“But the good news is that pilots felt comfortable saying something—which has not always been the case. “
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Military pilots?
I know this is technically peace-time, but I don’t think pilots should feel comfortable “saying something” about their missions and operations unless they are clear it’s not classified.
The stigma was never about military or commercial pilots running to the media after a sighting. It was about filing a report of what they saw to their superiors.