Airliners And F-15s Involved In Bizarre Encounter With Mystery Aircraft Over Oregon - UPDATE

The FAA, the USAF, and air traffic control recordings all confirm the bizarre event did indeed occur last October. BY TYLER ROGOWAYNOVEMBER 15, 2017

Amongst all the questions that remain, one thing is certain, an unidentified white aircraft was indeed flying over Oregon on that day in October, and the USAF and the FAA are both willing to admit that the event occurred. In the Air Force's case, the fact that they are even willing to tell us that they couldn't catch or even find the unidentified aircraft with their sensor-packed and fast F-15s is interesting to say the least. On the other hand they may not be sharing the entire story with us.

Whatever the case, we'll keep you updated on this white flying mystery machine of sorts and the circumstances surrounding its presence over Oregon when, or should I say if, new information becomes available.

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UPDATE: When I first posted the story of the “UFO” sighting last month, I got this response from a friend who used to work for Lockheed many years ago:

The Skunk Works is at it again! When the first models of what became the SR-71 started flying, there were all kinds of "UFO" sightings. It flew higher and faster than anyone could imagine. We probably will never know how fast it could go.”

I had no idea what this meant and asked him…wow, what a great, insider story of secret goings on at a major U.S. aerospace company (founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta in 1995 to become Lockheed Martin)!! So here’s the rest of the story:

The Skunk Works is a super secret design and manufacturing part of Lockheed. When I worked for Lockheed, Kelly Johnson ran the organization and they produced many surprises, the SR-71 being the biggest. Just imagine you are in charge of building a secret airplane out of titanium and there are few suppliers and limited supply. If Lockheed bought enough material to build one, everybody would know they were building a titanium airplane. So how did they do it? They set up phony businesses all over the country which each bought a reasonable amount of titanium. He was very clever. They also produced the U-2 and a small corporate jet (Jet Star I think). They did that in secret in order to be the first to produce it.

I was cleared to work on his stuff but I never had a "need-to-know" about any details. When I was told I was cleared, I was told not to tell another company that I had such a clearance, because when that company called to verify, Lockheed would deny the existence of that clearance.

It is entirely possible that they are now producing aircraft that no one knows about and do amazing things.

Also, the origin of the name "Skunk Works" may be interesting. It comes from the comic strip Li'l Abner. There was a plant nearby that spewed all kinds of odors and smoke and no one knew what it produced. It was called the Skunk Works. Search for "Skunk Works" for a lot of interesting information about Lockheed's Skunk Works.

A 12-year-old boy, a pilot, and a P-51

Old Aviators and Old Airplanes

This is a good little story about a vivid memory of a P-51 and its pilot, by a fellow who was 12 years old in Canada in 1967. It was to take to the air. They said it had flown in during the night from some U.S. Airport, the pilot had been tired.

I marveled at the size of the plane dwarfing the Pipers and Canucks tied down by her. It was much larger than in the movies. She glistened in the sun like a bulwark of security from days gone by.

The pilot arrived by cab, paid the driver, and then stepped into the pilot's lounge. He was an older man; his wavy hair was gray and tossed. It looked like it might have been combed, say, around the turn of the century. His flight jacket was checked, creased and worn - it smelled old and genuine. Old Glory was prominently sewn to its shoulders. He projected a quiet air of proficiency and pride devoid of arrogance. He filed a quick flight plan to Montreal (Expo-67, Air Show) then walked across the tarmac.

After taking several minutes to perform his walk-around check the pilot returned to the flight lounge to ask if anyone would be available to stand by with fire extinguishers while he "flashed the old bird up, just to be safe."


Though only 12 at the time I was allowed to stand by with an extinguisher after brief instruction on its use -- "If you see a fire, point, then pull this lever!" I later became a firefighter, but that's another story. The air around the exhaust manifolds shimmered like a mirror from fuel fumes as the huge prop started to rotate. One manifold, then another, and yet another barked -- I stepped back with the others. In moments the Packard-built Merlin engine came to life with a thunderous roar, blue flames knifed from her manifolds. I looked at the others' faces, there was no concern. I lowered the bell of my extinguisher. One of the guys signaled to walk back to the lounge. We did.

