Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects (the Condon Report, complete, three volumes)

turning on and off "likl~ throwing a sl~itch," the.' :\Il1orpho\l~ l'l'd \'.101'
without "any shape or anything of thL. nature," The raJio Tefr[1\.'tivity
profile for the time of th" sighting, with several strong'H1!wr-r('t'rRctiv('
layers, is conducive to the formation of radar AI' echoes. The dl'scription
of the Gel radar targets is suggest lve of t l' phclIomc.ma:
All of a sudden they would lose it, or something,
'nley hfld it and then they uidn't, they weren't sure. ThtTc
was a lot of cCllfusion involved in it. '111C'y'd give yOll these
headings to fly. It would appear to just -- they had may-
he a hovedr,,: .- capal')llity and then it woulll just he in a
different lOl.:lltion in no til11e at all.
,1lis type of behavior is typical of moving i\P targets. The elevatcd
duct shown on tlw Fort Worth profiles is vl'ry thick, and see.lrns fully
capable of .:ausing these ~f~'cct~.
In summar;r, it is possible tv, til'count' for the I1Hljor details of
the S i~hti ng throu~h three hypotlll'sl's:
(1) '111e liFO at 3u,OOO to 3S,OOO ft. may huw lll'cn a cOlnbilH',1 rildio-
optical mirage of another aircraft, at gl'l':It dista'lCc.', flyinR just
below a thin inversion layer I.hicl. was also jllst above the.' B~471S
flil-':ht path. TJli~ nircraft would have hlld to haVt' (nl displflyt'd
landin~ li~ht5 which werl' tUflWd 111'1' (Cl'C:lti:1!', the.' first sighting),
(I» been ('quipped wi th 2HllO ~ll1l radi1l'1 :lnd (~~) l! i splilycd a rt·l!
running 1i~ht (c1lusing thl~ red glo\y).
en 'l11l' r.:CI OFt'." wert' AI' t'c.:hm's,
(3) '1110 last "n·J glow":lt "Ei,OOO fcct" muy Iw\'c been ;1 ~:rt)l:nd
source, whicl1 IH'Cill111' ohscul'cJ or wa~; 1l\l'lll'd off at.; till' nircraft
approached
'\11l'(\.· an' l11al1~' ullexplained iISPl'~'h\ to thi~; sif~htiJ\I~, 'l;)Wl'\It'l',
;1nl! a sol\ltiul1 SUl'!l as is l:ivl'll nlll1v(', altlwugh pussildl', dews 'lot
seem highly prohahlt', Olll' of the 1110st distllrhll1!! ft.~atllre... of till'
200
turning on anJ off "like throwing a sIVitch," till' :illlorpho\ls I'cd dOh
without "any shape or anytlliug of thb nature," The raJi.o refrac:tivity
profile for the time of tht' si~hUng, with several ,:trong'HljWr -r('frllctivc'
layers, i5 conducive to the formation of radur 1\1' echo!~s. TIll' ell'scription
of the tiCl radar targets 1 s suggest ive of !' I' phelloln(ma:
All of a sudden they wml1d lose it, or something,
'nley hl1d it ond then they d i dn 't, th~~y weren't sure, Tht re
was a lot of CCllfw;ion involved in it. '111('Y'd glvc you these
headings to fly. It would appear to just -- they had mflY-
hc a hovcl'ir,,:,- capal'l1Jity ami then it would just he in a
different IO<':lltion in no tilllt' at all.
11)i5 type of behavior is typical of movil1g 1\1' targets. The cle'vat('d
duct shown on thl' Fort Worth profiles is ve1'y thick, and Setlnts fully
capahle of causing thesc ~ff~cts.
In summary, it is possillJe tl"' account fot' the major Jet;li.ls of
the:; ighti I\g through thl't~(' hypotheses:
(1) '11)(' liFO at 3tJ,OOO to 35,000 ft. may huw LH'cn a cOlnbiJll',1 T(ltiio-
optical miragc of another aircraft, at great dista'lct', flying just
helow a thin inversion layer Ilhicl, was al~o jllst above the B~47's
fl ight path. This aircraft wOllld have hlhl to have' ([1/ displflY('c\
landinl( lights which we~l' turned prj' (l'reati:l)', tl\l' fil'~t sil!,htlng),
(b) bcoll ('quipped with ':HOO ~llIl fudn)', nnt! t\.~) displayed a 1'(',1
running lilo:ht (c'lusing thl~ 1'lld glo\~)'
l:!) 'nw (:cr un's WeN' AI' t'chcws.
(3) '11)(' last "n'J glow" ;It "J!;,I)I)() fcct" lIlilY hilve been 11 i:rlll;nd
source, wit i ell Iwcan1\.' OhSCU1·f.'J or Wil~; t 111'111',1 off U~ til" n i reraft
appI'l)lIdll'll
'nll'f<' art' litany uncxplainl'd :l~l'l'l't·S to this si)~htinl~, 1' ;1Wt'\.I"I' ,
:lI1d a ~ol\Jtiun SUdl iI~ is ~:iVl'J\ nhovl', altlwllgil pussihll', lh)('~ 'lOt
seelll hi.:hly pro\1aI11(', Olll' of Ihe 1JI\J~t di:itu1'l,11I!! fllatllrc.; or thl'