brightest landing light (least I thought it was) I had ever seen, it lit up the entire sky near the base. I thought it was a C-5 or maybe a C-141 with new, bright landing lights (I had never seen anything so bright from so far away) before.
We both looked at for a few moments longer, since Mike was still driving and it was dark, he needed to watch the road too but I noticed it appeared to be headed our way. I said Mike look, it is headed this way! He pulled over, he wanted to see what kind of aircraft this was, the lights got brighter and it was headed our direction. We got out of the van, just as we did that, within seconds (I mean this) it was right over our heads and there was no noise, none at all. The entire sky above us was so bright, we could not look up at the object…it was so weird, no noise, no shape could be seen of whatever this thing was.
We both looked at each other and said “what the hell is this”? We could not believe this, we kept trying to look up at it but could not because it was so bright, we felt nothing, no humming, no noise, no movement of the grass around, nothing was happening, it was like we were in a void of some kind. It hovered over us for a few more seconds then I heard a noise from behind me, it was a jet engine sound. I looked up, put my hands over my eyes to see better and I saw two British F4’s headed right towards out location.
They got so close; we could see the “Union Jack” flag panel on their aircraft fuselage. They were deploying photo flash cartridges; we could hear and see what they were doing with them but nothing else above us.
They were taking pictures of this thing (not that they needed more light, this thing was extremely bright) as it was. Mike yelled out to me, “What the hell is happening here”? I did not know either but a moment later, what ever this thing was took off to the “west” towards London. It was looking at “light saber” or something like it because it left a single line of bright light in the sky as it headed away from us, it was like someone drew a white line in the sky, it was instantaneous, I could not believe it. One second it was above us, the next it was over London (you could see the lights of the city from our location).
The British F4’s took off after it, they kicked their aircraft into “burner” trying to catch or chase this thing. It was amazing to witness, they never caught it but were headed towards London too when all of a sudden, this thing appeared over our heads again (no kidding, it was like in the wink of an eye)…that fast. We tried to lookup at it again but it was useless to do so, I turned my head and saw the F4’s headed back towards us again (I guess they were still taking pictures of this thing). We were right under it when it shot straight up; I mean it, straight up. All we saw was a white line in the sky until we could follow it no longer, still going straight up without a sound into space.
It was the damnist thing that ever happned to me or Mike for that matter. We waited for it to come back; it did not so since we were about five minutes from Wethersfield, we just drove home. As we approached the base main gate, the American and British Security Guards there were going nutz with excitement, they too had seen whatever this thing was. They watched the whole thing as it happened too; he saw the whole thing but did not see (us) the van because of the distance involved. We told him what happened to us, we still could not believe it ourselves. They wanted us to file a report with the MOD Police (Minister of Defense) on base, of course, we did.
I woke my wife when I got home, she thought I had been drinking, of course, I had not. I decided to turn on the BBC radio it was now two o’clock in the morning, the BBC radio stations were flooded with calls about a UFO sighting over London and fighters that were reported chasing it. It was an amazing night to say the least, of course I (we) also filed a report with the RAF Bentwaters OSI. They (OSI) took the report and that was that, we never heard another thing about it. During the rest of the tour, Mike and I talked about it often but never really understood what happened that night. I (we) know it must have been a UFO, least that is what we think it was (so did all those folks in London).
All the guys at work gave us major nonsense (crap) over it (I guess that is understandable) but just after I left that base in Jan 1980, a so called “landing “occurred just outside the RAF Bentwaters in the local forest (I missed that event, I had been reassigned to Nellis) just before it. But I will never forget that evening but I have forgotten the exact date, I would have bet money that never would have happened (forgetting the date that is).
Strange but that whole experience is still with me like it happened yesterday, strange crazy stuff to say the least. I just felt the need to share it, I know many folks won’t believe it (thinking I am whacked) but at least Mike and I know it happened, that was one strange evening.
Then - Staff Sergeant Thomas W. Wharton
RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk, United Kingdom
91st FS
April 1978
The only time it "will" get attention is if it lands on the White House lawn, even then, someone will come up with a reason why you never saw it
Strange Event – United Kingdom
April 1978
You know, I am sure many of you have had something strange or something happen that was so exciting or important happen to you, that you said to yourself, I will never forget this day or date in my life.
Well, I had a few of those (exciting days) but this event took the cake and I knew I would “never” forget that date but as amazing as the event was, I have forgotten the exact date but not the event because it was experienced with another person and it was unforgetable (reported too).
