Pilot Claims 'Rocket' Shot Past Plane=Pilots great observers

HOUSTON — Federal officials said they are investigating a report from a Continental Airlines pilot who told air-traffic controllers he was startled to see what looked like a model rocket with a flaming tail shoot past his cockpit window shortly after takeoff.

I posted this in this forum, because I am tired of reading the arguments of skeptics who state that pilots are no more credible in their sightings than any other observer. Obviously, if a pilot could tell immediately the distinction between what he saw in such a short amount of time observing it, then this leads to the belief that maybe the thousands of flight crew who have reported U.F.O.'s should be given a little more credence.

I absolutely agree with you Jason.

Who in their right mind would board an aircraft if they didn't think their pilot was completely competent and completely credible.

Skeptics use this "pilots aren't credible witnesses" argument because they absolutely cannot find any other way around the fact that the pilot indeed did see a "ufo" or in this case a rocket. They try to completely discredit the pilot make of themselves larger idiots than they were before - see the most recent Larry King interviews with Schirmer and McGehee.

cheers

reply to post by WickedStar


I was going to post a thread the other day, of a BBC broadcast I watched. This skeptic was attacking this MUFON guy, all over him about the greatest of photographic proof, while the MUFON cat was pointing out the thousands of air crew statements.

What didn't help his point was that the very next segment was a video of a rare flying fish, in a record flight of over a minute. The guy who took the video was a fisher man. So if this kind of video exists, I long to see what kind of video has been suppressed from us. I hear all sorts of video was taken from witnesses of the Phoenix lights, people who swear it was different than the later appearing flares.
For now, I believe the pilots...

[edit on 27-5-2008 by jasonjnelson]

Depends on the pilot, of course you are going to have the good ones which are credible, and then you have the bad ones which aren't credible and fit the typical "always drunk, always partying" pilot stereotype. I've had smooth landings, and rough landings.

But at the end of the day, what it all boils up to, is do you trust your life in the hands of the captain? If you trust him and decide to fly aboard his ship, then he is credible in your eyes.

reply to post by AgentStovkowski


I guess that I totally agree with you about the saying differences in pilot credibility, but my point still stands. Thousands of pilot reports, some have got to be from non-drunk pilots. This article proves that they know the difference in seconds between what they see up there.

Here is a story in the Houston Chronicle.

No hobby clubs had requested or been granted clearance to launch high-powered model rockets on Memorial Day when a Continental Airlines pilot reported seeing such an object zoom past his cockpit window, authorities said Tuesday.

The FBI and Federal Aviation Administration continued to review the radar history of Flight 1544, which departed with 148 passengers from George Bush Intercontinental Airport at 10:17 a.m. Monday. The flight's crew, en route to Cleveland, Ohio, spotted an object with a white vapor trail about eight miles northeast of Houston's airport.

While the data is still under review, FBI spokesman Rich Kolko of Washington, D.C., said, "It happened at about 5,000 feet, and the object was maybe a mile or two in front of the plane."

Continental Airlines officials declined to comment Tuesday on exactly what Flight 1544's pilot and other crew members saw Monday.

Jenni Etgen, treasurer of the Houston Chapter of Tripoli Rocketry Association, said none of the area rocket clubs had scheduled launches over the holiday weekend.

Story link

Pretty good eyes to see that a mile or two away. I suppose a smoke trail is pretty obvious.

Edit: link tag


[edit on 5/28/2008 by roadgravel]

Originally posted by jasonjnelson
I posted this in this forum, because I am tired of reading the arguments of skeptics who state that pilots are no more credible in their sightings than any other observer...

Outside of that one cynic on the Larry King show, where have skeptics, especially here on ATS, said that pilots are not reliable witnesses?

Four months ago I was staying in a hotel in las vegas for 5 days. I met 2 private pilots that flew charters for entertainers in everyday. Every single night they spent the night drinking for free at the managers reception in the hotel bar. I know this because I drank with them. They were 2 fun dudes.

Not trying to discredit pilots, but they were the only 2 pilots I every met and they were 35 year old drunks!

That's 100% of the pilots that I've met. Heavy drinkers

[edit on 28-5-2008 by gauncents]

This article proves that they know the difference in seconds between what they see up there.

really? like the time a pilot reported a UFO 10 miles away which turned out to be a satellite re-entering the atmosphere 100 miles away?

or the pilot who reported a UFO when others reported a meteor shower in the area?

pilots are only humans and can make mistakes too.

[edit on 28-5-2008 by yeti101]

Originally posted by yeti101
pilots are only humans and can make mistakes too.

Exactly right. Pilots are trained-observers, and such status rightfully adds weight to their accounts. However, simply because they are pilots does not mean we should take their accounts on face-value alone.

reply to post by gauncents


So thats why the little party animals fall asleep in the cockpit on flights. Now that is scary to know about pilots who hold the fate of paying passengers in there sleeping hand(s).

reply to post by Peepers


Ya, but the thing that is kind of disturbing is that I was on vacation drinking heavily and they were just in the middle of their workweek doing the same thing.

I had an excuse to indulge.