What Was the Manta Ray Shaped Object Seen in Texas in 1965?

The "great Flap" of 1965 fell in the months of July, August and some in September. States throughout the American middle lands reported sightings.

The Houston, Texas area for August 11-31 1965 will list in one 137 page file pages of reports. In the conclusion section of the cover sheet:"Reports followed the Great Planes (sic) Inversion on sightings 30 July - 4 August. This folder contains 59 reports submitted to Ellington AFB during 11-31 August 1965. The reports are evaluated as misinterpretation of conventional objects." The form went on to categorize the objects as usually being single objects, varied courses and varied length of observation of objects by witnesses. The file mentions a photo but none is contained in the dozens of reports included.

At a residence from 2 miles NE of Laredo and  the Laredo AFB, Tex on August 4, 1965 came a report.  The cover sheet on the report will say "ASTRO (star/planet)" and will note the sighting involved one multicolored object with flashing lights sequencing from red to green to white. Irregular shaped. Observed for more than two hours after which time a second light joined the first hovering above the first light. It remained there, blinking red lights and then disappeared after several seconds. Observer noted he saw a planet in the sky at the time (he called it Venus first but the record corrects this Jupiter).  Interestingly, but no longer of any great surprise, the internal report and the words of the witness vary from the culminating report summary of the cover sheet. There the witness description includes "triangular lights", object was the size of a pea held at arm's length, slight hissing sound and "flashing lights resembling "neon signs" orange flame like feature shooting from the top that disappeared after a few seconds."

From Carswell AFB, Ft. Worth, Texas on 28 July 1965 came an interesting report from a command pilot involved in education and a Major in the Air Force Reserves at the time. A look at the information  from the summary sheet is in order: 40 ft. long manta ray shape object in flight to North from South. Altitude was apparent and believed to be 1,000 ft. The Tower regarded it as an a/c. Pilots of a/c in area regarded it as an a/c. Investigating officer thought it an a/c. Reported submitted because RAFCON could not identify it was an a/c at time of sighting. Report regard as a/c observation. Flight could be local with no flight plan at local FAA station. Evaluated as a/c".

The sighting at 0240zulu will have a cover sheet reading "AIRCRAFT" but someone - possibly one of the scientific consultants? used by Project Blue Book or some higher up? - scrawled across the cover sheet underneath this conclusion, "How come a command pilot can't recognize an aircraft?" The pilot had top secret clearance and the end of the file is the note: "ASV CY Delivered to DIA".  One can but assume this is the Defense Intelligence Agency and home to many covert projects.

What was unique - and disquieting - about this sighting was the pilot watching this craft fly overhead was with his wife at the north perimeter of the AFB. He recounted in his statement - a well written and analytical document - that : they say two lights approaching from the south" This would seem to imply that the object came right over the air space of Carswell AFB. To continue, "Pulsing brilliant white light " in an on/off sequence about once ever second. This light appeared fixed to, or apart of, a single object moving toward the witnesses in a level flight or slight descent. Note that the witnesses said there were no conventional position lights. The object passed directly overhead, the lights disappeared except for an "erratic sparkling on the leading edge".

The object remain in a constant speed, same course of 360 degrees. Moving away a single pulsating light was visible, it was slightly more brilliant than the one seen from the front view. Additionally, this back light seemed to pulse slower, as though from Doppler Effect. There was no sound from this object - not even a glide noise, He could hear a distant radio playing. The speed was estimated at 50-60 knots and 1000 ft. altitude.

The witness noted that at the time a C-124 was a few hundred yards south of the witnesses position. Around it were Air Force Police and trucks. He returned to quarters, called the Control Tower and added "sighting verified by three other persons." The name of those two were blacked out.

The overkill in the labeling it an aircraft is less than subtle. The idea that any random aircraft could fly anywhere close to a military base in that time period without the military being aware of it is impossible to accept. That a plane over a major city could fly without required Federal Aviation Administration lights and no flight plan stretches credulity.

The idea of there being a "great plains inversion" for the time of the huge August 1-2 "Flap" is unique and apparently isolated to the Houston area as an accepted explanation.   Such inversions are short lived and usually geographical isolated to specific times and places.

The absolute silence of the object observed is another odd thing. The most stealthy on video is the   and other military projects of the time period work well to explain away high level flights, racing across the sky but not much else. Most, however, agree it was 1970 before stealth was a reality in any real way. This was 1965.  Weather balloons were the "go to" explanation for many sightings involving ball, round, curricular, oblong, ice cream cone, and similar shapes but by 1965 the amount of undocumented weather or high-altitude balloons were few and many reports reveal searches and only few "lost" or unaccounted for balloons to use as an explanation.

So - - what was that most fascinating craft - manta or delta winged - observed by the pilot at the northern boundary to Carswell AFB in 1965??