A pilot debunks old UFO report (Phoenix Lights)

[Aaron LeClair]

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070301/NEWS07/703010425/1001/NEWS



Gene, you live in that area. Did you in 97? I take it you didn't see them, correct?

 

[Noanswers]

Thanks for posting this.
I live in Scottsdale and am fascinated with the amount of "debunking" stories coming out about the Phoenix lights now that the 10 year anniversary is rapidly approaching.
I didn't live here at the time, but have spoken to people who watched the lights that night.
Some of these claims about Air Nat. Guard fall flat when one considers that the thing was reported traversing almost the entire state. In addition, as Dr. Lynn noted while on the show last week, the "lights" were reported in the months and years prior to the big night in March.
While its not my job to either dismiss or support claims that the "lights" were some sort of intelligently piloted craft, the one piece of evidence that convinces me that the whole flare thing just won't fly (sorry, bad pun) are the reports from upstanding witnesses who saw the solid outline of a some sort of craft.
I really don't have a dog in this local fight as to what the lights were, no investment in the idea that they were some sort of interstellar ship, but all the flare claims really seem empty when one cosiders the area involved and inability of the Air Force to get its story straight.
I should note, at about 10pm one night last winter I was driving down a freeway in Phoenix with a United Airlines pilot that has been my friend since we were children. He looked up, saw something and said "what the hell is that?"
Not too far from where we were, a set of lights, not unlike those in the photos from 10 years ago were spread out in the sky.
"I don't know what they are," he said. "I'm paid to know what things in the sky are, and I don't know what the hell that is". Sounds cheesey, but those were his exact words. After a few minutes, they were gone.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Thanks for posting this.
I live in Scottsdale and am fascinated with the amount of "debunking" stories coming out about the Phoenix lights now that the 10 year anniversary is rapidly approaching.
I didn't live here at the time, but have spoken to people who watched the lights that night.
Some of these claims about Air Nat. Guard fall flat when one considers that the thing was reported traversing almost the entire state. In addition, as Dr. Lynn noted while on the show last week, the "lights" were reported in the months and years prior to the big night in March.
While its not my job to either dismiss or support claims that the "lights" were some sort of intelligently piloted craft, the one piece of evidence that convinces me that the whole flare thing just won't fly (sorry, bad pun) are the reports from upstanding witnesses who saw the solid outline of a some sort of craft.
I really don't have a dog in this local fight as to what the lights were, no investment in the idea that they were some sort of interstellar ship, but all the flare claims really seem empty when one cosiders the area involved and inability of the Air Force to get its story straight.
I should note, at about 10pm one night last winter I was driving down a freeway in Phoenix with a United Airlines pilot that has been my friend since we were children. He looked up, saw something and said "what the hell is that?"
Not too far from where we were, a set of lights, not unlike those in the photos from 10 years ago were spread out in the sky.
"I don't know what they are," he said. "I'm paid to know what things in the sky are, and I don't know what the hell that is". Sounds cheesey, but those were his exact words. After a few minutes, they were gone.

Hi neighbor! I live in Scottsdale too, but never seem to be in the right place at the right time to see anything weird.

Oh well.

 

[Noanswers]

I didn't realize you were in the neighborhood, Gene. Nice to know I'm not the only one in the valley with his eyes skyward.
You may have seen it, but there is an interesting post over on the relatively new MUFON message boards that is of particular interest to those who know the geography of this area.
I'm up in the NE part of Scottsdale and this guy's post dealt with our area. Apparently on the night of the Phoenix Lights (3-13?) he was headed over to the Ft Mcdowell casino on the east side of Fountain Hills (the end of civilization in the east). He was headed east on Shea Blvd and right where the road starts to go up the hill, out of Scottsdale and into Fountain Hills, police had cruisers blocking the road so no traffic could pass.
Now at night this road gets quieter, but is still a heavily travelled road and the only way into FHills from Scottsdale. One would have to find further collaboration but if this is correct, it would really dimantle the idea that this whole thing was some localized flare event way down in the SW valley.
Have you heard of these roads being closed that night?

