In 1947 in the vicinity of Mt. Rainier over Washington State, bush pilot, Kenneth Arnold observes nine silvery objects, shaped like inverted pie plates that seem to skip across the sky at incredible speeds estimated by Arnold at 1,200 mph. unheard of that the time. CALL AIR A-2 a single engine civilian plane, flown by Arnold with 9,000 hours of business trips, air rescue, and delivery had such good credentials the Air Force investigators didn't bother to question his observation. In his book "The Report on UFO's" by Captain Edward Ruppelt, he makes a funny comment about the incident saying that we checked the west coast operations to see if any delta wing test aircraft had been in operation at the time. Could he have seen the experimental project MX 1554 prelude to the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger? Not at an estimated speed of 1,200 mph, he didn't.

One Year Later

The year is 1948. A year after the Roswell Incident as more flying disks are spotted by not only US pilots but even civilians on the ground and flying passenger planes and single engine aircraft. Near Fort Knox at Godman Army Airfield the World War II veteran combat pilot is on a flight with 3 other P-51 Mustangs. Just ferrying their aircraft to another air base, the control tower makes a request for Mantel's air group to investigate a strange aerial object that has been loitering in the afternoon sky for 45 minutes. The young captain agrees to assist and asks for the course and heading of the unknown aerial object. Followed by his wing man and other aviators he climbs in his Mustang fighter in an attempt to identify the unknown, but in the next hour radio contact is lost. Two pilots of his flight have had to break off the pursuit due to a fuel problem and a mechanical malfunction. His Lieutenant follows Mantel to about 20,000 feet and loses him as they are not flying in pressurized cockpits. Fears are that anoxia has caused the World War II veteran pilot to pass out and spiral down into the ground in an uncontrolled dive.

Fatal Pursuit

We are not privy even to this very day about the content of General Douglas Mac Arthur's investigation by his Interplanetary Phenomenon Group which was commissioned before the end of World War II in 1944 due to the numerous "Foo Fighters" seen over the Pacific theater and over Europe. So, it seems that the F-51 Mustang may have been the first military aircraft to encounter UFO's. In Mantel's case it cost him his life as he reportedly spoke of a large metallic craft that he was gaining on. His wing man commented that whatever it was, it was more important to him than his wife, family, and even his life! Did Mantell suffer from target fixation? We'll never know. One thing is for certain, his fascination with the unknown overrode his situational awareness for his ability to breath. Was it really a Navy Sky Hook high altitude weather balloon?

Dogfight With the unknown

The year is 1948 and a dog fight occurs between Lieutenant Gorman over Fargo as he approaches the runway only to observe an airborne ball of light passing just below and to his right. He radios the Traffic Controller to confirm his visual sighting who acknowledges the lighted UAP and begins to engage the unknown! He pulls a tight turn and begins a series of acrobatic maneuvers in an attempt to intercept his aerial adversary. Sometimes going head to head with the UAP he is unable to get a good look or get close enough. After several minutes of intense pursuit the object vacates the air space above Fargo and leaves a bewildered pilot in its wake. Once again an F-51 Mustang, the best fighter aircraft of World War II, is involved.

San Antonio Bogie

1949, a year of the formation of the US Air Force's Project "Sign" the prelude to "Project Blue Book" is tasked with interviewing military pilots and other trained observers who are sure of what they have seen, and it wasn't conventional, misidentified, but startling encounters that left them mystified. At San Antonio Air Field in south Texas another F-51 Mustang pilot is harassed by an unknown object that continues to dive at his plane and force him into s series of desperate evasive maneuvers until the hysterical flyer finally lands and is immediately met by Air Force intelligence officers for a debriefing. During World War II the Mustang is designated "P" for pursuit but is later renamed "F" for fighter.

North Atlantic Sighting

The year is 1950 and "Operation Main Brace" is underway in the north Atlantic. The largest joint Allied naval and air maneuvers in UN international history is scouring the ocean waters. Suddenly someone calls out, "Who launched the weather balloons?" The answer came back, "Nobody!" Soon carrier launched Gloster Meteor pilots were scrambled to identify who or what had intruded upon the massive military exercise! General Dwight Eisenhower was present and was aroused from sleep to be alerted to the development. He remained in his pajamas seated at the command center drinking coffee as pilots searched for the "Bogies" in the only allied jet to fight in World War II, the Gloster Meteor straight winged double turbo engined fighter.

