A common criticism leveled at people who claim to witness UFOs is that they are not trained observers. Well who might we consider to be a trained observer; a pilot perhaps? There are literally dozens of hours of cockpit voice recordings from commercial airline pilots describing UFO sightings.[23] It is not all together an uncommon occurrence. However, the strict protocols for dealing with such sightings would make them appear rare, if not non-existent.[24][25] Not to mention the overall stigma that is attached to those who dare report seeing a UFO. Retired Air Force pilot Bill Paynter, who flew then California Governor Ronald Reagan's private plane in 1974, recounted an experience which Reagan and others on the flight corroborated.[13][26] Paynter described the UFO event,


"...it appeared to be several hundred yards away" and it was "a fairly steady light until it begun to accelerate. Then it appeared to elongate. Then the light took off. It went up at a 45 degree angle at a high rate of speed. Everyone on the plane was surprised... Governor Reagan expressed amazement. I told the others I didn’t know what it was. The UFO went from a normal cruise speed to a fantastic speed instantly. If you give an airplane power it will accelerate - but not like a hotrod, and that is what this was like. We didn’t file a report on the object because for a long time they considered you a nut if you saw a UFO."[27] [emphasis added]


Even with the stigma however, long kept secrets are coming forth as credible individuals who have had amazing experiences with this phenomenon reach their twilight years. On the night of May 20, 1957, at RAF Manston in the UK, US airman Milton Torres was ordered to scramble his jet and shoot down a UFO. Torres was instructed to "arm all weapons and fire on site" even before he took off. When his jet was within radar distance the airman was stunned by the characteristics of this UFO. Which he described from looking at his radar tracks as having, "...the proportions of a flying aircraft carrier," he further details the event, "it (the UFO) didn’t follow classic Newtonian mechanics. It made a right turn almost on a dime. The (Royal Air Force radar) scope had a range of 250 miles. And after two sweeps, which took two seconds, it was gone. And I was flying almost at Mach 1, at .92." Mr Torres a retired professor of civil engineering is now 77 and residing in Miami. He revealed in an interview with The Times that shortly after the event at RAF Manston he was visited by a mysterious, trench coat clad National Security agent who warned him if he ever talked about what had happened, he would never fly again. He heeded the warning and remained silent for 50 years. This might help explain why there are few officially reported sightings by military and commercial airline pilots even though in all likelihood they are probably ubiquitous. There is however, one group who are even more highly trained in observation than pilots, Astronauts.

"I know other astronauts share my feelings.... And we know the government is sitting on hard evidence of UFOs."

- Gemini/Mercury Astronaut Col. Gordon Cooper, 1997

"...I've been asked (about UFOs) and I've said publicly I thought they (UFOs) were somebody else, some other civilization."

- Apollo Astronaut Eugene Cernan, from a LA times news article, 1973

"I happen to be privileged enough to be in on the fact that we have been visited on this planet and the UFO phenomenon is real. It has been covered up by governments for quite some time now"

- Apollo Astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell, 2008 (6th man to walk on the moon)


If we consider the general characterization of Astronauts in our society, i.e. that they are heroic, intelligent, honorable, etc, then these statements should carry enormous weight but astronauts are not the only people highly regarded in society to speak about the UFO phenomenon. Consider the following quotes from some other prominent figures throughout history.

"I certainly believe in aliens in space. I think some highly secret government UFO investigations are going on that we don't know about--and probably never will unless the Air Force discloses them."

- Senator Barry Goldwater, during a radio interview with Larry King in 1988

"Well, if I had been briefed on it, I'm sure it was probably classified and I couldn't talk about it."

- Vice President Dick Cheney, when asked about UFOs during an interview in April, 2001

"I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world."

- US President Ronald Reagan, Speech to the United Nations General Assembly, September 21, 1987

"The phenomenon of UFOs does exist, and it must be treated seriously."

- Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev, 'Soviet Youth,' May 4, 1990.

"The nations of the world will have to unite, for the next war will be an interplanetary war. The nations of the earth must someday make a common front against attack by people from other planets."

- General Douglas MacArthur Oct. 8, 1955

"This 'flying saucer' situation is not at all imaginary or seeing too much in some natural phenomena. Something is really flying around. The phenomenon is something real and not visionary or fictitious."

- General Nathan Twining, Chief of Staff, US Air Force, from a classified memo sent to Air Force General George Schulgen in 1947

"Maximum security exists concerning the subject of UFOs."

- Allen Dulles, CIA Director, 1955

"Unknown objects are operating under intelligent control... It is imperative that we learn where UFO's come from and what their purpose is. Behind the scenes, high-ranking Air Force officers are soberly concerned about UFOs. Through official secrecy and ridicule, many citizens are led to believe that unidentified flying objects are nonsense. To hide the facts the Air Force has silenced its personnel."

- Admiral Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter, 1st CIA Director, Feb 18, 1960