What Are You Afraid of? UFOs

Pilots and air traffic controllers are in a unique position to help us understand what’s happening above us.

Jason Judy

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Zach Vasile

Artist’s rendition of UAP over the New Jersey coast [Credit: Americans for Safe Aerospace]

Key Takeaways:

The author, a former air traffic controller, shares personal experiences with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), including a confirmed sighting and a classified event, noting that controllers primarily view these as safety hazards.
The stigma around reporting UAPs among pilots and controllers has significantly decreased, largely attributed to the renaming from "UFO" to "UAP" and the release of official Navy videos, fostering more open discussion.
The article highlights that some UAP encounters, such as the "cube in sphere" objects, defy current scientific understanding and known technology, underscoring the vital role pilots and controllers play in contributing to a clearer understanding of these aerial mysteries.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Back in 1999, when I was working as an air traffic controller at Fort Worth Center, one of my
co-workers ended up on Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell.

He had submitted audio of unusual aerial activity over the Dallas-Fort Worth area, something people now refer to as UAPs (unidentified anomalous/aerial phenomena). I remember listening to the show and laughing as Bell treated the recording as if it were a leak from a secret government source.