 

[Gene Steinberg]

I didn't realize you were in the neighborhood, Gene. Nice to know I'm not the only one in the valley with his eyes skyward.
You may have seen it, but there is an interesting post over on the relatively new MUFON message boards that is of particular interest to those who know the geography of this area.
I'm up in the NE part of Scottsdale and this guy's post dealt with our area. Apparently on the night of the Phoenix Lights (3-13?) he was headed over to the Ft Mcdowell casino on the east side of Fountain Hills (the end of civilization in the east). He was headed east on Shea Blvd and right where the road starts to go up the hill, out of Scottsdale and into Fountain Hills, police had cruisers blocking the road so no traffic could pass.
Now at night this road gets quieter, but is still a heavily travelled road and the only way into FHills from Scottsdale. One would have to find further collaboration but if this is correct, it would really dimantle the idea that this whole thing was some localized flare event way down in the SW valley.
Have you heard of these roads being closed that night?

You're fairly close to me, but remember that lunch is on you

 

[Aaron LeClair]

MUFON finally got boards eh? Good. I might check them out and spam their boards when I'm not spamming here

 

[Noanswers]

Indeed, MUFON finally has boards. Alas, the traffic is fast and my own attention span is so thin, that I more or less gave up on them.
There seems to be a lot of the problems that haunt Ufology in general represented on the boards over there: lots of belief with little questioning.

(God, I'm listening to an interview with a guy named Derrell Sims on another podcast right now, and it seems like much of the same. . .why does this subject engender so much hucksterism?)

Gene- I'm in on lunch, Oreganos. . .best grease in the east valley. . .another step closer to my cardiac
I've only lived here for about a year and half and where I came from was trees and pretty urban, but when I'm up running in the McDowells, it's not hard to believe that there is something out there.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Indeed, MUFON finally has boards. Alas, the traffic is fast and my own attention span is so thin, that I more or less gave up on them.
There seems to be a lot of the problems that haunt Ufology in general represented on the boards over there: lots of belief with little questioning.

(God, I'm listening to an interview with a guy named Derrell Sims on another podcast right now, and it seems like much of the same. . .why does this subject engender so much hucksterism?)

Gene- I'm in on lunch, Oreganos. . .best grease in the east valley. . .another step closer to my cardiac
I've only lived here for about a year and half and where I came from was trees and pretty urban, but when I'm up running in the McDowells, it's not hard to believe that there is something out there.

Oreganos works for me.

The one at Shea and Scottsdale tends to be less hectic than the one in Old Towne Scottsdale.

Contact me privately about this

 

[Aaron LeClair]

Indeed, MUFON finally has boards. Alas, the traffic is fast and my own attention span is so thin, that I more or less gave up on them.
There seems to be a lot of the problems that haunt Ufology in general represented on the boards over there: lots of belief with little questioning.

(God, I'm listening to an interview with a guy named Derrell Sims on another podcast right now, and it seems like much of the same. . .why does this subject engender so much hucksterism?)

Gene- I'm in on lunch, Oreganos. . .best grease in the east valley. . .another step closer to my cardiac
I've only lived here for about a year and half and where I came from was trees and pretty urban, but when I'm up running in the McDowells, it's not hard to believe that there is something out there.

What is it about Derrell that gave you the impression he's a huckster? I offered him a little over 2000 dollars to help with his research, many years ago, he politely declined. If he's a huckster, he forgot to be it that day. And continued to not be it in any other of our interactions.


Anytime there's a hunger for answers, and/or desperation, there will be hucksters. Just look at religion and health related issues as an example. Weight loss, balding, penis enlargement, saving souls, aging, answering prayers, healing etc.

The question I ask is, why are the good guys ridiculed as much as the bad guys? Sometimes the good guys get it worse it seems. And why can no one see the difference in the media?

Many credentialed scientist stay away from the field because it's pseudo scientific. Little realizing the catch 22 they are involved in. We need respectable scientist to take part in order for respectable scientist to take part. Anyone can call themselves a ufologist. There's no credentials for it. No accountability. The media does NO checking on this field's "experts", and so they are free to fly and lie. When they crash, no biggy, it won't get reported. And they'll continue on some show that doesn't care about truth, objectivity, or science. Why should they when wide eyed claims and controversy brings them their ratings? Well, I can think of some reasons, but you know what I'm getting at.

Another piece of the dillema is, that this field does attract nutts because you have to be crazy to want to deal with the ridicule. See, the so called respectable people have something to lose. Their job, reputation, and sanity. This is why the more credible shy away more so than the not so credible. Some one with a crumby job, little or no sanity, and no reputation has nothing to lose but what he has, and it sucks, so why not take some hoax photos and start a preachin? The worst that will happen is he will have more of the same, BUT, some money, eyes and ears on him/her, and some positive attention along with the negative.

I could go on, but have to go for now.

