|
F-15's Attempt to Intercept Mystery Aircraft Over Oregon
Aviation journalist Tyler Rogoway just posted an article about a recent incident where airliners were asked to visually identify an unknown white aircraft estimated to be around FL370. At some point Portland Air Guard F-15C's were launched with no joy. No transponder or TCAS target, just visual and a primary radar return:
Airliners And F-15s Involved In Bizarre Encounter With Mystery Aircraft Over Oregon Something quite out of the ordinary occurred in the skies over Oregon on October 25th, 2017. A mystery aircraft was flying in daylight hours among the steady stream of airliners that traverse from south to north, between locales in California and Nevada and cities like Portland and Seattle and beyond. The incident began, at least as best we can tell, around 4:30pm near the California-Oregon border and resulted in multiple pilot eyewitnesses, recorded air traffic control audio, and eventual confirmations from both the FAA and North American Aerospace Command (NORAD) that it did indeed occur. Here are slightly different links with both sides of the ATC conversation starting about 21 minutes into the first clip: http://archive-server.liveatc.net/km...2017-0030Z.mp3 http://archive-server.liveatc.net/km...2017-0100Z.mp3 From Tyler's article: After reading this account and listening to the audio it was clear that the incident was worth looking into on a much deeper level, and that's what we did, inquiring with the 142nd Fighter Wing based at Portland International Airport, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), and the FAA about the odd ordeal. NORAD's reply was quick and clear. An incident involving multiple airline crews, air traffic control, and F-15Cs from the 142nd Fighter Wing based out of Portland did occur. According to the limited information NORAD supplied, airliner pilots were asked by FAA air traffic controllers to help track and possibly identify a "white aircraft" traveling in the flightlevels nearby—roughly between 35,000 and 40,000 feet based on the radio recordings. NORAD also said that the incident did result in F-15s from Portland being scrambled to investigate, but by the time they got up and "looked around" the mystery aircraft couldn't be found. A quick note on the fighter jet aspect of this story—the 142nd Fighter Wing operates F-15Cs upgraded with the most capable air-to-air radar set in the world (AN/APG-63V3) and Sniper advanced targeting pods for long-rang visual identification. Their pilots are some of the best in the world and are highly trained in the homeland air defense mission. The fact that they "didn't find anything" is surprising to say the least. Maybe this was due to the nature of the aircraft being searched for, or the possibility that they launched long after it was first sighted, or that we simply aren't being told the whole story. |
Russians...
|
More likely Trump's New World Order buddies
|
Farrige on his way to meet Trump?
|
Wee Fat Wun escaping to Iran?
|
Mugabe's newly owned state airline doing a practice escape run?
|
If you were really trying to get somewhere undetected, would flying FL370 near and through regular routes be what you would choose?
The area is fairly rural and mountainous, how hard would it be to stay off ATC radar flying low amongst the terrain? |
Originally Posted by short bus
(Post 9958444)
...
The area is fairly rural and mountainous, how hard would it be to stay off ATC radar flying low amongst the terrain? Steve Fossett's plane disappeared in 2007 (though he was obviously not "hiding") and was only found a year later (in sept 2008). And not in the middle of the Pacific, but in Ca. .... |
F-15C with Sniper pod?
|
They use it for long range/all weather visual ID.
|
Originally Posted by YellowTom
(Post 9958861)
They use it for long range/all weather visual ID.
|
Originally Posted by YellowTom
(Post 9958861)
They use it for long range/all weather visual ID.
The Sniper pod is a TV and IR targeting pod with both air to ground and air to air modes. In air to air you will be able to make an "Eyeball" ID at about 5 to 10 nautical miles vs a fighter size target in good atmospheric conditions (no haze or clouds). Targets the size of airliners, you will probably be able to "Eyeball" at 20 to 25 nautical miles depending on the atmospheric conditions and their aspect. |
According to a mutual friend, former Blue Angel Larry Packer was forced to abandon his Navy callsign when he went to the PDX F-15 Air Guard unit years ago.
His former callsign was 'Fudge'. |
Salute!