Now I know as soon as I expose this story (my event) people will say I am nutz or whatever else comes to mind about the story. At times I too wondered why or how I (we) were so lucky to have been witness to such an event that I still cant explain. The very day after the event, the very next morning I and SSgt Mike Bugno (Maintenance Operations, Weapons Controller) reported this event to the USAF, OSI at RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk, United Kingdom and that was the last we ever heard about it.
I have to admit, it is not an easy story to tell, over the years I have been told it was lights, stars or even a helicopter (all laughable). Many of you will have to search your hearts and minds and know when you see something or participated in something where you have no physical prove, you just have to live with the fact it happened and let it go at that.
I sure hope a few of you have had something happen you could not explain, regardless it happened and you can’t prove it but maybe have a witness with you as I did. It still feels so odd to have to defend something so strange, it makes you wonder why nothing was done or ever exposed about it, one of life’s crazy stories I guess but I felt the need to share it.
When I was stationed at RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk, England from January 1977 to January 1980 I witnessed what had to be called a “UFO Sighting”.
I know, I know, it sounds crazy but never the less, it happened. One of my assignments after the crew chief assignments with the F4 to A-10 aircraft conversion was a volunteer assignment as a “board controller” at the RAF Bentwaters, Maintenance Operations Center, better known as the “MOC”.
Trying to find local housing (apartment or small house to lease or rent) near or around the RAF Bentwaters community was almost impossible. You had to know someone that was moving and try to negotiate talking their place if the landlord had not already signed an agreement to lease it to somebody else.
So of course, I like most young “SSgt’s” back then had signed up for and hoped for “base housing” to become available but that did not happen for almost two years. However, there was Base Housing available at another base about sixty (60) miles away, a place called RAF Wethersfield, it was a USAF Communications site that housed one of many NCO Leadership School. It was a very small base whose runway was shut down most of the time, only opened for visiting TDY troops and their flight activities so it was quiet and lots of housing was available.
It was offered to me, I knew other guys that were living there and they all carpooled before it became so popular and well known to the general public.
Anyhow, my wife and I drove to that base one day, we liked what we saw and we accepted the offer to take one of those homes but it was about an hour and fifteen minute drive each way.
Darn good thing there was a “duel carriage way” (A-12 highway) nearby or the drive would have been far worse. Anyway, I joined the car pool too, and we all took turns driving our vehicles back and forth to work at RAF Bentwaters while sharing the cost of fuel.
I was working the swing shift the night of this event; normally the hours were from 1530hrs to 2400hrs daily. This week (the week of this event) three of us were driving with SSgt Mike Bugno (he lived across the street from me at RAF Wethersfield, the very same housing area and we also worked together at the MOC, lucky for us as it turned out).
Two of the guys lived in a town called Ipswich, which was on the way to base, we would pick them up or drop them off from time to time (shared the cost of gas since they did not live in our area but it was on the way), every penny helped, fuel was expensive even then.
Anyway, after dropping these two guys off, Mike and I still had about a forty minute ride home. We had just passed through the little town of Finchingfield just off the main road the A-12, headed towards RAF Wethersfield (our home). We drove about another five or six minutes as we approached the crest of a small hill, you could see in the background many miles away, the American base called RAF Mildenhall (it was about thirty or so miles away but at night it lit up the entire sky).
Anyway, we are in Mikes VW Bus, nice big open front window, great view of the road ahead, I notice this really bright light near Mildenhall (least I thought it was from that area). I watched it for a few seconds; it appeared to get bigger and brighter. I remember saying to Mike, “Mike, look at that light” it is the brightest landing light (least I thought it was) I had ever seen, it lit up the entire sky near the base. I thought it was a C-5 or maybe a C-141 with new, bright landing lights (I had never seen anything so bright from so far away) before.
We both looked at for a few moments longer, since Mike was still driving and it was dark, he needed to watch the road too but I noticed it appeared to be headed our way. I said Mike look, it is headed this way! He pulled over, he wanted to see what kind of aircraft this was, the lights got brighter and it was headed our direction. We got out of the van, just as we did that, within seconds (I mean this) it was right over our heads and there was no noise, none at all. The entire sky above us was so bright, we could not look up at the object…it was so weird, no noise, no shape could be seen of whatever this thing was.
