The visual sightings in these incidents seem to he either meteors,
apparently quite numerous at the time,or stars, but a few descriptions
are not adequate to m3ke an identification and hence may represent un-
knowns.
TIle radar tracks reported, at various times, from Washington
National Airport, Andrews AFB, and Bolling APB are generally not cor-
related wi th each other, with airborne radar/visual observations, or
with ground Visual reports, except in a very general way, e.g., a star sigfltcd
on thl' a:z imu th Stipp I iel.1 by the rallar track.
Al' i nYf'"t i \~ation of the l'udar tr3cks reported by Borden and Vi ckers
(1953) is very informative. lbe authors observed, on the night of ~3
14 August 10S2, radar tracks very similar to tho~e described in the
19-20 anJ 2ts were larger, stronger, ;Jnd more nUl1IerO',ls
than those observed by the \~ri tel'S dll'rj ng t.he Wash i ngton
observations. At timcs the cluttt'T madc it difficult to
keep t rack of actu<ll ai rcraft tarRets all the scope.
234
The vtsual sightings in these incidents seem to he either meteC'l"s,
apparently quite numerous at the time,or star~, but a few descriptions
are not adequate to m3ke an identification amI hence may represent un-
knowns.
TIle radar tracks reported, at various times, from Washington
National Airport, Andrews AFR, and Bolling APB are generally not cor-
related with each other, with ahborlle radar/visual observations, or
with ground visual reports, except in a very general way, e.g., a star sighted
011 th,' azimuth slIppl ie,! by the r,llIar track.
~! invr~tication of the radnr tracks reported by Borden and Vickers
(1953) i~; vel)' informative. 1110 authors observed, on the night of ~3-
1-1 Augus t J ~l S2. radar trac ks very similar to tho~: e des cribcd in the
19-20 anJ 2';-21 ,Jllly incilients. The targets appeared to move with the
upper winds at vario'ls levels at twice the observed wind speed, 511!;-
gesting that they were l!rollnd returns seen hy partial reflections from
moving atmospheric la)'er~ of relatively sJlIall horizontal extent (i .c.,
patches of local inten:;i fil:ation of a gC'neral sU!l"r-refractive stratum).
Borden and Vickers state:
11H' almost simultaneous appc<lrance of the first
moving targets with the [stationary] ground returns,
{the latter J si"nlfy ng the hegi !Jning of the tempera-
ture inversion, suggested that th~' target di.splay was
perlHlps caused by SOlll~' effects exi sting in Dr ncar tIll'
inv"rsinll layers.
'The fmtilDrs a!,;o rdate S'illli ];'r target patterlls ohserved durillg
testing of a nell' radar at Illdianaroli~ in NOVC'I:lhcr, 1<)S2. 'I1ley state:
Tar~l'ts were larger, strollger, ;Jnll marl' nU\1lero'.I~;
than those QbscrvC'\\ hy the \'Il'itl~Ts dudllg t.1ll' Washington
observations. 1\1' time;; the duttt'r 1I1a\\c it difficu 1.t to
keep track of aetu,l! Hi rcraft targets all til(' scope.
234