Posted on 03/23/2007 7:05:34 PM PDT by Pro-Bush
The Arizona Daily Star Published: 03.23.2007
UFOs flew over Phoenix in '97, Symington says By Tom Beal ARIZONA DAILY STAR
"The universe is a big place, and we're conceited to think we're alone." Fife Symington, former Ariz. governor Former Gov. Fife Symington says now that those strange lights that appeared over Phoenix a decade ago were from another world and that he had a close encounter with an alien craft on March 13, 1997.
"I'm a pilot and I know just about every machine that flies. It was bigger than anything that I've ever seen. It remains a great mystery. Other people saw it, responsible people," Symington said Thursday. "I don't know why people would ridicule it."
Symington, who was in his second term as governor of Arizona during the Phoenix Lights incident, recently told a UFO investigator making a documentary that he had kept quiet about his personal close encounter because he didn't want to panic the populace. He repeated his story Thursday on CNN, saying the craft he saw was "enormous. It just felt other-worldly. In your gut, you could just tell it was other-worldly."
(Excerpt) Read more at azstarnet.com ...
"...a college friend who is a AF pilot. He says that many experienced pilots have witnessed UFOs..."
---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---
Let me give you contrary testimony.
I was an AF pilot, and flew the Looking Glass (SAC Airborne Command Post) mission flying random patterns 24hrs/day over the great MidWest of our country. I, personally, flew over 4,000 hours. About 2200 of those were at night. My friends in the squadron also helped keep that mission aloft 24hrs/day for over thirty years and spoke to me at length about their experiences flying, both in the squadron room, and at the bar.
NONE of those pilots, or navigators, EVER stated "I saw a UFO" or "I saw something that really looked like it might not be natural the other day" ... NONE of our sister squadron, whose pilots I regularly tipped glasses with, ever stated something like, "I just can't explain what that could have been." and they had similarly busy schedules both in and outside the US.
Sorry... This AF pilot must counter your buddy's testimony. I've never met a single AF pilot who stated he witnessed something he believed was alien to this planet. Further, despite all the high clearance material I worked with, I never found anything that was remotely suggestive that our government was "hiding" something having to do with UFOs.
I live in PHX, I've seen the data, endlessly.
Fact: there were flare drops on the Goldwater range, very bright, very high, easily seen and at a distance, appearing to be in formation.
Fact: When you take the eyewitness data of when the flares "blinked out" they correlate exactly to the contours of South Mountain.
Fact: During the Scottsdale viewing timeline, I was on an America West 737 coming in from DFW after attending a convention, we passed over Scottsdale on a final descent into Sky Harbor. Not a single person saw anything coming in or commented on it.
Fact: Fly 2 or three planes in a formation, at night, and it sure can look like its the outline of a massive plane.
Mass hysteria, fed upon itself aided by hyperactive news organizations looking for a story and ratings.
And, yes, I think YOU ARE A KOOOOOOOOOOOOK, (not just for this, but for the totality of your posts here)
I just posted snippets from the 10 year investigator's comments tonight. I'll try and catch his presentation tomorrow or Sunday and give a more complete report.
Your scenario does not track the facts very well.
thanks for your assaults. Keep them up and I'll push my 3rd abuse button.
Your explanation still does not account for the folks directly under the large UFO who saw the effects on the night sky being blacked out by such a large craft over such a huge area.
Rant on.
Likewise. Not once. And I've been serving in the military since 1985. 15 continuous years of flying fighters all over the world and I've never known or even heard of someone claiming they witnessed a UFO. And now as a commercial pilot flying literally around the world, I still have yet to meet anyone who claims to have seen a UFO.
But bogus, unsubstantiated claims are what most of the UFO/conspiracy type tales are based on. Kind of like our media using "anonymous" sources to "substantiate" their B.S.. When you have no real facts, the only fallback is to create "facts". And then claim there is a cover up to explain the lack of support for those facts. It's a lucrative game for some people.
BTW, I figure a researcher working diligently for 10 years and interviewing more than 300 folks is likely to know more than a lot of very biased observers.
BTW, I am very open minded on UFO's, I've read dozens of books and watch countless hours of film.
But, the deal is this: ever since 1947 there have been accounts, but zero proof.
Why?
Real proof, not conjecture. Where is the footage of a landing and disembarkment? Where is footage of one taking off?
To cover up something like this for 60 years would take tens of thousands of people, and yet o substantive leaks?
Some researchers are good, but most exist only to sell their goods. I'd love to believe, but I don't see the evidence to believe in yet.
My sister lives in Phoenix, too. As do several friends.
I haven't provided a "scenario" so I'm not sure what facts you are talking about.
My best man's sister worked on that plane. Beverly W. Said essentially the same thing.
Curious, given what I know.
Oh please, any kook can call themselves a researcher.
Richard Hoaxland calls himself a researcher and he has claimed mile long man made structures on the moon, tanks on the moon, skulls of aliens on Mars from the rover pictures, entire cities on mars, etc....
I can call myself a researcher, and talk to anyone and claim anything.
Researcher does not equal proof.
And there is no proof after all these years.
(IT MUST BE A CONSPIRACY!!!!)
LOL
Then the mother ship did not make the pick-up of McCain?
Sounds like a family affair.
"Your explanation still does not account for the folks directly under the large UFO who saw the effects on the night sky being blacked out by such a large craft over such a huge area."
Allow me to provide a common sense explanation with plenty of hard science available to back it up. Human eyes do not have enough contrast to differentiate between bright lights and stars in the background behind them. Case in point, walk outside into an unlit area and look up into the unobstructed night sky. You see plenty of stars. Now walk under a street light and look up into the sky around it. Nothing but a sea of pitch black. Now consider that a string of military flares burns much brighter than a row of street lights (at least 10x-20x as many lumens). Look up at those flares in the sky and it's an absolute 100% guarantee that you will see nothing but pitch black sky around them, giving the false appearance of the outline of a large object.
Welllll, are you sure ETs are not visiting our earth and filling our atmosphere with toxic substances?
How else to explain the dumbing-down of our voting population and the deterioration of entire countries (France) into pure irrationality?
"How else to explain the dumbing-down of our voting population and the deterioration of entire countries (France) into pure irrationality?"
Simple: cheese, which most people who are in their right minds wouldn't even touch."
That's an excellent comparison. There seem to be stories that prove things like UFO sightings, but when you look closely, somehow the evidence melts away.
Have you ever met my very good friend, Brie? :)
You seem to have failed to note
I did not say "stars."
I said "night sky."
Try again.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.