Showing posts with label The Phoenix Lights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Phoenix Lights. Show all posts

Monday, February 25, 2019

Remembering Mike Fortson – Witness To The 'Phoenix Lights'

Remembering Mike Fortson – Witness To The 'Phoenix Lights' (TS)


Editor' Note: Today, on his birthday (2-24-1953), and in honoring my dear friend, colleague, regular contributor here at TUFOC and direct eyewitness to the large v-shaped craft that flew over Arizona in ’97 (AKA The Phoenix Lights), Mike Fortson, we present his original report below–FW
     I awoke from a brief nap in my recliner and leaned over to tell my wife that I was going to bed. I glanced to the clock on the television, it was 8:30 pm. As I walked down the hallway to the master bedroom, I noticed the bedroom window was open.
By Mike Fortson
The UFO Chronicles
© 1997-2019
The weather was most pleasant this March 13 evening, temp. 75 degrees, clear and no wind.(Jim Schnebelt Fox 10 weather) Typical Arizona spring evening.

As I pulled the window closed, my eyes were attracted to the three huge, bright white lights angled down and very low to the ground. "Plane crash!" I thought. These lights were way too low and angled in a way nothing I know of could pull out of.

I ran down the hallway, grabbed my glasses off the bar and yelled to my wife, of 25 years, "get outside right now!" Without hesitation she followed me out the back arcadia door to the edge of our patio. (I have timed this since and it took app. 8-10 sec)

Standing at the edge of our patio, facing west, and looking north, confussion struck me. For there was no plane crash, but coming from the north and heading south was one, single structure that looked like a giant boomerang. (the description of boomerang, chevron (best), and V shaped object all apply). This object stuck out like a sore thumb in the evening sky due to the fact we were looking north towards the Phoenix metro area, and the city lights gave us a grey background in which to view this huge black V shaped object. It was so low to the surface we could not believe it. I remember saying, "what the hell is that?"

The huge V shaped craft was moving slowly to the south. At this point, still northwest of us, we both saw a 737 in landing approach pass over the object. The plane was coming in from the west heading east. The V shaped craft was heading south from the north. As the 737 passed over the V shaped object, I said, "did you see that! Why didn't the plane get the hell out of there?" But it didn't. The pilot nor the planes computers saw nothing. (Just like the radars at Sky Harbor and Luke AFB. Nothing was detected.)

I would like to explain more on this incident. We live app. 23 miles ESE of Sky Harbor in Phoenix. Planes coming in to land (most of the time) will come out by us, bank to the north (left), proceed for app. 10-12 miles, bank left again (west) and land at Sky Harbor. This is normal landing pattern. I have talked to airline pilots, tower operators, and investigators about the altitude of planes coming in to land at Sky Harbor, at the point of the first bank north where we live. The altitude..1200'. The massive V shaped craft we saw was under 1200' altitude!

As the huge V shaped craft proceeded south, it was almost in front of us, when my eyes followed the left wing to it's end. We live 1/2 mile south of Chandler Blvd. The end of the wing was well past that and at least half way to Ray Rd. (1 1/2 miles north!) I remember saying to my wife, "that son-of-a-bitch is a mile long! As it passed in front of us all we could see is the left wing. That's how low it was. At arm's length the object was at least 30"+ long. I reported it was app. 1 1/2 mile west of us, going down Alma School Rd. But the closest part of the huge V, the end of the left wing was much closer. Maybe within a 1/2 mile. One thing that I remember the most is how this craft "floated" app. 30-40 mph. There was no visual means of propulsion and absolutely no noise. The altitude and speed of the craft never changed.

On March 13, 1997, at app.8:31 pm mst., there was a bright bottom quarter moon setting in the western horizon. I said to the wife, "we're gonna get more detail, look, it's going right into the light of the moon." But instead of greater detail of this huge V shaped craft, what we saw still amazes us. As the front of the V shaped craft entered the light of the moon, this black chevron shaped object became translucent in bright light! We could still see the bottom quarter moon thru the object, but instead of bright white, it (moon) was a dingy yellow. As the V shaped craft exited the bright moon, it became a solid black object again. We watched as the entire craft passed thru this. Seeing a solid object going into and coming out of, was black. But as the craft passed between us and the bright, white moon, it was translucent.

