134 lines
6.9 KiB
Plaintext
134 lines
6.9 KiB
Plaintext
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SUBJECT: AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS & UFOs: RADAR ? FILE: UFO1587
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A continuing MUFONET-BBS Network - Mutual UFO Network
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series for the ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Investigator The Investigator's Edge, Number 9
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[Note: Article Contributed By Colorado MUFON]
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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WHAT'S MY TRAFFIC ?
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By Ken Spencer
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January 27, 1991
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Civilian aircraft are directed and guided through the skies over
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the United States from take-off to landing by way of an extremely
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sophisticated air traffic control system. Much of this system is
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supported with a network of air traffic control facilities under
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the auspices of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Here
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in Colorado, an airliner departing from Denver can expect to be
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in communications with several facilities during the course of
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its flight. These air traffic control facilities perform several
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functions, not the least of which is to assist the pilot in
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maintaining a safe clearance between other aircraft. The job
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for both the air traffic controller and the pilot is usually made
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easier and safer when radar is available. Radar, however, is not
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a full proof system and by no stretch of the imagination
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guarantees a pilot or a controller that a vehicle, known or
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unknown can be identified.
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In order to acquire a better understanding of just what I mean,
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let's take a brief minute to educate ourselves about radar.
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Radar, an acronym from a term originating during World War II, is
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short for radio detection and ranging. It's an electronic system
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by which radio waves are bounced off of an object in order to
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determine its existence and to locate its position in relation to
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other objects. The radio waves that are transmitted by a radar
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antenna, when bounced off of an object such as an aircraft are
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returned to the antenna and through electronic technology
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"painted" on a cathode ray tube. Unfortunately, target detection
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is often hampered by "clutter" which is picked up on the radar
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screen. This "clutter" can be raindrops generated by a
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thunderstorm, back-scatter from the ground, or even flocks of
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birds. In order for an air traffic controller to perform his job
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and detect aircraft more effectively, radar engineers have
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designed a means by which the "clutter" can be suppressed.
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Suppressing this "clutter" unfortunately also affects the ability
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of a controller to see targets on the radar screen. Further
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advancements in radar technology as well as a necessity to
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provide more positive identification of aircraft has required
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that the air traffic system be modified. This modification has
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meant that aircraft flying in most types of controlled airspace
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are required by the FAA to have a device which transmits an
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assigned identification code and altitude information. This
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device is called a transponder.
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If you paid a visit to the Denver Center, which is located in
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Longmont, Colorado, you would have a first hand opportunity to
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experience how traffic is identified and controlled within the
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more than 200,000 square mile area under the facility's
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jurisdiction. An aircraft departing the Denver Stapleton airport
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would enter the airspace controlled by Denver Center shortly
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after take-off. Through electronic technology, the aircraft is
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painted as a target on a cathode ray tube used by the
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controller. From each symbol he is able to determine the
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aircraft identification (United 200, Delta 100 etc.), the
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altitude of the aircraft, and a multitude of other data to assist
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him with his job. If you were to listen in on his or her
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conversation, you might hear the pilot's transmission: "Denver
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Center this is American 3375 at flight level three seven zero
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(37,000 feet), I have high speed traffic at my 3 o'clock position
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(to the right of the aircraft) approximately 5 miles, at my
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altitude, WHAT'S MY TRAFFIC ? " The controller would peer at the
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scope, notice the American Airlines MD-80 symbol, but see nothing
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resembling a blip or target anywhere near the aircraft. His
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response would be: "American 3375, I have no traffic at your 3
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o'clock position ". The response from the pilot might be:
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"Denver Center my traffic is now at my 9 o'clock position,
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appears to be a black, odd shaped object without any discernible
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markings moving at a high rate of speed. " The controller might
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say: " American 3375, I have no traffic at your 9'o'clock
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position ".
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With the seemingly endless amount of information available to the
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air traffic controller, you would think that a situation like
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this might not be possible. However, this occurs more often than
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one might think. The target viewed on the CRT at Denver Center
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is computerized video data and not raw radar. The information is
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gathered from several radar antennas scattered throughout the
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state of Colorado and fed into a central computer. It is then
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displayed as a target symbol on the CRT. If an unidentified
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aircraft, such as one without a transponder, or one using stealth
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technology wanders into controlled airspace, a controller may not
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pick the aircraft up on his scope. There are several reports
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where aircraft have penetrated controlled airspace without
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notifying the controlling agency. Aircraft of unknown origin,
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believe it or not, moving at high rates of speed, maneuvering in
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a manner not readily associated with anything known to man have
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been seen by pilots without the benefit of radar identification.
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In fact, Denver Center recently (December 29, 1990) contacted
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Colorado MUFON regarding a similar incident reported by a pilot
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in the airspace above Colorado.
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We all share the same interest and continue to search for a
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solution to the UFO enigma. In this instance, we were contacted
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by a government agency. However, for every incident where
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government support is freely provided, there are many situations
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where it is not. This is generally the result of preserving
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confidentiality, or as a controller recently indicated to me, not
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being free to release information because of government policy.
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Never the less, field investigators must pursue every reasonable
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avenue to gather and document whatever he or she learned for
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inclusion in the case report and, for the record.
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------------------------------------------------------------------
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Note - This article is a slightly expanded and modified version
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of an article appearing in the "Colorado MUFON News" ,
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November/December 1990 issue. Also appearing in the same issue
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is a summary of the incident which is referred to in this article
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regarding a daytime sighting made by an airline pilot over
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southern Colorado.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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**********************************************
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* THE U.F.O. BBS - http://www.ufobbs.com/ufo *
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**********************************************
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