TNX for the update, "Guy". I was under the mistaken impression that the pod was mainly for A2G stuff, but I have not been close to the community except for folks like you. I can remember when the Eagle guys taped rifle scopes to one side of the HUD to get a long range I.D. 'course, we had TISEO and such for some planes back then but not on the early Eagles. Something about the whole episode stinks. My fellow guys from the 80's talk about being "de-briefed" after seeing an unusual plane north of Nellis in late 70's. Ditto for other folks I flew with an emergency and saw a long runway in the desert and chose not to bail but land/glide. At Red Flag we were always briefed that if we had a serious emergency that would not get us back to Nellis or Tonopah, and we saw this nice runway, then land there!!! Work out the details later. Gums sends... P.S. I do not believe this incident was a UFO or foreign government demo. I might be able to be convinced it was a test of some sort, hence the Guard unit shutdown of responses. Gums opines... |
Originally Posted by gums
(Post 9959303)
My fellow guys from the 80's talk about being "de-briefed" after seeing an unusual plane north of Nellis in late 70's. Ditto for other folks I flew with an emergency and saw a long runway in the desert and chose not to bail but land/glide. At Red Flag we were always briefed that if we had a serious emergency that would not get us back to Nellis or Tonopah, and we saw this nice runway, then land there!!! Work out the details later.
Anyway, we need to maintain COMSEC here, the media is already on the trail of the supersecret Dreamland connection to the incident: DISAPPEARING ACT US Air Force scrambled to mystery ‘ghost plane’ circling skies near Area 51 On October 25, the aircraft was seen flying among the airliners along the US's heavily trafficked air corridor above Oregon. By Jamie Seidel for news.com.au 16th November 2017, 4:47 pm Updated: 16th November 2017, 5:43 pm Oregon is adjacent to Nevada, the well-known home of the United States Air Force’s secret aircraft testing facility at Groom Lake (otherwise dubbed Area 51). WAS IT ALIENS? Shock as US Air Force scrambled to mystery UFO in skies near Area 51 US Air Force jets were scrambled to investigate a strange UFO detected in the skies near a military base before the aircraft mysteriously vanished. By Jon Austin PUBLISHED: 14:27, Thu, Nov 16, 2017 | UPDATED: 17:46, Thu, Nov 16, 2017 |
Probably just that spooky secret 737 with the modified nose n' tail canoes, which contain an airborne radar signature testing range?
Probably blasting every microwave known to man at the B-21 prototype that was flying not far away... |
If it was an object, even a regular aircraft, and it was flying, and it was not identified, then what should we call it?
Perhaps we need a new category of UFA. |
Originally Posted by gums
(Post 9959303)
Salute!
TNX for the update, "Guy". Most of the TGP's nowadays are both A2A and A2G capable. Optics are getting better and software updates gives us more and more capabilities. The SWIR feature is one of the nicest recent features. It enables us to look into IR shadows by using the training laser as an illuminator. Great stuff that the geeks with the thick glasses are coming up with.... |
Originally Posted by jolihokistix
(Post 9959429)
If it was an object, even a regular aircraft, and it was flying, and it was not identified, then what should we call it?
Perhaps we need a new category of UFA. Speaking of abbreviations and Visual ID, I recall over 30 years ago a Navy Fighter Pilot with the call sign Streak briefing a room full of aviatiors on a thing he called T.I.T.S. -- the Tomcat Integrated Telescope System, which was quite similar to the rig gums referred to with hunting scopes mounted in the cockpit. |
Originally Posted by short bus
(Post 9958444)
If you were really trying to get somewhere undetected, would flying FL370 near and through regular routes be what you would choose?
The area is fairly rural and mountainous, how hard would it be to stay off ATC radar flying low amongst the terrain? Do Martians recieve NOTAMS etc? Didn't Bush when flying across the UK to Iraq declare as a Gulfstream and was nearly rumbled when someone on the radios asked was that Airfarce One he had just seen. Found it http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/28/wo...isit-gi-s.html |
| All times are GMT. The time now is 22:14. |
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.