Several minutes later we could hear the pilot doing his pre-flight run-up. He'd taxied to the end of runway 19, out of sight. All went quiet for several seconds; we raced from the lounge to the second story deck to see if we could catch a glimpse of the P-51 as she started down the runway. We could not. There we stood, eyes fixed to a spot half way down 19. Then a roar ripped across the field, much louder than before, like a furious hell spawn set loose---something mighty this way was coming. "Listen to that thing!" said the controller.

In seconds the Mustang burst into our line of sight. Its tail was already off and it was moving faster than anything I'd ever seen by that point on 19. Two-thirds the way down 19 the Mustang was airborne with her gear going up. The prop tips were supersonic; we clasped our ears as the Mustang climbed hellish fast into the circuit to be eaten up by the dog-day haze.

We stood for a few moments in stunned silence trying to digest what we'd just seen. The radio controller rushed by me to the radio. Kingston tower calling Mustang?" He looked back to us as he waited for an acknowledgment. The radio crackled, "Go ahead Kingston."

"Roger Mustang. Kingston tower would like to advise the circuit is clear for a low level pass." I stood in shock because the controller had, more or less, just asked the pilot to return for an impromptu air show! The controller looked at us. "What?" He asked. "I can't let that guy go without asking. I couldn't forgive myself!"


The radio crackled once again, Kingston, do I have permission for a low level pass, east to west, across the field?" "Roger Mustang, the circuit is clear for an east to west pass."

"Roger, Kingston, I'm coming out of 3000 feet, stand by." We rushed back onto the second-story deck, eyes fixed toward the eastern haze. The sound was subtle at first, a high-pitched whine, a muffled screech, a distant scream.

Moments later the P-51 burst through the haze. Her air frame straining against positive Gs and gravity, wing tips spilling contrails of condensed air, prop-tips again supersonic as the burnished bird blasted across the eastern margin of the field shredding and tearing the air.

At about 500 mph and 150 yards from where we stood she passed with the old American pilot saluting. Imagine. A salute! I felt like laughing, I felt like crying, she glistened, she screamed, the building shook, my heart pounded.

Then the old pilot pulled her up and rolled, and rolled, and rolled out of sight into the broken clouds and indelibly into my memory.

I've never wanted to be an American more than on that day. It was a time when many nations in the world looked to America as their big brother, a steady and even-handed beacon of security who navigated difficult political water with grace and style; not unlike the pilot who'd just flown into my memory. He was proud, not arrogant, humble, not a braggart, old and honest, projecting an aura of America at its best. That America will return one day, I know it will. Until that time, I'll just send off this story; call it a reciprocal salute, to the old American pilot who wove a memory for a young Canadian that's lasted a lifetime.

[Forward to your Aviator Friends, and anyone who would enjoy a patriotic story. WE ARE: "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Anyone Who Threatens It"]

Good news for Ukraine and the world

Here's what the shootdown of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 means: Russia, with Vladimir Putin at the wheel, just drove off the edge of a cliff. The moment Flight 17 exploded was the moment that Putin's foreign policy officially went over the ledge, and with it his dreams of restored Russian greatness.

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The downing of MH17 should have serious consequences, but probably won’t

John Hinderacker, one of the lawyers who blogs at Power Line, makes a couple of observations:

First, the responsible parties were pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Their reckless incompetence was staggering. They didn’t mean to shoot down a commercial airliner; they did it by mistake. In the transcripts of their cell phone conversations that have been made public, they sound like morons. And yet they had access to a sophisticated surface to air missile, capable of seeking out and destroying an airplane six miles high. . .

and

Second, it is remarkable that within a matter of hours if not minutes after the event, the Ukrainian government was able to release tapes of the rebels’ telephone conversations. Who knew that Ukraine had this sort of capability? Or maybe it wasn’t Ukraine at all, but the NSA that was listening to the pro-Russian separatists, and gave the recordings to the authorities in Kiev. . .

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My Ukrainian readers have tripled in the last several months...hope you feel free enough to comment here!

Cancer patients fly free (multiple resources)

I have a friend who has been accepted for treatment at NIH (National Institute of Health) and needs financial assistance for he and his wife to travel to Bethesda, Maryland. Here's some resources that help if you or anyone you know find themselves in this same situation:

To get the best care possible, sometimes cancer patients need to travel to treatment facilities that are far away from their homes. Traveling long distance for cancer treatments can be both exhausting and cost-prohibitive, potentially eliminating available treatments options for some patients. To help alleviate this burden, there are organizations who offer FREE air travel services for cancer patients, many on private jets.

