airtraffic

Author Topic: UFOs?  (Read 8835 times)

Offline GROUNDBOUND1

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UFOs?
« on: July 19, 2006, 12:09:06 AM »
 Forgive me for such an odd question, but has anyone ever heard (while listening to a live feed) any remarks  from a pilot or a.t. controller regarding U.F.O's? I know that there must be many who see these things, but for one reason or another, don't mention it. (I would imagine a fear of being laughed at would be the most common reason)  If anyone has, do they have a clip they could send me?
 Just wondering.
« Last Edit: October 16, 2006, 08:20:55 AM by GROUNDBOUND1 »



Offline jamall02864

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Re: UFOs?
« Reply #1 on: July 19, 2006, 02:16:29 AM »
well i was waching one of the ufo shows and it said that pilots that see or have odd icounters when flying a plain  have bad luck or things of the sort and that this is well known by the pilots  so they don't report them.  but then agian i was a documentry on ufo's   i am a beliver but  some of these people are  not right in the head lol

just my 2 cents    it sounded legitemnt to me  but who knows  mabey you can correct me   now threre is a huge storm about to pass through the providence area so im going to hop off   

Offline davolijj

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Re: UFOs?
« Reply #2 on: July 19, 2006, 08:23:24 AM »
I've never heard of anything personally but this subject is addressed in the 7110.65 manual:

Quote from: 7110.65
Section 8. Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) Reports

9-8-1. GENERAL

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.


Offline KSYR-pjr

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Re: UFOs?
« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2006, 09:11:27 AM »
Never heard a live report, but the mention of UFOs and ATC always reminds me of the rather realistic screenplay of the second scene in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." 

(copied from http://www.filmsite.org/clos.html)

Quote
Air traffic controllers, almost three thousand miles away from the Mexican desert, keep watch over the skies above Indiana. They monitor pilot's communications, airplane locations, and general aircraft activity to keep the skies safe:

    AirEast Pilot (Roy E. Richards): Indianapolis Center, do you have any traffic for AirEast 31?
    Air Traffic Controller: AirEast 31, negative. The only traffic I have is a TWA L-1011 in your six o'clock position. Range - fifteen miles. There's an Allegheny DC-9 in your twelve o'clock position, fifty miles. Stand by one. I'll take a look at Broadband.
    AirEast Pilot: AirEast 31 has traffic two o'clock, slightly above and descending.
    Air Traffic Controller: AirEast 31, Roger. I have a primary target about that position now. I have no known high-altitude traffic. Stand by one. I'll check Low [Altitude]. Over...
    AirEast Pilot: AirEast 31. The traffic's not lower than us. He's one o'clock now, still above me and descending.
    Air Traffic Controller: AirEast 31. Can you say aircraft type?
    AirEast Pilot: Negative, Center. No distinct outline. To tell you the truth, the target is rather brilliant. It has the brightest anti-collision lights I think I've ever seen - alternating white to red. The colors are a little striking.
    TWA Pilot: Center, this is TWA 517. Traffic now looks like extra bright landing lights. I thought AirEast had his landing lights on.

As the not-so-routine communications continue, a few of the other Traffic Controllers crowd around the computerized radar screen as an UNK (Unknown) radar blip in the air-position display shows up next to the other two planes. The controllers can hardly comprehend what they are seeing - an imminent air collision. The controller orders evasive action by the AirEast and Allegheny pilots to avoid a catastrophe:

    AirEast Pilot: OK Center. AirEast 31. The traffic has turned. He's heading right for my windshield. We're turning right... [A CONFLICT ALERT sounds]
    Air Traffic Controller: AirEast 31, descend and maintain flight level three-one-zero. Break, Allegheny triple four. Turn right thirty degrees immediately...
    AirEast Pilot: AirEast 31, Roger. The traffic is quite luminous and is exhibiting some non-ballistic motion. Over.
    Air Traffic Controller: Roger, AirEast 31. Continue to send at your discretion, over.
    AirEast Pilot: OK, Center. Center pilot's discretion is approved. The traffic is approaching head-on...and really moving. Went by us, right now. That was really close.

One of the supervisors leans over the controller's shoulder to document the unidentified flying object, but the two pilots who witnessed the incident decline to report the unusual circumstances:

    Supervisor: Ask them if they want to report officially.
    Air Traffic Controller: TWA 517, do you want to report a UFO? Over. [No response] TWA 517, do you want to report a UFO? Over.
    TWA Pilot: Negative. We don't want to report.
    Air Traffic Controller: AirEast 31, do you wish to report a UFO? Over.
    AirEast Pilot: Negative. We don't want to report one of those either.
    Air Traffic Controller: AirEast 31, do you wish to file a report of any kind to us?
    AirEast Pilot: I wouldn't know what kind of report to file, Center.
    Air Traffic Controller: AirEast 31, me neither. I'll try to track traffic and destination, over.

Offline GROUNDBOUND1

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Re: UFOs?
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2006, 08:34:45 PM »
Yup, that was one of my favorite movies, and I know the scene well. In fact, that's kinda what made me ask the question in the first place. You just never know.

Offline Tomato

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Re: UFOs?
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2006, 08:37:28 AM »
Hm, I'll have to add that to my "must watch" list.

Otherwise, any unidentified objects I've heard of are bit tankers/boats in the water that appear on radar.  I remember a thread with a nice clip on this a while back.

Offline KSYR-pjr

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Re: UFOs?
« Reply #6 on: July 21, 2006, 09:14:43 AM »
Slightly related... there was a cargo-carrying Caravan mid-air collision with an unknown object a couple of years ago over the skies of Alabama (US).  Both the page link and the NTSB link contain the relevant ATC/pilot communications transcript.

This accident still creeps me out, given the fact that it was a flight in IMC (instrument conditions) and no explanation has yet been developed (edit: Apparently the NTSB did release a final cause, which they stated was spatial disorientation, but the family website disputes that cause - I had missed the final cause until rereading the case now):

A page discussing the accident:

http://www.aero-news.net/Community/DiscussTopic.cfm?TopicID=1023&Refresh=1

The official accident report:

www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief2.asp?ev_id=20021029X05400&ntsbno=ATL03FA008&akey=1

Edit:  Family members of the pilot have also created a website devoted to this crash:  http://caravancrash.com/
« Last Edit: July 21, 2006, 09:31:38 AM by KSYR-pjr »