About UFOs

As far as the general public is concerned, the idea of unidentified flying objects immediately conjures up images of "flying saucers" and "little green men". And those who claim to have seen UFOs are usually treated with ridicule and derision.

This attitude towards UFOs dates back to the 1950s when the now famous "Roswell Incident" was followed by a rash of UFO sightings. The US Air Force was tasked with looking into the UFO phenomenon leading to the creation of "Project Sign" and later, "Project Grudge". Project Sign's investigation pf UFOs was pretty straightforward; however, "Grudge" was mired in criticism because its project leaders Maj. Aaron J. Boggs in the Pentagon and Col. Harold Watson at Air Material Command openly mocked the idea of UFOs, particularly witnesses.

People have to realize that the term UFO simply means "unidentified flying object"; i.e.: something one sees in the sky that is not immediately recognizable. Besides an extraterrestrial spacecraft, a UFO can be an atmospheric phenomenon such as a lenticular cloud formation. It could also be an astronomical event such as a meteor shower. It could also be a commercial or military aircraft. Or it could be an animal such as a bird or an insect.

Since I created this blog, I came across news articles where UFOs are later identified as Chinese lanterns, kites with light-emitting diodes, solar balloons and such. With these in mind, I do not feel compelled to invoke the "extraterrestrial hypothesis" when discussing unidentified flying objects.

These days, I treat UFO sightings like bird-watching. "Ooh! What's that?" "That's a Buff-bellied Hummingbird." "Ooh! What's that?" "That's an Orange Crowned Warbler."

"Ooh! What's that?" "That's a Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit heavy bomber." "Ooh! What's that?" "That's General Atomics' UAV: the MQ-1 Predator."

"Ooh! What's that?!" "Dude, I haven't the slightest idea." Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a flying saucer from outer space? Whatever it is, it definitely is an unidentified flying object.

- "Tikaboo Pete"