(Something about bright objects...witnesses who had this pass over their heads claim that as the craft passed between bright stars, it was like looking thru...water)

By the time the end (left wing still) was passing thru the light of the moon, the front of the craft was disappearing into the night sky to our south. It never changed course, speed, or altitude. Just faded off into the night sky to the south of us.

During the whole sighting we never moved our feet. We never considered getting a camera. We never thought of yelling for a neighbor. There was no question in our minds that what we saw was not of this Earth. Our total sighting was app. 1 minute and 45 seconds.

Tuesday, June 09, 2015

Remembering Mike Fortson – The 'Phoenix Lights' Original Report

Remembering Mike Fortson (1)

Eyewitness Sighting Of Flyover of Arizona 3/13/97, Called "Phoenix Lights"

By Mike Fortson
The UFO Chronicles
© 1997-2015

     I awoke from a brief nap in my recliner and leaned over to tell my wife that I was going to bed. I glanced to the clock on the television, it was 8:30 pm. As I walked down the hallway to the master bedroom, I noticed the bedroom window was open. The weather was most pleasant this March 13 evening, temp. 75 degrees, clear and no wind.(Jim Schnebelt Fox 10 weather) Typical Arizona spring evening.

As I pulled the window closed, my eyes were attracted to the three huge, bright white lights angled down and very low to the ground. "Plane crash!" I thought. These lights were way too low and angled in a way nothing I know of could pull out of.

I ran down the hallway, grabbed my glasses off the bar and yelled to my wife, of 25 years, "get outside right now!" Without hesitation she followed me out the back arcadia door to the edge of our patio. (I have timed this since and it took app. 8-10 sec)

Standing at the edge of our patio, facing west, and looking north, confussion struck me. For there was no plane crash, but coming from the north and heading south was one, single structure that looked like a giant boomerang. (the description of boomerang, chevron (best), and V shaped object all apply). This object stuck out like a sore thumb in the evening sky due to the fact we were looking north towards the Phoenix metro area, and the city lights gave us a grey background in which to view this huge black V shaped object. It was so low to the surface we could not believe it. I remember saying, "what the hell is that?"

The huge V shaped craft was moving slowly to the south. At this point, still northwest of us, we both saw a 737 in landing approach pass over the object. The plane was coming in from the west heading east. The V shaped craft was heading south from the north. As the 737 passed over the V shaped object, I said, "did you see that! Why didn't the plane get the hell out of there?" But it didn't. The pilot nor the planes computers saw nothing. (Just like the radars at Sky Harbor and Luke AFB. Nothing was detected.)

I would like to explain more on this incident. We live app. 23 miles ESE of Sky Harbor in Phoenix. Planes coming in to land (most of the time) will come out by us, bank to the north (left), proceed for app. 10-12 miles, bank left again (west) and land at Sky Harbor. This is normal landing pattern. I have talked to airline pilots, tower operators, and investigators about the altitude of planes coming in to land at Sky Harbor, at the point of the first bank north where we live. The altitude..1200'. The massive V shaped craft we saw was under 1200' altitude!

As the huge V shaped craft proceeded south, it was almost in front of us, when my eyes followed the left wing to it's end. We live 1/2 mile south of Chandler Blvd. The end of the wing was well past that and at least half way to Ray Rd. (1 1/2 miles north!) I remember saying to my wife, "that son-of-a-bitch is a mile long! As it passed in front of us all we could see is the left wing. That's how low it was. At arm's length the object was at least 30"+ long. I reported it was app. 1 1/2 mile west of us, going down Alma School Rd. But the closest part of the huge V, the end of the left wing was much closer. Maybe within a 1/2 mile. One thing that I remember the most is how this craft "floated" app. 30-40 mph. There was no visual means of propulsion and absolutely no noise. The altitude and speed of the craft never changed.