We both looked at each other and said “what the hell is this”? We could not believe this, we kept trying to look up at it but could not because it was so bright, we felt nothing, no humming, no noise, no movement of the grass around, nothing was happening, it was like we were in a void of some kind. It hovered over us for a few more seconds then I heard a noise from behind me, it was a jet engine sound. I looked up, put my hands over my eyes to see better and I saw two British F4’s headed right towards out location.
They got so close; we could see the “Union Jack” flag panel on their aircraft fuselage. They were deploying photo flash cartridges; we could hear and see what they were doing with them but nothing else above us.
They were taking pictures of this thing (not that they needed more light, this thing was extremely bright) as it was. Mike yelled out to me, “What the hell is happening here”? I did not know either but a moment later, what ever this thing was took off to the “west” towards London. It was looking at “light saber” or something like it because it left a single line of bright light in the sky as it headed away from us, it was like someone drew a white line in the sky, it was instantaneous, I could not believe it. One second it was above us, the next it was over London (you could see the lights of the city from our location).
The British F4’s took off after it, they kicked their aircraft into “burner” trying to catch or chase this thing. It was amazing to witness, they never caught it but were headed towards London too when all of a sudden, this thing appeared over our heads again (no kidding, it was like in the wink of an eye)…that fast. We tried to lookup at it again but it was useless to do so, I turned my head and saw the F4’s headed back towards us again (I guess they were still taking pictures of this thing). We were right under it when it shot straight up; I mean it, straight up. All we saw was a white line in the sky until we could follow it no longer, still going straight up without a sound into space.
It was the damnist thing that ever happned to me or Mike for that matter. We waited for it to come back; it did not so since we were about five minutes from Wethersfield, we just drove home. As we approached the base main gate, the American and British Security Guards there were going nutz with excitement, they too had seen whatever this thing was. They watched the whole thing as it happened too; he saw the whole thing but did not see (us) the van because of the distance involved. We told him what happened to us, we still could not believe it ourselves. They wanted us to file a report with the MOD Police (Minister of Defense) on base, of course, we did.
I woke my wife when I got home, she thought I had been drinking, of course, I had not. I decided to turn on the BBC radio it was now two o’clock in the morning, the BBC radio stations were flooded with calls about a UFO sighting over London and fighters that were reported chasing it. It was an amazing night to say the least, of course I (we) also filed a report with the RAF Bentwaters OSI. They (OSI) took the report and that was that, we never heard another thing about it. During the rest of the tour, Mike and I talked about it often but never really understood what happened that night. I (we) know it must have been a UFO, least that is what we think it was (so did all those folks in London).
All the guys at work gave us major nonsense (crap) over it (I guess that is understandable) but just after I left that base in Jan 1980, a so called “landing “occurred just outside the RAF Bentwaters in the local forest (I missed that event, I had been reassigned to Nellis) just before it. But I will never forget that evening but I have forgotten the exact date, I would have bet money that never would have happened (forgetting the date that is).
Strange but that whole experience is still with me like it happened yesterday, strange crazy stuff to say the least. I just felt the need to share it, I know many folks won’t believe it (thinking I am whacked) but at least Mike and I know it happened, that was one strange evening.
Then - Staff Sergeant Thomas W. Wharton
RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk, United Kingdom
91st FS
April 1978
More than likely have "been there and done that at some point", it sure keeps you young if done correctly
- Elite 3K
- Posts: 3301
- Joined: 13 May 2004, 23:37
Not much officially here either...guess we just "suck it up" and go forward.....
Here is what the FAA directs or suggests the person do (person or pilot reported)
7-6-4. Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) Reports
http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/ ... m0706.html
a. Persons wanting to report UFO/Unexplained Phenomena activity should contact an UFO/Unexplained Phenomena Reporting Data Collection Center, such as the National Institute for Discovery Sciences (NIDS), the National UFO Reporting Center, etc.
b. If concern is expressed that life or property might be endangered, report the activity to the local law enforcement department.
Here is what the FAA directs or suggests the person do (person or pilot reported)
7-6-4. Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) Reports
http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/ ... m0706.html
a. Persons wanting to report UFO/Unexplained Phenomena activity should contact an UFO/Unexplained Phenomena Reporting Data Collection Center, such as the National Institute for Discovery Sciences (NIDS), the National UFO Reporting Center, etc.
b. If concern is expressed that life or property might be endangered, report the activity to the local law enforcement department.
Last edited by Meathook on 19 Jan 2007, 20:33, edited 1 time in total.