 

[Noanswers]

My sincere apologies, A.LeClair. I really should have known more about Mr. Sims before attaching such a title to him. From your short description of your interaction with him, I may need to reconsider. If anything, maybe I've become far too jaded about Ufology and its attendent personalities.
In addition, there is that one over-night program that will go nameless, that has promoted a lot of less than reputable characters.
In any event, thanks for reeling me in and making me rethink my postions somewhat. . .but I still don't buy the Billy Meier stuff . . .just kidding.

 

[Tom Levine]

Say, would it be rude of me to post a comment back on track with the original thread post?

There's 2 events on the night of 3-13-97, right?

The second, most recognized event, was the apparent/alleged flares launched by the national guard (I think) just over the horizon of the mountain range above Phoenix. This has been widely photographed, reported, and commented on. Personally, the flare story seems the most plausible for that sighting. I wasn't there, so I don't know, and I'm still uncertain given all of the testimony, however, This pilots story seems pretty darned convincing, and seems to fit with the photographic and video evidence, along with the myriad of previous expert analysis out there such as what's his name...Wait for it...Bruce...Um...here it is, Maccabbee.

Now, on to the first sighting. I enjoyed Dr. Lynne's interview on TheParacast on 2-25-07. I haven't yet gotten a copy of her book, but plan on reading it. However, Dr. Lynne's website, ThePhoenixLights.Net has some VERY interesting photographs of what appears to me to be resembling black triangles, or very similar UAPs. While possible that Dr. Lynne's sightings are mere illusions, I find this to be unlikely. I also find the prospect that these are normal aircraft...Highly suspect. They look very similar to other photographic evidence captured elsewhere of unusual lights in the sky, very similar, in fact, to the police officers sighting in Shiloh Illinois from 2000. Here is the original polaroid of the UFO taken by one of the officers that evening. While it is not a great photo, you can use it to back up the illustrations they completed which is available on the previous link. It is also interesting to compare it to the Mexico photograph, which looks very similar to one of Dr. Lynne's photographs from her website. In addition, what is so amazing about Dr. Lynne's photos on her website, and she covered this thoroughly in the interview, is that they were taken prior to 3-13-97. I particularly like the one taken on 1-23-97, juxtaposed above the city lights. Excellent stationary references on this particular image which I find fascinating.

So here's where I'm going with this. Does anyone know of any other videos or photographs of these UAPs, either prior to 3-13-97, or on 3-13-97 but not related to the apparent flares sighting? Is there any other corroborating evidence out there that would support Dr. Lynne's claim, which would be worth taking a look at?

Now I'm going to speculate: Let's say Dr. Lynne captured unusual aircraft in the Phoenix skies, and let's also say that the more widely known sighting of 3-13-97 was in fact flares. If both are true, then it would make perfect sense. If there were black-ops planes being observed in the night sky over Phoenix, and the military needed to seek a diversion, could not the flares be that very diversion? Could it be a slight-of-hand, like a magic trick? Everyone look at my left hand, when in fact, my right hand is actually holding the coin. The Flares could be an excellent diversion to deflect the unfolding controversy away from what really might have been going on. Furthermore, this could be done without the National Guard pilots knowing anything about their involvement in it. Someone says drop the flares, so they drop the flares. End of story, as far as they're concerned. They don't have to have any knowledge of the purposeful deflection to be involved. They can deny any knowledge of their involvement, and from their vantage point, the whole thing would look like much ado about nothing.

This explanation, that the flares were a compartmentalized, covert, and convenient diversion away from the actual black-ops aircraft potentially being observed that night, sits well with me. It is an explanation that would have all the chips fall into place, although I'm certain there are holes to be poked in my assumptions, and I look forward to hearing what those holes are.

One final thought. I know Dr. Lynne is convinced that what she observed was not of this Earth. I'm not so sure. The fact is that even if unusual aircraft was observed that night, and even if that unusual aircraft was silent, and hovering, and travelling slowly, and over a couple football fields wide, that still doesn't rule out a human explanation.

Based on the NIDS report about Black Triangles, I believe the most likely explanation is planned covert disclosure of some as of yet identified black-ops aircraft. And I quote from the Space.Com article, which quoted NIDS, back in 8-5-02: "...NIDS researchers contend that these type vehicles are lighter-than-air, blimp-style craft of the U.S. military's making. Likely powered by "electrokinetic" drive, the lifting body-shaped airships have been skirting the skies from perhaps the early to mid 1980s..."

