New Report on the Phoenix Lights by a First-Hand Witness

reply to post by esteay812


I live in Gilbert, AZ. If by some chance they do reconnect with you, ask them if they would like to speak with another witness to the massive craft. My email [email protected] I would enjoy hearing their story. I am not an investigator or reporter. Just a witness like them. I must admit, I am a very active witness. My articles on that night can be found at theufochronicles.com

The 16th anniversary is just 2 months away. I am convienced there are thousands of additional witnesses who have yet to tell of their sighting of that great night.

People who ask of photos or videos...please remember this was 1997. I do not recall cell phones as popular or modern with cameras then. I gave no thought to fetch a camera. I tried my best not to even blink for missing even a milli-second of our amazing sighting. We were mezmerized by it and only thought of not missing any part of our limited viewing time.

This witness claims several minutes and may have seen multiple craft that night. It is very important to try to get their story.

Thank you!

reply to post by FormerSkeptic


It would be hard to get anything done under those circumstances, yes. Direct communication with a first-hand witness is can be rare, I think that is another reason why it could be held in higher esteem than a compilation of other testimony, presented by hosts who are several generations removed from the initial report.

It would not be realistic to expect every single account be told and retold by the witnesses each time someone asks.

reply to post by mikefortson


Hello again Mike!

I just talked with them a moment ago and they said they would be willing to come over here and check it out. It might be a few hours, maybe even tomorrow. I believe they are gonna visit the site and the thread, to make sure it isn't some sort of ruse or other exploitation.

Once they realize there are like minded members here, who truly do want a friendly discussion with them, they will probably come on in and join the thread.

I don't blame them a bit for their 'cautiousness', after-all, I did kinda pop into their mailbox out of the blue, haha... at least I was wearing deodorant!

Edit for:

Admittedly I don't know much more than the average ATS'er, but I do like the intrigue and the fact that it is one of the largest, if not the largest ongoing mass sighting I am aware of.

I had the same thought about the cameras earlier. I don't think I would have immediately thought to pick up a camera. It was 1997 and back then people would actually help someone injured in a car wreck, instead of filming them while they bleed out... all for youtube views, sheesh...

You are right, I do not believe cameras were as widely available, if they were even on cell phones back then. There were disposable cameras, but digitals were not common. We still used film and the cameras were always in a 'camera bag' in the closet, ready for the next vacation.

I think some people forget the technological disparity between then and now, maybe because it doesn't really seem that long ago... we were still in the era of beepers and 166mhz desktop computers!

I'll let you know if I hear anything else from them, if they do not enter the thread first. Hopefully they'll be around soon enough.

Great share and a great way to spend 10mins s&f

reply to post by esteay812

The story about the USAF pilot from Luke AFB can be found in the archives at the National UFO Reporting Center. Peter Davenport has the entire story plus a telephone recording available to all.

Originally posted by esteay812
reply to post by FormerSkeptic

 

...I think that is another reason why it could be held in higher esteem than a compilation of other testimony, presented by hosts who are several generations removed from the initial report.

It would not be realistic to expect every single account be told and retold by the witnesses each time someone asks.

My point was that it's not particularly more intelligent to hold them in higher esteem. Perhaps more dramatic. But not more intelligent nor more necessary. And public understanding requires intelligence instead of greater drama.

reply to post by esteay812


esteay812...
Thank you. I posted my email address a few posts ago. If they wish to check me out first (which they always should) have them google mike fortson phoenix lights or check out my stories and interviews at theufochronicles.com

Thank you.

reply to post by FormerSkeptic


I appreciate your opinion, but I do not agree entirely. It may be a folly to hold each and every one to a higher standard, which would undoubtedly include hoaxers or fibbers. I do not believe this person is either of those things and that is also a factor that leads me to believe I would rather hear it from them directly, opposed to a compilation of re-tellings.

reply to post by mikefortson


No problem, I will do that. Hopefully something new can be learned from this, aside from a new witness account. It kinda makes me wish I knew a little more about it, so I could ask more relavant questions... since it's not everyday I run into someone who has experienced an event like this.

Hi,
I am the person esteay812 contacted via the "other site" (lol @ that)
THe email account is mine and I was in phoenix/mesa in 1997 when the sighting occurred.

I honestly didn't expect this many people to read it so fast

I don't really talk on many forums other than the one i moderate so if I break a rule or something someon please let me know.

About the lack of photos. I think Mike has the right idea. I was young and didn't have any kind of camera, video or otherwise and in 1997 i don't think anyone really did. It seems like camcorders were still all the rage back then.

Hi Fenix!

Thanks for coming over and joining the thread. I am just about to head to the bed, but I will be back in a few hours. ATS is pretty much a 24hour site, but sometimes it can get slower at times. Some of the posters in this thread may have already said goodnight, but will surely be back soon.

I'll make sure to let you know when I am around.