On March 13, 1997, at app.8:31 pm mst., there was a bright bottom quarter moon setting in the western horizon. I said to the wife, "we're gonna get more detail, look, it's going right into the light of the moon." But instead of greater detail of this huge V shaped craft, what we saw still amazes us. As the front of the V shaped craft entered the light of the moon, this black chevron shaped object became translucent in bright light! We could still see the bottom quarter moon thru the object, but instead of bright white, it (moon) was a dingy yellow. As the V shaped craft exited the bright moon, it became a solid black object again. We watched as the entire craft passed thru this. Seeing a solid object going into and coming out of, was black. But as the craft passed between us and the bright, white moon, it was translucent.

(Something about bright objects...witnesses who had this pass over their heads claim that as the craft passed between bright stars, it was like looking thru...water)

By the time the end (left wing still) was passing thru the light of the moon, the front of the craft was disappearing into the night sky to our south. It never changed course, speed, or altitude. Just faded off into the night sky to the south of us.

During the whole sighting we never moved our feet. We never considered getting a camera. We never thought of yelling for a neighbor. There was no question in our minds that what we saw was not of this Earth. Our total sighting was app. 1 minute and 45 seconds.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Origin of 'Hoaxed Phoenix Lights Video' Revealed? | VIDEO

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Origin of Hoaxed Phoenix Lights Video Revealed?

By Frank Warren
The UFO Chronicles
© 1-8-15

     The hoaxed video which surfaced in early December of last year (2014) claiming to be “Newly released classified footage of the infamous [Phoenix] lights depicts military craft over the Phoenix basin engaging unknown aircraft” apparently can now be connected to an upcoming movie, The Phoenix Incident (see trailer below).

The bogus video was introduced initially at what appeared to be (at first blush) an authentic news site, i.e., going by the moniker of:

KWBV News 6  All you need to know  Arizona. First.
Credit: kwbvnews.com

James Patrick Stuart AKA David Collins
A cursory look into the site (at that time) revealed that there wasn’t any corporate minutia published there (as is the norm for any formal news organizations); the site was registered by a proxy and was borne in January, last year (2014), although it showed (phony) archives back to 1997. Moreover, it was hosted by the popular blogger host ®WordPress and all the “news items” were penned by one David Collins, with his profile (and associated photo) described as “Investigative journalist David Collins is the leading investigator and writer for KWBV Investigative Reports. David was embedded with coalition forces in the Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn, and has covered human interest stories since 1989.”

Much like the faux web-site, although Collins’ short bio seemed impressive; to date—there isn’t any residue of his (alleged) work that could be found, except at the bogus site, and or its like (also bogus) sister sites or supporting social media sites, along with (a) YouTube account(s). Moreover, some quick research revealed that the the image of Collins is in fact the actor, James Patrick Stuart.

One of the sister sites included www.americancrimes.tv , alleged to be the site for an up and coming (and sometimes stating “current”) crime show which will “profile intriguing crimes, incidents, and unsolved cases from around the world,” and will be hosted by the afore mentioned David Collins. Like the KWBV News 6 site, nothing there could be substantiated.

Other associated sites are www.maricopamissing.com and www.phoenixincident.org; the veneer of these two sites is of an official “missing persons” agency, connected to Maricopa county. The attention is given to four lads, Ryan Stone, Mitch Adams, Glenn Lauder and Jacob Reynolds yet like the other two faux sites, nothing can be verified–quite the opposite in fact; any information about these 4 seems to originate from the afore mentioned sites. Moreover, the date they are alleged to have gone missing was/is on March 14th, 1997, the day after the mass UFO sighting over Arizona, AKA, the Phoenix Lights . . . and here’s where the dots start to connect . . . more on that in a minute.

As the hoaxed video, along with entire house of house of cards that was built around it began to fall apart, as reported here and over at OpenMinds, whoever was manipulating the sites circled the wagons. Large portions of the faux news site, as well as the American Crimes site became password protected. The hoaxed Phoenix Lights Video, was replaced with another hoaxed version, which, when attempted to view, stated “Footage has been removed in violation of 18 U.S. Code § 793.” Simultaneously, the embedding feature was terminated.