Most groups who offer this free travel assistance require that the patient be ambulatory (able to walk and get into/out of the plane with little or no assistance) and be medically stable as the pilots are not able to provide any medical assistance. While some groups require proof of financial need, others do not. Typically, patients are allowed to be accompanied by one family member or support person.

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QUESTION:

Why was the Malaysian MH370 Flight Not Detected by the Diego Garcia US Naval and Intelligence Base in the Indian Ocean?

Maldives witnesses report ‘low flying plane’…

Low flying plane was spotted at 6:15 in the morning of March 8 at one of the southern islands of Maldives. Maldives is 3 hours away from Andaman islands and about 1and a half hour from Diego Garcia US military base. Malaysia needs to demand radar records from Sri Lanka, Maldives, GB and US

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The legend of Lenny Skutnik

The image is in my mind, in the back somewhere. Early in our marriage, I find that my husband has this image firmly in his mind, too, because the Potomac river forms part of the borders between Maryland and Washington, D.C. where he grew up. He knows the story well.

Over the years, I expect to never hear about this amazing feat of heroism again, but no: it surfaces from time to time in unexpected places. It will not die. This man, Lenny Skutnik, represents something we feel that we should be, or know that we are (somewhere inside of us) or hope that we will someday become if the occasion presents itself. Perhaps we are simply frightened that we could fail, if tested. One never really knows until that moment arrives.

And of course Lenny Skutnik. Just before Reagan's 1982 speech Mr. Skutnik, a government worker, saw Air Florida Flight 90 go into the Potomac. As others watched from the banks of the frozen river, Mr. Skutnik threw off his coat, dived in and swam like a golden retriever to save passengers. The night of the speech he was up there in the gallery next to the first lady, and when Reagan pointed him out the chamber exploded. This nice, quiet man who'd gone uncelebrated all his professional life, and then one day circumstances came together and he showed that beneath the bureaucrat's clothing was the beating heart of a hero.

Noonan: The Sleepiness of a Hollow Legend - The State of the Union is a grand tradition—but only if people are listening.

In 2012, the head of the National Air Traffic Control Services admitted staff detected around one unexplained flying object every month.

Ibiza holiday jet in near miss with UFO over Reading [England]

WORLD WAR I FLIGHT TRAINING VIDEO

From an ex-U.S. military friend:

This is labeled a training video. I think it is about training, but not a training video. It looks more like a recruiting video or informational for the masses.

TRAINING VIDEO: An interesting video from long ago. I found it delightful to watch and think anyone with an interest in aviation will also get a kick out of our predecessors in flying. Although the majority of this is about the flying side, they also show a little of the maintenance side of flying.

What a fantastic piece of aviation history!

Important update on the TWA FLIGHT 800 disaster in 1996

John Macidull weighs in with his investigative past (NTSB and then the FAA where we know he was associated with the Challenger Loss). Unknown to many, he also did some work for the Italians concerning the mysterious disappearance of an Airliner within missile range of Libya.

© November 12, 2013 [Reprinted here with permission of the author.] 

John Macidull revised (from 2011) statement to a friend on TWA 800

Personal conclusions: TWA 800 was struck and destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. . .TWA-800 is also of primarily importance because its investigation was conducted as the first blatant, open, and public ‘official’ violation by our Government of our Constitution. It had the same ‘official’ disdain toward the public as the Benghazi video tape pronouncements and witness accesses, “it doesn’t matter now” official statements, passing unread laws, and repeated Presidential proven lies. Fortunately our Second Amendment should remain enforceable by we the people who made this whole thing possible. 

READ MR. MACIDULL'S COMPLETE STATEMENT HERE (UPDATE #2): http://lgstarr.blogspot.com/2011/07/cover-up-twa-flight-800-and-clinton.html

Why a former airline pilot and instructor believes there will be many more accidents in the future

Doug Ross @ Journal:

This Asiana SFO accident makes me sick and while I am surprised there are not more, I expect that there will be many more of the same type accidents in the future unless some drastic steps are taken...Actually, this is a worldwide problem involving automation and the auto-flight concept.

