Form: 97 Report
Source: Potpourri, No.428, November 1999, http://home.mho.net/schuessler/ufopo1199.htm
From: John F. Schuessler, Post Office Box 369, Morrison, CO
80465-0369
Subject: Radar-Visual Sightings, June 1-8, 1955
Cat: 9,11 (RV)
Distribution: CE, SHG, NCP
“TOW DC97S ARCHIE 91 ARCHIE 29. OUT OF HARMON AFB ON REFUELING MISSION BACK TO HARMON. REPORTED SIGHTING OBJ AT 0705Z. KC 97S ALT 20,000 FT. WEATHER CLEAR. NO CLOUDS ABOVE AIRCRAFT. SCATTER CLOUDS AT 1000 FT. LEVEL. NO REFLECTION POSSIBLE FROM CLOUDS. PILOT OF ARCHIE 29 LT. H. H. SPEER. AIRCRAFT MADE CONTACT WITH RADAR SITE. SITE PAINTED OBJ ON SCOPE AT 0707Z. HELD INTERMITTENT CONTACT FOR 49 MIN. ARCHIE 29 IN POSITION TO CLOSE ON OBJ. INSTRUCTED TO DO SO BY SITE. POSITION OF OBJ 290 DEGREES FROM STATION AT APPROXIMATELY 80 MILES. FIRST APPEARED TO BE HOVERING OBJ AT 10 O’CLOCK POSITION RELATIVE TO AIRCRAFT. ARCHIE 29 TRIED TO CLOSE. OBJECT BEGAN TO MOVE SLOWLY N.E. 050 DEGREES T.H. RELATIVE TO SPEED OF ARCHIE 29, 275 K. PILOT OF ARCHIE 29 MAINTAINED VISUAL CONTACT WITH OBJ CALLING DIRECTION CHANGES OF OBJ TO SITE BY RADIO. DIRECTION CHANGES CORRELATED EXACTLY WITH THOSE PAINTED ON SCOPE BY CONTROLLER. OBJ BEGAN CLIMBING. ARCHIE 29 PILOT LOST VISUAL CONTACT WITH OBJ’S EST ALTITUDE 40-50,000 FT. OBJ THEN ACCELERATED TO SPEED OF ESTIMATED 1600 K AND MOVED OFF IN N.E. DIRECTION. PAINTED ON SCOPES. FIGHTER SCRAMBLED WHEN OBJ STARTED TO CLLIMB, BENT WEAPON ON FIGHTER. NO CONTACT MADE. RADAR OR VISUAL.
AT SAME TIMES RADAR
SITE WAS ALSO PAINTING 5 SMALLER OBJ’S ON SCOPES 5-10,000 FT. BELOW THE
KC97’S ARCHIE 29 AND ARCHIE 91 AT 300 DEGREES 60 MILES FROM STATION. OBJ’S MOVING VERY FAST. CHANGING
DIRECTION AND AZIMUTH…. FORMING CIRCULAR PATTERN. CHANGING
TO LINE ABREAST. TRAVELING 10-20 MILES
THEN CHANGING DIRECTION. CONTROLLER
ESTIMATES SPEED IN EXCESS OF 1500 K. C119
AIRCRAFT ENROUTE FROM GOOSE PASSED WITHIN 5 MILES OF OBJ’S. NOT KNOWN IF OBJ’S SEEN BY 119 CREW. INTEREGATION OF CREW’S OF ARCHIE 29 ARCHIE 91
AND C119 BEING CONDUCTED BY BASE INTELL OFFICER …
The ground control
radar operator made the following statement:
“AT 0705Z THIS
DATE, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM ‘ARCHIE 91’ A KC-97 ENROUTE TO HARMON AFB,
HIS POSITION AT THIS TIME WAS 280 DEGREES TRUE N, 80 MILES FROM THIS
STATION. ‘ARCHIE 91’ REPORTED SIGHTING AN
UNKNOWN OBJECT IN THE AIR TO THE LEFT OF HIS ACFT, SLIGHTLY ABOVE HIM,
MOVING AT VERY HIGH SPEEDS. IMMEDIATELY
THEREAFTER, ‘ARCHIE 29’ ANOTHER AIRCRAFT APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES TO THE
XXX OF ‘ARCHIE 91’ REPORTED A SIGHTING OF THE SAME OBJECT IN THE SAME
LOCATION.
