UFO Caught

Labor-Day-Week-End in 1954.Around Pittsburgh, steel mills were closed for the Holiday. It was unusually clear.Throughout the 1940s and 1950s Flying Saucers were very popular in the news. Green Spacemen: 18 inches tall, had been news since 1900 and before. Roswell, NM has been News since 1948.Our Air Defense planes were F-86D, an All-Weather version of the F-86 Saber Jets. The F-86D was then, holder of the World Speed Record.We could see a large, reddish object, that looked like a baby...
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Labor-Day-Week-End in 1954.Around Pittsburgh, steel mills were closed for the Holiday. It was unusually clear.Throughout the 1940s and 1950s Flying Saucers were very popular in the news. Green Spacemen: 18 inches tall, had been news since 1900 and before. Roswell, NM has been News since 1948.Our Air Defense planes were F-86D, an All-Weather version of the F-86 Saber Jets. The F-86D was then, holder of the World Speed Record.We could see a large, reddish object, that looked like a baby moon. I asked the Observatory by phone, "Is the object I see Mars? It looks large." They told me, "Yes. On September 7th, the Planet Mars will be closer to Earth than for 50 years."I volunteered to be "First-Off," if we were scrambled.I answered the telephone that was direct to Radar Control. They were getting a lot o calls from Ground Observers in the area who were questioning the unusual appearance of Mars. at least one Ground Observers was not. He was positive that he was observing a "real" UFO. The Radar Controller warned us to expect an Official Hot Scramble.I was on my takeoff roll and was relieved that "Mars" showed no movement relative to other stars. I knew positively that the object was a long distance away.Radar Control, Radar did not show any objects of any kind in the area. The Ground Observer was reporting a bright white light, stationary at 20,000 feet.Radar Control directed me to identify the UFO reported by the Ground Observer. I climbed rapidly to 20,000, searching visually and with radar. I reported "No Joy" to my Radar Controller. It was a nice to have a clear sky. But no planes or UFOs.I set out to determine where the Ground Observer was looking. He was to report with the word, "Now" by phone when I was directly lined up between him and the UFO.When he was located east-west, I switched to making north-south passes.On my first north-south pass, just as I was over the Ground Observer, I thought, "In another five seconds I will be in line with where he is seeing Mars. He will say, "Now" and we will have identified this UFO as MarsInstead, Just as I was over the Ground Observer, Radar Control said, "Now." I looked straight up overhead. There was a bright light possibly at 20,000 feet. I reported "Tallyho," and I applied full power, lighting the Afterburner. I started to climb to intercept and identify the UFO, whatever it was.Radar Control said, "Roger, You are cleared all-the way. We have you, but we still do not have anything else on our radar."But, I did. I now had a visual contact on a single bright white light and a small weak radar target on my F-86D Fire Control Radar.As I started after the UFO, it moved off to the south-east at a greater speed than mine. I was flying the world's fastest plane and the UFO I was chasing was leaving me behind.Another pilot had been Scrambled after a UFO and had chased it in an F-86D at full speed until he had run out of fuel without ever getting close enough to identify it. I did not want to report the same result.I changed course and climbed toward Mars. As I climbed through 20,000 feet, I looked back to check. The light was level with me, as reported, it was at 20,000 feet. When I was well ahead and above the UFO, I turned back toward them. They could not get away now. I locked on the radar of my Fire Control System.I thought, "I have got you now, you little green men. Or maybe, I should wonder who is going to get who?