More than likely have "been there and done that at some point", it sure keeps you young if done correctly
- Elite 3K
- Posts: 3301
- Joined: 13 May 2004, 23:37
We did find it hard to believe, even now I question what we saw, but thank goodness other folks further away saw what we saw (within reason and distance).
I know the USAF really did and said nothing about it, it was blown off.
There used to a report data collection event, a project called Blue Book but it was a farce (nothing really done about the reports) it really was developed to debunk what folks did see...it all meant nothing.
I still don't think it is taken seriously, I am not sure what military pilots do or say about it. I know I saw a special report recently where Buzz Aldrin (Apollo Astronaut) reported he saw one but NASA kept that information very close and told him to say nothing (least that is what he stated during that interview) but he decided to come clean all these years later...strange huh!.
I know the USAF really did and said nothing about it, it was blown off.
There used to a report data collection event, a project called Blue Book but it was a farce (nothing really done about the reports) it really was developed to debunk what folks did see...it all meant nothing.
I still don't think it is taken seriously, I am not sure what military pilots do or say about it. I know I saw a special report recently where Buzz Aldrin (Apollo Astronaut) reported he saw one but NASA kept that information very close and told him to say nothing (least that is what he stated during that interview) but he decided to come clean all these years later...strange huh!.
More than likely have "been there and done that at some point", it sure keeps you young if done correctly
- Senior member
- Posts: 284
- Joined: 11 Aug 2006, 16:46
- Location: Moodus, CT
I've had three UFO incidents, none of them extraterestrial, though.....sorry.
the first was in '84 while I was stationed at Kunsan, during one of the big exercises over there we had an active duty squadron of what we were told were "A-7's" (the Air Force didn't have any A-7 at that time) that were going to be parked down at the "tree area" and we were all to stay away...needless to say everybody had to go see, they were the wierdest looking things we had ever seen (this was back in '84)....too bad they are retiring them next year....
The second and third both occured out over Death Valley while I was stationed at Nellis, both times were the same type of "aircraft" flying low level and to this day I still don't know what they were (after I got out, I worked for Lockheed and I know they weren't anything Lockheed was working on) Kind of a cross between an A-10 and the Testors model F-19.
Smitty
the first was in '84 while I was stationed at Kunsan, during one of the big exercises over there we had an active duty squadron of what we were told were "A-7's" (the Air Force didn't have any A-7 at that time) that were going to be parked down at the "tree area" and we were all to stay away...needless to say everybody had to go see, they were the wierdest looking things we had ever seen (this was back in '84)....too bad they are retiring them next year....
The second and third both occured out over Death Valley while I was stationed at Nellis, both times were the same type of "aircraft" flying low level and to this day I still don't know what they were (after I got out, I worked for Lockheed and I know they weren't anything Lockheed was working on) Kind of a cross between an A-10 and the Testors model F-19.
Smitty
Tim Smith
Avionics '81 - present
F-16 A/B/C/D
F-111D FB-111A
F-15A/B
F-22A
F-18E/F & G
Wedgetail
Avionics '81 - present
F-16 A/B/C/D
F-111D FB-111A
F-15A/B
F-22A
F-18E/F & G
Wedgetail
- Forum Veteran
- Posts: 557
- Joined: 03 Jul 2006, 23:15
Wow.
If I were a pilot up there in any aircraft, I would be scared shitless if I saw anything crazy like that.
But I guess the pilots, if they see something. Wouldnt they try and communicate with it? Try some radio calls? Shooting at it wold be a big no-no.
Hmm. Yes, they dont take it seriously at all. Theyd rather deny all knowledge of it and spare panicking the population.
If I were a pilot up there in any aircraft, I would be scared shitless if I saw anything crazy like that.
But I guess the pilots, if they see something. Wouldnt they try and communicate with it? Try some radio calls? Shooting at it wold be a big no-no.
Hmm. Yes, they dont take it seriously at all. Theyd rather deny all knowledge of it and spare panicking the population.
- Elite 3K
- Posts: 3301
- Joined: 13 May 2004, 23:37
Yea...who knows but I bet somebody knows the truth, I just wish X Files would come out with part two of their movie...I loved the first one and Scully
More than likely have "been there and done that at some point", it sure keeps you young if done correctly
- Forum Veteran
- Posts: 557
- Joined: 03 Jul 2006, 23:15
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ma ... _sightings
There are alot of interesting incidents recorded here!
I mean, these all cant be hoaxes. Just too many sightings.
There are alot of interesting incidents recorded here!
I mean, these all cant be hoaxes. Just too many sightings.
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