THE
OBJECT WAS DESCRIBED AS FLYING A VERY ERRATIC COURSE, MAKING
SHARP CHANGES IN DIRECTION. BOTH AIRCRAFT
REPORTED THAT THERE WERE NO CLOUDS WHATSOVER NEAR THIS ALTITUDE THAT
MIGHT CAUSE A REFLECTION.
APPROXIMATELY
07-07Z I MADE RADAR CONTACT WITH A TARGET IN THE
REPORTED POSITION, AND ALSO WITH SEVERAL OTHER TARGETS SLIGHTLY CLOSER
TO THIS STATION. THE SIGHTED OBJECT
APPEARED TO BE MOVING VERY SLOWLY AT THIS TIME AND EXCELLENT RADAR
CONTACT WAS MAINTAINED FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. THE
OTHER AIRCRAFT REPORTED ALSO, THAT AT THIS TIME THE OBJECT SEEMED TO BE
HOVERING. THE OTHER GROUP OF OBJECTS
DETECTED ON RADAR WERE MOVING VERY FAST, SOMETIME IN A CLUSTER, THEN
STRUNG OFF IN LINE FORMATION. DUE TO SLOW
ANTENNA ROTATION, HIGH SPEED AND CHANGING COURSE OF THESE OBJECTS,
SPEED CHECK WAS NOT AVAILABLE. ESTIMATE OF
SPEED WOULD BE 1,500 KNOTS. THIS GROUP OF
TARGETS WAS DETECTED BRIEFLY ON THE HEIGHT FINDER AT FROM 5,000 –
10,000 FEET.
I
ASKED ‘ARCHIE 29’ IF HE WOULD ATTEMPT TO CLOSE ON THE SIGHTED
OBJECT USING CAUTION, FOR A BETTER REPORT. THE
PILOT OF ‘ARCHIE 29’, LT H.H. SPEER AGREED AND CHANGED COURSE TOWARD
THE OBJECT. APPROXIMATE RANGE TO THE
OBJECT WAS 40 MILES. THE OBJECT WAS STILL
HOVERING IN APPROXIMATELY THE SAME LOCATION. AS
THE RANGE DECREASED, THE OBJECT BEGAN SLOWLY MOVING NORTHWARD. AFTER TRAVELING NORTH ABOUT 10 MILES THE
OBJECT MADE A TURN BACK SOUTH. ‘ARCHIE 29’
CLOSED TO WITHIN 18 MILES OF THE OBJECT, THEN IT BEGAN TO MOVE OFF IN A
NORTHERLY DIRECTION AGAIN ABOUT 070 DEGREES TRUE. ‘ARCHIE
29’ REPORTED THAT THE OBJECT WAS MOVING NORTHWARD AND CLIMBING. HE SAID IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS NOT CLOSING ON IT
ANY LONGER. AT THIS TIME I REQUESTED
PERMISSION FROM ‘DIGNITY’ (CONTROL CENTER) TO ‘SCRAMBLE’ A FIGHTER
AFTER THE OBJECT. REQUEST WAS APPROVED AND
‘SCRAMBLE’ WAS COMPLETED. RANGE OF OBJECT
BY THIS TIME WAS 330 DEGREES TRUE AT 80 MILES.
SHORTLY
THEREAFTER, A MOMENTARY CONTACT WITH THE OBJECT WAS MADE
ON OUR HEIGHT FINDER. ALTITUDE WAS 35,000
FEET. ‘ARCHIE 29’ REPORTED THAT OBJECT WAS
GETTING MUCH HIGHER AND FADING FROM VIEW….
