60 Minutes report on sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP

[left-of-center2012]

(13 minute video)

Bill Whitaker reports on the regular sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP,
that have spurred a report due to Congress next month.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ufo-military-intelligence-60-minutes-2021-05-16/

[Archae]

1. This story was a total botch.

Like that fake Benghazi story.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215438219

https://www.cnn.com/2013/11/08/politics/cbs-benghazi

[left-of-center2012]

2. Maybe the 'lizard alien people' are attacking CBS ?

[left-of-center2012]

3. What about what the pilots saw?

[Beaverhausen]

4. He just wants attention

Yes he knows more than the pilots

[highplainsdem]

7. No, the story wasn't a botch, let alone a total one. See my replies in that thread

you posted:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215438219

[regnaD kciN]

5. See what we get for electing Biden?????

Take Trump out of office, and, suddenly, all the aliens are trying to get in! #BuildTheSpaceWall #MakeAmericaHumanoidAgain

[FuzzyRabbit]

6. Decades old phenomenon. These "UAPs" were called "foo fighters" in WW2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foo_fighter

Sightings occurred in November 1944, when pilots flying over Western Europe by night reported seeing fast-moving round glowing objects following their aircraft. The objects were variously described as fiery, and glowing red, white, or orange. Some pilots described them as resembling Christmas-tree lights and reported that they seemed to toy with the aircraft, making wild turns before simply vanishing. Pilots and aircrew reported that the objects flew formation with their aircraft and behaved as if they were under intelligent control, but never displayed hostile behavior. However, they could not be outmaneuvered or shot down. The phenomenon was so widespread that the lights earned a name – in the European Theater of Operations they were often called "Kraut fireballs", but for the most part called "foo fighters".

[quickesst]

8. What I find amusing...

... is how many people can tell us what it isn't, or laugh it off with what they believe to be humor, (because they don't have an answer) but no one here or elsewhere can tell us what "it" is these pilots are seeing. Until someone can tell us what "it" is with undeniable proof, they're just spitting in the wind, and getting soaked.

[Archae]

9. I had my own UFO experience, years ago.

I was riding my bicycle home, it was summer.

I saw an orange ice-cream cone, floating in the distance.

It changed shape as I rode toward it.

What was it?

Had I turned onto a different street, I never would have seen the "UFO" close-up.

It was a bagful of orange balloons tied to a local car dealership's car lot.

Nowadays everyone and their Mothers have a camera.

Yet how many non-fuzzy videos or still pictures are there of flying saucers?

I have yet to see any at all.

[quickesst]

11. I don't believe....

.... the recent confirmed Air Force footage can be compared to, or confused with balloons.

[Archae]

15. We still don't know what the videos are, they are too fuzzy.

And these images were from MILITARY cameras!

I've seen guys running away from missile camera strikes, and I've seen clear drone images from 30,000 feet.

So why are the images STILL just fuzzy blobs?

[Beartracks]

16. Take the drone image, zoom in on a house... Can you make out details, or...

... is it just a fuzzy house-shaped object?

==========

[quickesst]

21. I certainly don't know enough....

... about military reconnaissance cameras to offer an opinion as to their reliability. They are blurry images, and I am unable to comment on why, but do I think the military is deliberately blurring the images in some sort of misdirection or cover-up? I do not. I do hope this topic stays front and center so that a resolution can be reached as to their authenticity or until a rational, provable explanation can be given for this phenomena.

[left-of-center2012]

10. I might take 'experts' with a grain of salt ...

But I believe those pilots saw some amazing phenomenon.
And I believe, trust them.

[quickesst]

12. I don't know what they saw....

.... but I can say with confidence it was not swamp gas or weather balloons.

[3Hotdogs]

13. The thing that confuses me..... So we got all these pictures from pilots and the U.S.S. Omaha.

But they're all looking like they were taken with my father's 1958, 8mm Bell and Howell.

Nobody had an iPhone or Android?