 

[Noanswers]

You make a strong case, Tom. Your idea could be exactly what happened. In fact, how about the idea that the whole thing was some sort of phychological operation, aimed at the entire population of a large city? What if it is some black-op aircraft that was supposed to be seen. . .so that reactions could be studied?
OK, now the fip-side, if this is the case and the flare drop was a "slight of hand", why the slow response to the original reports of the lights down near South Mtn (the core concentration of lights)?
If my memory serves (and I may be wrong) it took weeks or more for the military to say that yes, in fact they were in the area and dropping flares. In addition, isn't the pilot quoted as saying he had his planes drop the flares because they needed to dump them (sort of as an afterthought)?
In a situation like this anything is possible. I'm not wedded to the idea that this was some sort of paranormal occurance. . .but if it was in fact some sort of black-op, they sure bungled it.
Additionally, I just don't get why if these huge craft exist, there is so little inforamtion floating around about them. Wasn't there a ton of info on the Stealth program for years before they went public with it?
If we've got this technology, wouldn't the fly the thing over the Suni Triangle and scare the **** of them (on half sarcastic)? It strikes me that we are at one of the most troubled geo-political/military times since about 1970, I think the Dr.'s Strangelove would be itching to show the world how tough we really are.

 

[Tom Levine]

NoAnswers:

Right. All good points.

"why the slow response to the original reports of the lights down near South Mtn (the core concentration of lights)?" I honestly don't know.

"...it took weeks or more for the military to say that yes, in fact they were in the area and dropping flares." I think you are right.

"In addition, isn't the pilot quoted as saying he had his planes drop the flares because they needed to dump them (sort of as an afterthought)?" Yes, that's his story. I believe you described it correctly.

This last point does poke holes at one of my assumptions. How could it have been a planned slight of hand, if it was the pilot who made the decision to make the drop? That's a good one. I don't know.

"if these huge craft exist, there is so little inforamtion floating around about them. Wasn't there a ton of info on the Stealth program for years before they went public with it?"

Well, I have two comments on this one.

COMMENT 1: My response, The Dynairship II

On your first point, I think that's a common misconception:
GO HERE
And perhaps here
and even here

AND PERHAPS THE MOST FASCINATING OF THEM ALL IS HERE. On this link, I think you will find the descriptions of the Dynairship II and maybe even the WASP UAV to be of primary interest. I am fascinated by this company more than the others.

Here's a quick quote from their website: "The current U.S. military reawakening of interest in very large hybrid aircraft concept shows the validity of AEREON's DYNAIRSHIP II. Utilizing both buoyant and aerodynamic lift, DYNAIRSHIP II is the newest variant of AEREON's "lifting-body airship" concepts. Based upon a configuration AEREON's researched in the 1980's, DYNAIRSHIP II is a manned (or unmanned) aircraft concept that will allow the transportation of very large cargo weight and volume over great distances for military and commercial logistics."

If you want to be even more perplexed, check out the section that explains their new propulsion system technology: "...vertical thrust and direct lateral force control for precision hovering..." . In my opinion, the description of this technology, as posted on AEREON's website, is suspiciously consistent with many of the sightings and descriptions provided by eyewitnesses, including the 1-5-2000 Illinois sighting by 5 local police officers, and perhaps even the sightings out of Arizona from 1997.

One final, fascinating point to make about this company. This is not a fly-by-night corporation. I'm not creating a conspiracy theory here. AEREON has a history. They were the first company to make rigid blimps in the 1960's after the Zepplins from the 1930's. They have a proven, historical track-record.

What's strange to me about AEREON, is it's sudden silence (read their cryptic last, known press release from 3-2-04). You see heavy involvement and innovation through the 90's at pushing AIRSHIP technology forward. Then, suddenly, they drop off the scene. Where did they go? There are no NEW photographs of the Dynairship II or the WASP. What happened? Did they give up? Did they go bankrupt? Did they cease to design and implement their new innovations? Why would they do that? How did this company go from being a visionary, to being completely silent. Well, one plausible scenario could be that the company earned a government contract, and went silent. That could explain the odd dissappearing act of this extremely important company. Perhaps the project, and the money, did not end. The Dynairship II design could have been realized, and it's prototypes could be very, VERY real.


Comment 2: Planned Disclosure

A quick, personal narrative...

I was going to college in the late 80's, just prior to the Stealth being declassified. I actually saw them one night. I was out on the balcony with a friend of mine. We were having a few drinks, and we saw 3 of them fly overhead. They were low in the sky, black, relatively quiet, and I can say now, distinctly stealthy looking.