WHEN
FIGHTER BECAME AIRBORNE, OBJECT WAS 110 MILES NORTH OF THE
STATION. FIGHTER PILOT, SHAKO 56, REPORTED
HIS RADAR WAS INOPERATIVE. WE REQUESTED HE
CONTINUE MISSION FOR ATTEMPT AT VISUAL CONTACT. WHEN
SHAKO 56 REACHED ‘ARCHIE 29’ POSITION, THE OBJECT HAD FADED FROM VIEW. BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE 150 MILES NORTHEAST OF
STATION…
SIGNED
2ND LT. CHARLES H. DENNEY USAF SENIOR DIR 640TH
ACW SQ
The Ground Elect.
Officer reported that no temperature inversion was involved in this
sighting.
“AT
APPROXIMATELY 0700Z, I WAS CALLED INTO OPERATIONS BY THE SENIOR
CONTROLLER, WHO IN TURN ADVISED ME OF UNKNOWN OBJECTS BEING VIEWED ON
THE RADAR. IN CHECKING ALL RADAR IN
OPERATION, IT WAS FOUND THEY WERE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY.
“APPROXIMATELY
FROM 1 JULY 1955 TO PRESENT, PERIODICALLY THROUGH
THE DAY WE HAVE HAD WEATHER INVERSIONS CAUSING OUR RADAR BEAMS TO BEND
TOWARD THE GROUND. WE HAVE PERIODICALLY
PICKED-UP THE SOUTH SHORE OF LABRADOR AND ANTICOSTI ISLAND DUE TO THE
WEATHER INVERSION. AT THE TIME OF THE
SIGHTINGS, NO SUCH RADAR PHENOMENON WAS NOTICED. ALL
UNKNOWN OBJECTS SIGHTED ON THE RADAR WERE WITHIN THE CAPABILITIES OF
OUT RADAR SET.
SIGNED
1ST LT. ANTHONY G. SCARPACE AO-941448 GRD.
ELECT OFFICER, 640TH ACW SQ.
The pilot of Archie
29 made it clear they were seeing an object, not a star.
“AT
0700Z, THE NAVIGATOR GAVE US A HEADING OF 132 DEGREES TO
HARMON. JUST AFTER WE TURNED TO THAT
HEADING LT. SCHNECK MADE HIS REPORT OF THE OBJECT.
I LOOKED OVER WHEN HE CALLED IT IN AND THOUGHT IT WOULD HELP IF
I VERIFIED WHAE HE SAW BECAUSE I SAW THE SAME THING AT APPROXIMATELY
THE SAME POSITION. ‘ENRAGE’ IDENTIFIED
BOTH OF US BY OUR PARROTT. ‘ENRAGE’
DETERMINED THAT I WAS APPROXIMATELY 7 MILES CLOSER TO THE OBJECT SO HE
HAD ME GIVE CHASE. THE OBJECT AT THIS TIME
WAS APPROXIMATELY 25,000 FEET. MY ALTITUDE
WAS 18,000 FEET. THE DISTANCE WAS
APPROXIMATELY 35 MILES. WHEN I FIRST
SIGHTED THE OBJECT, IT MOVED TO THE LEFT IN A VERY DEFINITE MOVEMENT
AND A VERY FAST MOVEMENT. THERE WERE NO
SLOW INCREASE OR DECREASE IN SPEED. IT WAS
A VERY DEFINITE FAST MOVEMENT. IT DID THIS
TWICE. WE TURNED TO A HEADING OF 080
DEGREES AND THAT PUT THE OBJECT AT 12 O’CLOCK POSITION.