[TreasonousBastard]

14. The story was "We saw something. We would like to know what it was." What's wrong...

with that?

There are UFO nuts, and their skeptics who just as blindly and broadly claim they are wrong. Neither side has any serious investigation to point to-- just assumptions, guesswork, and refusal.

I have already questioned why we have cameras that can read license plate from space, but nothing of these things but blurry Instamatic pictures. In B&W no less.

I also question a "defense" department that has no way to aim a satellite, or other observation tech, at what a credible source says may be a threat.

I also doubt anyone in a position of responsibility would hesitate before informing us that there was a real danger from space aliens, China, or mad scientists in a secret compound in the Balkans. One that we didn't understand, and had no defense from.

Having said that...

My personal experience with a UFO--

Around 40 years ago, I was living in an apartment in downtown Manhattan and could see across the Hudson to the Brooklyn skyline. The day was overcast, and the sky a monotonous gray. I saw a light appear in the sky, and it got brighter, moving fast. It suddenly sped up and disappeared! Going to light speed? Holy Shit! That's a common UFO sighting! And over Brooklyn yet.

What it turned out to be was the ceiling was lower than it seemed, but not low enough to cover Brooklyn in fog. An airplane with its landing lights on was approaching from the north and turned east toward JFK. The lights disappearing in the invisible cloud when you couldn't see the plane they were attached to gave the illusion of great speed.

Not my experience, but a NY Times story around that time said that a promontory on the Palisades (no, I don't remember where) had a regular group of saucer watchers that found it to be a hotspot for sightings.

The Times reporter checked out the area and found a small airport with small, some antique, planes. A crusty old flier said something like "Sure. We know they're there. Once in a while we give them a thrill by hanging some Christmas lights on our planes and flying around." When the reporter went back to the saucer freaks with that report, the answer was "That's the 'official' explanation."

[peppertree]

17. An interesting prospect. But...

[CloudWatcher]

18. Background info ...

I've ignored the recent flareup, but before anyone gets too excited about this stuff, I'd highly recommend Phil Plait's column from May of last year: https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/navy-videos-showing-ufos-not-aliens

And just remember that our "news" sources are really entertainment designed to get eyeballs for their advertisers.

[USALiberal]

23. Great! Thanks for the link! Nt

[dalton99a]

19. Next time, SHOOT AT THEM and see how they respond.

And take better videos, or use high-speed cameras.

[exboyfil]

20. Check out Mick West's YouTube channel

He attempts to explain these videos.

[Archae]

26. He doesn't "attempt," he does.

I certainly believe him more than this nutcase highlighted on 60 Minutes.

https://petapixel.com/2020/04/28/that-navy-ufo-footage-has-an-optical-explanation/

[Kid Berwyn]

22. Outstanding report on a very difficult subject.

From 60 Minutes:

Former Navy pilot Lt. Ryan Graves told Whitaker that fellow pilots began seeing UAPs hovering over restricted airspace off Virginia Beach in 2014, after upgrades to their radar, and continued seeing UAP's off the Atlantic Coast "every day for at least a couple years."

No where did the Navy or anyone else say what they were or are. Hence, “Unknown.”

[brooklynite]

24. Let's be honest: people wouldn't be as fascinated by these recent stories...

...if they didn't imagine there was an extraterrestrial cause.

When I was young, I was fascinated by UFO stories. I gave it up when I thought through the issues:

The CLOSEST potential extra-solar planet (Proxima Centauri B) is 4.2 light years away. An impractical distance for apparently multiple visits (given the number of reported sightings) made by the equivalent of private boat as opposed to, say, an aircraft carrier large enough for the fuel, supplies and crew needed for such a journey. And any civilization who had developed the technology for faster than light travel to make the trip practical would likely also have figured out a way to keep their devices hidden.

And, as with Bigfoot, isn't it amazing that, as cameras have become more powerful and ubiquitous, the photos of UAP continue to be blurry and lacking of detail.

[Champp]

25. *