As time went on, the video reappeared with the former seemingly, official declaration removed. Additionally, since Collins, or more accurately—the image claimed to be of him, was exposed as the actor James P. Stuart, an addendum was added the American Crimes site, stating that Stuart was merely playing Collins as the host of the American Crimes show. Even though the entire debacle had been exposed at this point, the powers-that-be were still trying to keep up the charade.

At this juncture, given the all the work and time that was put into this fabrication—the only thing that made any sense was an intended viral marketing campaign as noted by our colleague Alejandro Rojas (at OpenMinds).

This brings us to yesterdays’ tidbit, by Jen Yamato; she, being a columnist for deadline.com broke the news about the soon to be released, The Phoenix Incident, a “UFO conspiracy thriller” which “has been flying under the radar even as viral seeds have been germinating across the web like sleeper cells of marketing data.”

She further states: “The feature debut of veteran gaming director Keith Arem (Call of Duty, Titanfall) was shot quietly last year and inked select foreign distribution deals during November’s AFM. It screens next week for buyers here in LA, accompanied by a transmedia viral campaign that Arem hopes will highlight a new kind of digital storytelling. ’The idea is that you will be on your phone leaving the theater, Googling the information to see if it’s real,’ Arem told me.”

So the bogus video; bogus journalist and associated bogus sites are what Yamato describes as “viral seeds.”

The final kicker was the description of the storyline:
“The phenomenon hit close to home for Arizona native Arem, who wrote and directed the sci-fi thriller about four unsolved Missing Persons cases connected to the Phoenix phenomenon using whistleblower testimony, recovered military footage, and eyewitness accounts to explore the U.S. military’s alleged engagement of alien spacecrafts that night.”
So at the end of the day, the afore mentioned fiasco has now been verified as “viral seeds” for the upcoming film, The Phoenix Incident. For Arem’s sake (and his pocket book) I hope the film fares better then this boondoggle of a marketing campaign. I might add, aside from this blunder in general, creating what many viewers would believe to be real missing person web-sites was done in poor taste and callousness to put it mildly.

In any event, here’s the trailer:

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Close Encounters- Arizona Objects | A Review


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Arizona Object - Close Encounters

By Mike Fortson
The UFO Chronicles
© 3-9-14

     On Friday night March 7, 2014, with great anticipation, my wife and I watched a new program, entitled, Close Encounters, yet another series (amongst many gracing the airwaves lately) delving into the UFO subject matter. The show is produced by a relatively new company out of Canada, called Newroad Media; they herald the production as “each episode . . . reveals the most intriguing and convincing UFO stories on the planet.” The show premiered in Canada a few months ago on Discovery Canada and here in the U.S. via the Science Channel on the 4th (March 2014).

Larry Lowe
Larry Lowe
Although intrigued by the UFO topic in general, as regular readers know, being eyewitnesses to what has (erroneously) become known as “The Phoenix Lights,” we were most eager to take in the segment, Arizona Objects dedicated to those events in this second episode. Being aware that my good friend Larry Lowe had traveled to Canada to meet with the producers and consult on and in part, narrate said segment, only augmented our enthusiasm.

As an 8:30 pm witness to what is more accurately described as the, “Massive UFO Flyover of Arizona, March 13, 1997”; I try to watch all programs related to the so-called Phoenix Lights case. My remarks that follow are in no way critical of the presentation by Larry Lowe; my criticism is directed to the producers and Newroad Media generally, for poor research, lack of due diligence and failing to re-enact events according to known facts.

Conversely, I was very pleased that the Phoenix Lights label and 10 pm videos of a known, intentional, diversionary flare drop were not even seen or mentioned until the very end of the segment. This is the main reason I quit doing video interviews; Arizona Objects is more descriptive and more accurate. The massive craft(s) seen that night in the 8 o’clock hour is what the vast majority of witnesses experienced. Beyond that—the show had very little that was historically, correct or accurate.