We ran outside and tried to get another look, but they were gone. We quickly drew a diagram. What were they, we wondered? ET, Black-Ops? What? I showed my diagram to my Astronomy professor, who indicated, quite scientifically that "I think you saw a UFO.". Gee, thanks.

And then that very year, within 12 months of my sighting, I was getting my oil changed and I was in the waiting room with my Dad, and there it was. I think I was reading either Popular Mechanics, or Omni, or one of those magazines back then. But the cover story was about the Stealth, and I read the article, and told my Dad, "I saw that thing. I saw it flying. I didn't know what it was then, but now I do!"

So part of me feels that if there is a black-ops mega-blimp Dynairship II-like thing flying around out there, (which NIDS seems to had concluded there was back at least in 2004), it's reasonable to conclude that the declassification of this aircraft will come in phases. I don't believe that it was a coincidence that I witnessed the stealth within 12 months of reading that article with my Dad. We might be seeing the same kind of planned, phased declassification going on here.

But truthfully, who knows. I don't. I am definitely guessing, speculating, and theorizing based on the facts at hand...I could absolutely be way off the mark.

 

[Noanswers]

Thanks for all of the great links.
It's certainly going to give me a lot to peruse on a slow Sunday night.
I think we're in sort of the same place with this: don't know, open to all ideas.
It might be good to see what we can come up with in the way of eyewitness reports from that night and the sightings prior and after. While the proto-ships are necessarily shrouded in ether, we may be able to compare with what is even thought possible in today's aviation. Of course eye witness reports are not the end all be all, but they might help. I remember one older guy, Air Force vet I think who lived up in Cave Creek, saying he saw the outline of the thing and it was over a mile wide.
Just a thought, and forgive me for going a bit astray, but what might huge airships be used for? I'm sure this is touched on in the links you sent, so I'll dig a little.
Thanks again

 

[Tom Levine]

... what might huge airships be used for? I'm sure this is touched on in the links you sent, so I'll dig a little.
Thanks again

In two words: Cargo, and Heavy-Lifting.

I'll preface this by saying I'm no military expert. If memory serves, these innovative airships have unusual benefits to the military, specifically, "payload, distance, duration, and altitude." This quote of benefits is not talking about modern airships, by the way, but describes innovations of blimps from the first 40 years of the 20th century. If Airship technology has continued to develop, then certainly the benefits would continue in these same areas, only to a much greater degree.

A vast amount of heavy military resources such as tanks, weaponry and personnel, could be mobilized from one location to the next with ease. They might have the ability to cross great distances, say from a military base in the US, to a military arena in the mid-east, without landing or refueling. They are stealthy, quiet, capable of travelling both vertically and directionally, and capable of travelling at exceedingly high altitudes, thus avoid detection and enemy fire. That would be, if you believe that these aircraft exist, or that the designs as set forth in the AEREON website might be real, and further along than expected.

Imagine the military benefits to being able to transport: "1-2 million pounds half-way around the world in a week...", as quoted in DefenseIndustryDaily.Com. So the benefits of LTA (lighter than aircraft) blimps, or Airships, are not uncommon discussion-points amongst those in the Defense Industry. These are real ships, with real defense contracts.

The question I keep working on is whether or not the "black triangles", the Illinois sighting, and perhaps the Arizona sightings, all match with prospective LTA and Airship technology. Perhaps they do. Perhaps we are farther along than was previously thought.

 

[Noanswers]

Would these fit the Belgium wave of 1989-90. I'm way out of my league here, but it could be NATO related.
One also wonders, in addition to your above uses, if it might not prove usefull as some sort of floating command center in a highly dangerous areas.
I will say again, just to stay somewhat on topic, if that's what has been seen in Illinois, AZ and possibly Belgium (and oh yeah, Art Bell saw one in NV) they sure arn't doing a good job of hiding the things.
Perhaps you are right; a slow drip of sorts. . .

 

[Tom Levine]

Would these fit the Belgium wave of 1989-90. I'm way out of my league here, but it could be NATO related.
One also wonders, in addition to your above uses, if it might not prove usefull as some sort of floating command center in a highly dangerous areas.
I will say again, just to stay somewhat on topic, if that's what has been seen in Illinois, AZ and possibly Belgium (and oh yeah, Art Bell saw one in NV) they sure arn't doing a good job of hiding the things.
Perhaps you are right; a slow drip of sorts. . .

Hey, I don't think you're out of your league at all! I think you're posting perfectly legitimate observations and reasonable questions on this subject.