Astronaut Confirmation

In 1950, future Mercury Astronaut , Deke Slayton, upon attempting to land spots a UFO to the side of his periphery, aborts his approach and takes off after the strange object. According to Deke, he turned inside of the path of the UAP and should have been able to intercept the craft, but according to the veteran flyer his Mustang was no match for the unknown as it deftly out maneuvered his plane. The Mustang was largely distributed to National Air Guard units all over America after the war so they had many opportunities to confront the UFO presence.

Attack over Tacoma

1952 over the air space of a nuclear facility at Tacoma, Washington a two man air crew endure a harrowing experience when a red glowing disk begins making passes at their fighter jet. The T-33 on a night training mission was jerked into a series of desperate evasive maneuvers as the unknown intruder continued to try and ram the 2 man crew! Several times they attempted a lock-on with their Hughes targeting radar but their adversary moved too fast for missile defense! After more than 20 minutes of white knuckled, acrobatic flying the red colored aerial vessel exited the area leaving a shaken pair of aviators. This account given in USMC Major retired Donald Kehoe's book, "Aliens in Space".

Tragedy in Walesville

An F-94 C Starfighter jet with a 2 man crew is scrambled on an intercept out of Grifiss AFB near the small community of Walesville, NY. As the pilot climbs to meet his rendezvous with the unknown his back seat instrument officer has the object on their onboard radar. Suddenly tragedy strikes as it seems the aircraft has hit a wall of suffocating heat that overwhelms both airmen. They must eject to avoid being burned, but as their parachutes pop out and slow the decent of the front seat pilot he is horrified to watch his aircraft plunge into the town below! The jet fighter slams into a small house engulfing it in flames along with the family car. Four people die in the tragedy. According to Donald Keyhoe, the officer lands not far from the wreckage and attempts to explain to the panicked towns people but is retrieved by an Air Force staff car and rushed off for questioning back to Grifiss.

Washington National Sightings

Over Washington DC in 1952 during the national UFO flap that descended upon the US with a vengeance, the mighty F-94 C, the first jet fighter with an afterburner was scrambled to intercept UFO's directly over White House air space. At more than 600 mph. two fighters would come screaming in only to watch as aerial lights not only blinked out but disappeared on radar screens as well. Over several nights the mysterious intruders returned and were chased by USAF interceptors again and again. William Patterson converging upon the night time UAP's is astonished when instead of disappearing he is surrounded by the UFO's and they soon begin to close in on his F-94 C. Major Dewy Fornet and Al Chop of the US Air Force sit in stunned silence as Lieutenant Patterson frantically asks the radar control room what he should do next! There sometime around 3 AM where several air fields such as Bolling Air Base interconnect, the alien lights finally back off, and an American pilot lives to give his account in a debriefing that has never been released to the public. This incident was logged in Captain Edward Ruppelt's book, "The Report on UFO's".

Lost over Lake Superior

1953, a year that followed the 1952 UFO flap was not without its encounters with unidentified lights in the sky and the disappearances of those brave pilots who dared to dance with the unknown. In bad weather over Lake Superior an Air Defense Command scramble is ordered out of Kinross AFB. Pilots Felix Montcla and Lieutenant Robert Wilson jump into their cockpit seats and race off the runway in their F-89 Scorpion jet all weather interceptor. Guided by an Air Force radar station to the proper heading they are on course with fate. A UFO has been tracked over Lake Superior and the possible threat has to be identified. What happens remains a mystery to this day as the flight crew and aircraft vanish into the pages of the historic unknown. Despite rescue efforts no trace is found. The US Air Force attempts to blame the anomalous sighting on a Canadian Royal Air Force cargo flight, but that government denies any such presence of their aircraft.

A well deserved salute to the Mustang

It would appear that in the early stages of jet propulsion and at the end of the piston driven fighter era one plane that for a time the American Aviation built F-51 Mustang had its lion share of pursuits with the UFO's! However, the state of mind of the alerted fighter jocks who engaged those aerial intruders in life threatening confrontations were not always lucky and, at times crashed or even disappeared. These are some of the early encounters largely met by the venerable F-51 Mustang.