—Let’s start with the Tim Ley account:
Tim Ley
Tim Ley
They had Tim and his son driving in their car looking for the Hale-Bopp comet. This is incorrect. The Ley family was at home watching the Hale-Bopp comet and was redirected when the appearance of a semi-circle of lights appeared north of them. Their initial sighting was approximately 8:25 pm.

Also, in their reenactment, they depicted the craft, rotating and giving off a noise like a huge natural gas leak. Never at any time was noise associated with the mass sighting. The program showed that there was this huge array of lights—19 lights on the first sighting! The most ever reported that night was 7. In the next segment with the Ley’s, there were 28 and later 33 lights in V formation!

This is a blatant, misleading, egregious error!
Phoenix Lights Craft By Close Encounters (Front View)
Erroneous Depiction of Craft

—The next witnesses, retired airline captain Trig Johnston and his family.
Trig Johnston
The program inferred that this is the same craft at the same time as the Ley family. Another glaring error! Captain Trig Johnston’s sighting was at 10:20 pm from his horse property in the north Scottsdale/Cave Creek area. It was almost 2 full hours after the Ley sighting—not at the same time. Moreover, they once again made the massive V shaped craft with 33 white lights! Ugh!

Next the program told the viewing audience that during the Ley sighting, the craft descended to incredible low levels. The craft according to the Ley family was always incredibly low to the ground.

The show claimed that Capt. Johnston received a telepathic message from the craft, i.e., “Don’t worry, this is just a demonstration.” Wrong! Capt. Johnston did report receiving a telepathic message, but the message was, “We are not a threat.”

Why didn’t the writers or production crew read the actual reports submitted by the witnesses? Take some time, do your homework.

One statement they did get right. Captain Trig Johnston did say “I could have landed my 737 on the wing of the craft!”
—Now for the Phoenix City Council and former Arizona governor Fife Symington:
They got this all wrong as well.

Frances Emma Barwood
Frances Emma Barwood
The show told the viewing audience that the Phoenix City Council requested an investigation. Again, this is incorrect. It was former Phoenix City Councilwoman Frances Emma Barwood that asked, “Why doesn’t the city investigate the massive craft that passed over our city’s airspace, and Sky Harbor Airport?” She was quickly told the city does not investigate these things and that was it.

Councilwoman Barwood was then lambasted in the media after this and lost her next election. On a positive note, her office was flooded with callers that witnessed the massive object and applauded her bravery and due diligence for coming forward during the council meeting.

Fife Symington
Fife Symington
The show then pronounced that several days later (then) Governor Fife Symington held a press conference. This is incorrect. It was the aftermath of the USA Today article, published on June 18, 1997, which precipitated the governor’s press conference, held the next day (90 plus days after the event) and only because of national exposure of the article.

Then the program suggested that at a (near) later date former Governor Symington, himself reported seeing the “other worldly object.” The fact of the matter is–it would be 10 years later that he would make this claim, doing so on James Fox’s documentary, “I Know What I Saw.”
Over the 17 years since the mass sighting, I have met hundreds of witnesses; written several articles, have done dozens of video interviews, over a hundred radio shows and participated in 7 documentaries. I have remained focused on the investigation and know all the main investigators personally. I feel qualified to judge for accuracy when programs go on air concerning the (so-called) Phoenix Lights case or as I prefer, “The Massive UFO Flyover of Arizona, March 13, 1997” which is a far more accurate title.

To the new Canadian production company: next time allow more that 11 or 12 minutes to report on such a extensive case. Please do your homework. A quick search on the internet and reading a few reports is simply not enough.

I am still waiting for someone to have the courage and take the time to report this incredible mass sighting correctly, so all will know the truth.

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

The Phoenix Lights UFO Investigation Continues

The Phoenix Lights UFO Investigation Continues



By Rod Haberer
myfoxphoenix.com
3-8-11

14 Years Since the Famous Sightings Over Phoenix

     Phoenix AZ - It will soon be the 14th anniversary of the "Phoenix Lights" UFO sighting, which is also referred to as the "Lights over Phoenix"

On March 13th, 1997, thousands of people across the state of Arizona called police, Air Force Bases and Newsrooms about a V-shape formation of lights cruising at low altitude, and silently, across the state.