Anyway, yeah. The Belgium flap of 1989. That's one of the best! Here we have radar evidence, photographic evidence, videographic evidence, and thousands of sightings and corroborating testimony. Furthermore, and what makes this case so incredibly unique, is that the Belgium Air Force actually locks on to the UFO, never sees it visibly, but also provides testimony to the world that essentially, they believe it to be ET in origin! The original TLC broadcast is on YouTube. It's very good.

So it's one of the most intriguing, unique cases out there. I believe the radar was analyzed, and conclusions were drawn that this UFO made maneuvers that are physically impossible for known aircraft such as right turns and acceleration up to 3000 feet per second upwards, and zero to 1000 knots. That's all drawn from radar information though, and not corroborated with visible evidence, so I'll just leave it at that.

Strictly going on the pictures and video of the Belgium UFO, and nothing else, I'd say it looks strikingly similar to the Illinois sighting, perhaps Dr. Lynne's photos in AZ, and other Black Triangle sightings, images, etc., floating around out there. I saw one image of the Belgium UFO from the back, not the bottom, and it struck me as resemblling Dr. Lynne's first photo depicted on her website to a T. But, I don't know if that video is legit or not...The video with the 3 lights from below is definitely in line with the photos floating around out there. YOu can find this one somewhere on YouTube if you search.

So Are they the same? I don't know. I think it's a very grey area. Now we're getting into it a little. There is a US airbase in Belgium, and I've read skeptics online who have stated whole-heartedly that the thing looks like a B-2 Stealth Bomber. I'm not saying that. I have zero military experience. I'm just reporting those statements to you to balance out the information.

In the end, I couldn't clearly draw a distinct connection between the Belgium UFO and other black triangle sightings. There are some distinct differences. I believe the classic black triangle at least the ones reported in this decade, are silent, slow, almost hovering, much lower to the ground. They could be different craft, and a different phenomenon altogether. Or, one could entertain the notion that one was "reverse-engineered" from the other. Or, one could consider that perhaps they are the same craft, and the Belgium evidence has been misconstrued either by design, or in error.

For me, the jury's out on whether or not the Belgium UFO is consistent with the NIDS suggested Airships and LTA craft.

Hey, no one ever said this subject was uncomplicated, right?!

 

[Noanswers]

This is just like the proverbial onion, isn't it? Peel one layer away and there are a ton more underneath.

I'm inclined to believe that the "triangle" sightings may represent the "all of the above" catagory that appears in so many UFO polls.
Much as you noted, many could be some form of modern-day blimp, yet others appear (I need to look into it more) to defy what we would consider possible.
Have you ever seen the NICAP website? It really is a warehouse of info.
I don't really understand what it is, who put it together or its veracity. However, they've posted tons of witness reports going back decades and there is very little (if any, I need to dig harder) refrence to triangles. Now, were things that were being reported as "flying wings" simply a different manner to describe a flying triangle, or is this really a new phenomena? And if so, than are we to assume that it is a prototype. . .
God, this is complicated, lets just try and figure out abductions where the human is floated through the wall ; )


Apparently there is an old report (disclaimer:just grabbed this off of a site, but I do seem to remember this sighting)

The earliest report which we were able to uncover dated from September 1952 and concerned the sighting of triangular-shaped UFOs seen during a NATO exercise called 'Main brace'. Significantly, UFOs were witnessed by military personnel reported throughout Main brace, including a now-famous encounter reported by half a dozen Royal Air Force personnel stationed at RAF Topcliffe in Yorkshire who saw a circular shaped UFO operating near the airfield.

 

[67fortsmithufos]

This should be obvious, but if you plot the points on a map of the reported
97 sightings and extrapolate the line to the northwest you will intersect
a dry lake bed and the longest runway in the world. Could this have been
a stealth blimp? Maybe a test flight over a heavily populated area to gauge
the reaction of the citizens and possibly even the military response? Throw
in a few flares for a cover story, then turn around and go back tp the base that doesn't exist. Next stop, Tehran?
Then again, maybe it was Hall's Tall Whites out for a picnic.

 

[auntiegrav]

The Belgium craft were hovering and then fast moving. Perhaps they sent up radar decoys of some kind to distract the F-16's while they crept away over the ocean.....
We don't often think of the possibility of aircraft carrying aircraft.

They seemed to respond to the F-16 radar, in a manner consistent with terrestrial ECM procedures..so I vote for them being terrestrial in origin.

Thanks for not saying "We don't have anything like that."