If you have any questions, you can message me or check out the T&C and board business. You are a moderator elsewhere, so you already know how it works for the most part.

Thanks again for coming into ATS and this thread, I'm sure you'll like this site and the people here... most of the people here, just kidding, they all offer something different to ATS and that's good.

reply to post by FrznFenix


Good evening FrznFenix,

Mike Fortson here. Thank you for replying. And also thank you for coming forward. I have been talking about our sighting for over 15 years now.

There are so many things I would like to ask of you. But, alas it's 10:25 and time to retire as I must work tomorrow. My email is [email protected] and I live in Gilbert, AZ. I would ask of you first...did you write a log of your sighting? Have you written anything yet?

I look forward to reading your replies here. I also hope we may communicate soon. I am very gratefull to esteay812 for bringing you to this site.

Has your dad ever written of his thoughts from that night? Are you still in AZ? NM?

Thank you again.

Mike

Thanks OP for all your research & bringing this case up again.
My friends little sister was going to a private high school in Mayer, AZ
at the time of the siting. She was returning from a Volleyball
game with all team mates in a van & they pulled off the road
to watch the V formation the OP mentioned.

Cheers
Ektar

Originally posted by mikefortson
reply to post by FrznFenix

 

Good evening FrznFenix,

Mike Fortson here. Thank you for replying. And also thank you for coming forward. I have been talking about our sighting for over 15 years now.

There are so many things I would like to ask of you. But, alas it's 10:25 and time to retire as I must work tomorrow. My email is [email protected] and I live in Gilbert, AZ. I would ask of you first...did you write a log of your sighting? Have you written anything yet?

I look forward to reading your replies here. I also hope we may communicate soon. I am very gratefull to esteay812 for bringing you to this site.

Has your dad ever written of his thoughts from that night? Are you still in AZ? NM?

Thank you again.

Mike

Mike, I have never written anything about it before Only shared the story with close friends and other family members. My father is not too Internet savvy but he isn't really one to talk about it with anyone he doesn't know.

I never kept a log or anything in '97 i was only 11 years old and the thought never crossed my mind to keep one.
I remember the image of that night quite clearly in my head.

Oh and i am still in NM. I have another sighting from here in 2011 i wil share another time. Ive been seeing weird crap my entire life living in the desert southwest and can say that I have explored some rather out of the way places here as well, which is probably why I am more fortunate about encountering these things than others. Maybe it's just dumb luck.

My relative who I trust, and who says things as straight truthfully forward no matter what, told me when he was younger he saw just that exactly how that guy described it to you. My relative however said every now and then a brighter light in the middle would light up and it was as if it was taking pictures. Also they witnessed 2 more in the distance parallel to the one over their small neighborhood. That took place in New Jersey I believe, or Pennsylvania. I'm unsure of what year they moved from state to state.

Edit: It was Central New Jersey, not on, but closer to the coast.

A very nice email response, and good info about the case. I too am baffled a little about why there is no photos/video from the first event. However - I'm casting my mind back a bit. I got my first video camera in 1999, at the age of 15. I was the only person I knew who had one. No-one else did, they were 8mm back then and pretty huge.

I know some families had a camcorder back then but they were usually in a box upstairs, or in their grandparents attic... It a strange "no-one used a video camera" time. That actually seemed to be the case for another year or two until Mini-DV started to pick up. Again, when I got a mini-dv camera in 2001 or 2, I was again the only person I knew with one, beyond pro film-makers etc - and everyone else still had boxed up 8mm's sitting in dust in cupboards.

I'd be interested to know how "camcorders" and "society" were linked in America though. I get the impression the Americans were using video cameras a lot more than we were around that time. And in theory even more so still photography cameras. But from personal experience, I can understand why perhaps in 1997 cameras were still in boxes during the first sighting, and had only come out in time to catch the 'flares' sighting.

This mockup reflects the first sighting.



The email in this thread backs it up.

So it can't be said that although we don't have footage from the first sighting that evening in 1997, doesn't necessarily mean we've never caught that craft on video. I'd be interested to see if your witness thinks this craft may be the same, perhaps flying at an even higher altitude?



Anyway, thanks for sharing!

reply to post by markymint


The object in the video you posted was moving far to fast, and it appears to be much more narrow. Less like the V shape and more like a F-117 (i know its not that, i promise. it just has the same shape)

One of the "great" UFO sightings of our time.

Whistle-blowers have come forward and said that no alien race has a triangle-shaped craft, that it's reverse engineered US made, and part of the ongoing program to slowly get the public used to the idea of alien contact (and all the other stuff they've lied about for the last 60+ years).

Read the website serpo.org for the fascinating discussion of an exchange program between the US govt. and a planet in another solar system that went on for 13 years or so.

It surprises me that we're still having the discussion of 'what could those flying saucers be?' and not far more depth of detail, considering all the information that's come out in the last 20 years or so. The evidence for ET (actually, they're our cousins, for lack of a better word) visits is overwhelming.