Most questions went unanswered. Requests for investigations were ridiculed, and skeptics claimed they were flares dropped by military aircraft.

The V-shape formation of lights passed over Phoenix at 8:30pm that night. In its only response, 10 months later, the Air Force said . . ..

Friday, March 12, 2010

The Joiner Report:
Dr. Lynne Kitei Will Be Angelia's Guest Tonight

The Joiner Report
Dr Lynne and Angelia Joiner
By Sherry Boardman
The Joiner Report
3-12-10

Sherry Boardman     “On the evening of March 13, 1997, a collection of unidentified flying objects crossed the state of Arizona from north to south and back again. It was an incident that has become known worldwide as the Phoenix Lights.” (Dr. Lynne Kitei, The Phoenix Lights, Hamilton Roads Publishing Co, p. 1)

The account of this event explains something extraordinary happened in the skies over Phoenix and across Arizona. On that clear evening, a parade of low flying, mile wide V-shaped formations of orbs and craft glided silently overhead, attracting the attention of at least 10,000 people.

Dr. Lynne Kitei is an internationally acclaimed physician and health educator who pushed aside her successful medical career to pursue The Phoenix Lights book and internationally award-winning Documentary project. She was leading the cutting edge era of early disease detection and prevention as Chief Clinical Consultant of the Imaging-Prevention-Wellness Center at the world renowned Arizona Heart Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, until coming forward, after seven years of anonymity, as a key witness to the historic and still unexplained mass sighting throughout Arizona on March 13, 1997.

The March 2010 revised and expanded version of the best selling 2004 of The Phoenix Lights edition shares the latest UFO developments and sightings, in addition to a convincing connection between all Unexplained Phenomena—what the author calls UPs. There is also recent testimony from eyewitnesses, a 911 Phoenix police operator, as well as commercial and military pilots. In addition, former Arizona governor Fife Symington, who mocked the sighting at a press conference in 1997, now admits publicly that he witnesses the event and what he saw was “otherworldly.”

Numerous fellow ufologists have praised her efforts in her giant foot forward in supporting the reality that ‘we are not alone.’

Nick Pope, former minister of defense, UK, said “Dr. Lynne Kitei has done more than anyone to research the Phoenix Lights sightings and to keep them where they belong—under the media spotlight and in the public eye.”

Filmmaker and researcher David Sereda said, “The Phoenix Lights is now one of the great wonders of the world for those who have their eyes and minds open.”

Michael E. Salla, founder of the Expolitics Institute, Hawaii, stated, “”Dr. Lynne Kitei’s efforts to study the Phoenix Lights phenomenon and discuss its broader social impacts makes an important contribution to the exopolitical movement. The evidence presented by Dr. Kitei in her books and films makes her work an important of the UFO Disclosure movement.”

Kitei’s background has not entirely consisted of the study of UFOs. She has been called the “woman pioneer” of medical communications in TV Guide after creating and producing innovative TV News health reports for NBC in Philadelphia in 1976. She has been featured on USA Cable, FOX TV News, FOX in the morning, ABC, CNN and CBS affiliates, Comcast, NBC Japan, MSNBC, Dateline NBC, National Geographic TV, The Travel Channel, and the History Channel.

Her endeavors have been featured in publications including TV Guide Magazine, New Dawn Magazine, Runner Magazine, Physician’s Management Magazine, Phoenix Magazine, UFO Magazine, National News Network, The Philadelphia Inquirer and numerous others. She has also been recognized in the “Who’s Who of American Women” and was chosen as Pennsylvania’s Woman of the Year.

Kitei has been a keynote speaker throughout the United States and abroad and has won over a dozen international film festival awards. During her continuous travels, she introduces screenings of the internationally award winning Phoenix Lights Documentary, as well as presentations for her best selling book, The Phoenix Lights…A Skeptic’s Discovery That We are Not Alone, presently available in major book stores and Amazon.com.

On Friday, March 12, 9-10 p.m. CST, The Joiner Report will welcome Dr. Lynne Kitei on the UFO Paranormal Radio Network.