WHILE TRACKING THE OBJECT, IT MADE SEVERAL TURNS TO THE NORTH
AND SEVERAL TURNS TO THE SOUTH WHICH WERE VERIFIED BY ‘ENRAGE.’ WE CLOSED OUR DISTANCE TO THE OBJECT TO
APPROXIMATELY 18 MILES AND AT THAT TIME I INCREASED MY POWER AND TRIED
TO INCREASE MY SPEED BUT DUE TO RUNNING LOW ON OIL, I HAD TO DECREASE
MY POWER ONCE MORE. OUR INDICATED AIR SPEED WAS APPROXIMATELY 210 MILES
PER HOUR. WHEN WE GOT TO WITHIN 12 MILES
OF THE OBJECT, IT STARTED A DEFINITELY CLLIMB TO AN ESTIMATED ALTITUDE
OF BETWEEN 35,000 AND 40,000 FEET. AT
O800Z, WE LOST CONTACT WITH THE OBJECT BECAUSE THE SUN WAS DIRECTLY IN
FRONT OF US…. THE OBJECT WAS SIGHTED BY AT
LEAST 5 OF MY CREW MEMBERS.
SIGNED
LT. HOMER H. SPEER, JR. AO-1856075 AIRCRAFT CONDR KC-97 97TH
ARS (TDY EHAFB)
The pilot of the
second KC-97 (Archie 91) verified the sighting.
“WE
TURNED OFF AFTER COMPLETION OF REFUELING, THE TIME BEING
APPROXIMATELY 0700Z, AND TOOK UP A HEADING FOR HARMON WHICH WAS 125
DEGREES. SHORTLY THEREAFTER ‘ENRAGE’
CONTROL NOTIFIED ME OF AN AIRCRAFT AT 7 MILES OFF MY LEFT WING. I VERIFIED THIS POSITION BY VISUAL CONTACT OF
SAID AIRCRAFT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, AT 10
O’CLOCK TO MY POSITION, I NOTICED A BRIGHT LIGHT. AFTER
CONSULTATION WITH 3 CREW MEMBERS, WE DECIDED THE LIGHT WAS MOVING VERY
RAPIDLY. I DECIDED TO CALL ‘ENRAGE’
CONTROL TO VERIFY THE LIGHT. I TOLD
‘ENRAGE’ CONTROL THAT IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 O’CLOCK FROM MY POSITION
AT FROM 15,000 TO 20,000 FEET, AT ESTIMATED 50 MILES.
I ALSO TOLD THEM IT WAS MOVING VERY RAPIDLY SOMETHING LIKE THOSE
FLYING SAUCERS. SHORTLY THEREAFTER ‘ARCHIE
29’ CALLED ‘ENRAGE’ CONTROL AND VERIFIED MY ACCOUNT OF THE OBJECT…
SIGNED
LT. ROBERT W. SCHNECK A0-775721 AIRCRAFT COMDR, KC-97 97TH
ARS (TDY EHAFB)
The co-pilot of
Archie 29 verified the movement of the object in his report.
“AFTER
WE FINISHED OUR REFUELING RUN AT APPROXIMATELY 0700Z, WE
RETURNED ON OUR HOMEWARD COURSE AND WE HEADR LT SCHNNECK REPORT THE
BRIGHT LIGHT THAT WAS MOVING VERY FAST AND ERRATICALLY.
RIGHT AFTER THAT THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER SAW THE OBJECT AND
POINTED IT OUT TO ME. I COULD SEE IT… WE TURNED TOWARDS THE LIGHT AND THAT WAS THE
FIRST TIME I NOTICED MOVEMENT. IT APPEARED
STATIONALY FOR QUITE A WHILE AND THEN IT MOVED IN EITHER NORTHERLY OR
SOUTHERLY DIRECTIONS AT DIFFERENT TIMES. EACH
TIME IT MOVED, WE TURNED THE AIRCRAFT TO KEEP IT AT 12 O’CLOCK POSITION….
SIGNED LT. DAVID CUELDNER A0-3006255 CO-PILOT, KC-97 97TH ARS