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Secret of the FAA tower closures

HotAir.com: It’s not just the number of towers being shut down, but which specific ones...

Last of the B-52 gunners

The Black Vault:

In 1986, Dailey completed Aerial Gunnery Training in then-Castle Air Force Base, Calif. He then served as a tail gunner on board the B-52 Stratofortress.

As part of SAC's Single Integrated Operational Plan for nuclear deterrence in the Cold War, Dailey served as a briefer for various missions, including for the SAC commander on five separate occasions.

"For the next four years, I flew just shy of 1,000 hours as a gunner," he said.

Dailey then volunteered for retraining into Intelligence, beginning a career that would take him with special operations forces in assignments around the world like Africa, Afghanistan and South Korea.

And in the same year the Soviet Union collapsed, the Air Force retired the Air Force specialty career of B-52 gunner in 1991. SAC later became inactivated as a major command the following year.

As of today, many B-52 gunners have retired or currently serve in other fields as part of the Reserve since their former careerfield's inactivation. But Dailey's retirement did not focus on being the last-of-a-kind as much as it highlighted the importance of being part of a team, a family and a legacy of service.

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Flying on Obama's private plane...

Obama looked at Oprah, chuckled and said:

You know, I could throw a $1,000 bill out of the window right now and make somebody very happy.

Oprah shrugged her shoulders and replied:

I could throw ten $100 bills out of the window and make ten people very happy.

Michelle added:

That being the case, I could throw one hundred $10 bills out of the window and make a hundred people very happy.

Hearing their exchange, the pilot rolled his eyes and said to his co-pilot:

Such big-shots back there. I could throw all three of them out of the window and make 256 million people very happy!

Nearly 800 people died in 16 plane crashes in 2010

The Daily Beast: Aviation expert Clive Irving reports on the lessons of the year's deadly disasters and chilling close calls...

This isn't the missile you're looking for...

UPDATE: From GatewayPundit: “Missile” Fired Off California Coast On Same Day That Chinese Sub Surprised US Carrier Group

Is it just me or does that pretty much look like a lit rocket at :45?

Cancer patients fly free in the empty seats on corporate jets

Through the generosity of corporations flying business aircraft, Corporate Angel Network arranges free travel for cancer patients using the empty seats on corporate jets.

Since 1981, CAN has arranged more than 30,000 cancer patient flights and currently transports more than 200 patients a month.

www.corpangelnetwork.org

B-17: A very nice day last Saturday

Last Saturday (4/17/10) hubby and I went to see this plane and talked to several veterans who flew many missions in these airplanes. One man had even bailed out twice, once over enemy territory and again over the ocean (if Gary heard correctly). These men don't approach you, but will gladly talk at length if you seem interested. All of them had pictures, and boy--they were so handsome!

Gary climbed into the plane with the ladder steps provided, but the men just used to hoist themselves up (they were between 19-26 years of age). He was immediately on his hands and knees (underneath where the pilots sit), then crawled through a "hole" that was so small one man got stuck, and then he was able to stand up (in the gun turret) on the way to the bomb bay.

(I passed on doing this since I'm still recovering from double 'footectomy' and my left knee still hurts from going eyeball to eyball with my cat several years ago ;-)

Note from Gary:

I was absolutlely blown away by how confining the space was on these aircraft...even in the waist gunner area. The ball turret gun enclosure [underside of the plane, called the "lower ball turret"] was so small that only a man of 5' 2'' or less could fit in. I have the feeling that most of the guys who flew the missions were all around 5'8". The image of Gregory Peck in 12 O'Clock High is somewhat suspect now. The Memphis Belle flick is probably more accurate. It's a wonder that anyone got out alive if the plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Brave boys all...

A ride cost $425.00 ($399.00 if you're a member) so--sadly--we passed for now, but the "Fly the Fortress" tour (hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association) will come back here again after touring the United States. The "Aluminum Overcast" is one of the only 14 operable B-17s in the world. The B-17 exhibition is part of EAA's 2010 "Salute to Veterans" tour and a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the B-17.

Schedule, prices, and information below (see if it's coming to your town):

http://www.b17.org/

Investigators are not ruling out terrorism in the disappearance of Air France Flight 447

China Confidential explains why this theory is entirely possible.