"Don't Dismiss All Those Flying Saucer Stories . . ."

USAF 'secrets' revealed

By Patricia Wolff
The Northwestern
7-31-06

     Don't dismiss all those flying saucer stories you've read in the tabloids until you hear what military aerospace historian Michael Schratt has to say.

He addressed a small audience Sunday at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture museum to discuss the United States' long-running classified military aircraft programs.

Schratt of Illinois passed out a postcard depicting a curious-looking U.S. Air Force circular-wing jet aircraft that had supposedly been spotted by a jet pilot and later photographed outside the MacDill AFB salvage yard in 1967. They measured 20, 40, 70 and 116 feet in diameter and all had tricycle landing gear with control surfaces running along the circumference of the disc.

Schratt said some aircraft projects are so top secret that not event the President knows about them. He suggested the Air Force was able to finance these programs by siphoning money from other documented programs throughout the years.

It's high time for the Air Force to declassify information on this aircraft and others, he said. It would not be a threat to public safety to do so, and could improve life on this planet by furthering a better understanding of space flight, he said.

Jim Upton of California had seen Schratt's website, www.usafflyingsaucers.com, and wanted to hear him speak. When he finished listening to Schratt's hour-long talk Upton wasn't so sure he bought it all.

"He gave a good survey of various (Air Force) programs over time, but some of that stuff is just way out there," Upton said.

Upton questioned the authenticity of the photo of the circular aircraft on the postcard Schratt handed out.

Schratt spoke about various secret aircraft programs and the costs for some of them. He said each B-2 stealth bomber costs $2.3 billion or "more than its own weight in gold."

Upton had no quibble with some of Schratt's observations.

"The second half of his talk was just a whole lot of speculation," Upton said.

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See Also: UFO Witness Over Air Force Base Speaks!