Did UFO Compromise Air Safety at Southport Air Show 2008? by Pat Regan

Note the unidentified dark object seemingly close behind the jet on the left

Many UFO accounts tell of clandestine official wash washes/cover ups and a compromise with potential air safety issues. Most of these tales are buried, or at least never reported properly. The following story is just one example of authoritarian apathy.

Was the following a near miss for the Red Arrows Team with an unknown object?

On 7th of September 2008 I, along with several family members, watched the Southport Air Show. This popular seasonal event saw the Red Arrows display team perform their daring stunts.

Some days later, whilst examining my pictures, I noticed an unidentified object, which appeared to be flying, or perhaps falling, exceedingly close to one of the jets. I mentioned this fact to Nick Pope, the renowned Ufologist who used to work with the Ministry of Defence. Nick sensibly suggested that this was a potential air safely matter and that I should contact the MOD Press Office.

Was the Ministry of Defence (MoD) – concerned or...?


I did as Nick suggested (10th September 2008) and was told by the MoD assistant that they didn’t really deal with this ‘sort of thing’ and that it was a “strange” issue. Although their assistant was courteous I was astonished by the lack of concern for this evident air safety issue. The MoD man suggested that I should inform the RAF Press Office. I duly rang the RAF yet was greeted with an answer phone; therefore I explained the situation and asked them to call me back.


Potential air collision? With a cropped in image the object appears more clearly near the tail of the left jet

The object in question appears in my photograph as a black crescent surrounded by a paler outline. I have no idea what it was. My first thought was that something may have fallen off the jet, although this seemed unlikely. My immediate concern was for the pilots and crowds of people watching the show. I am however concerned that the MoD did not show more interest in this issue.


What is it? Although resolution suffers at such a close crop, the unidentified object appears to be a solid crescent-shaped mass surrounded by a paler outline

I am ‘not’ making any claims that this object was extraterrestrial or any type of latter day 'Foo – Fighter' (UFOs that followed planes, seen by many pilots, in WW11). I do however believe that when inexplicable entities suddenly turn up, without warning, in our air space we have a certain duty to report them to the relevant authorities.

These authorities must surely investigate such things for our national safety. Various claims have been made in the media as to what these images may or may not hold, yet the respective mysteries continue.

Conjecture is not fact!

Last update on the story

I finally (23rd October 2008) received a response from the Ministry of Defence regarding the Red Arrows air safely incident, involving an unidentified flying object, which I inadvertently photographed, at the Southport air show on 7th September, 2008. The MoD say that they have been advised by RAFAT that there was nothing unusual reported by the pilots and no damage was sustained to their aircraft. No unusual circumstances were reported in their engineering logs.

I have written back to the MoD asking for the photographs above to be analysed and for them to check with the RAF if military and civil radar tracked anything abnormal that afternoon in that location.

The mystery continues – what was the object?

I also note with some concern that the local Southport media were unusually quiet on this air safety issue, despite being fully informed about the story. Of course the local authorities would not wish to create panic by highlighting any UFO travelling close to RAF jets at such an air show – yet surely public safely must come before Council profits?

NB. This was the second UFO Pat Regan had witnessed/photographed in that particular year, the other being reported on this link Twister

Even more fascinating is the fact that Pat Regan has recently (2009) videoed yet another Southport Air Show UFO that flew beneath one of our most impressive warplanes – the Eurofighter. Watch this space...

Pat Regan is the author of
UFO: The Search for Truth

UFOresearch

See Also Churchill ordered UFO cover-up

See Also The Eurofighter And The UFO – How Safe Is Our Airspace?

Top Secret UMBRA

The Ghost Experiment That Never Was by Bruce Duensing

Bizarre 999 Emergency Calls