Chasing UFO’s in the F-86 Sabre Jet

In 1954, Robert H. Starr joined the California Air National Guard, flying the sleek North American P-51H Mustang before transitioning to the legendary F-86 Sabre jet which he would later call the finest and fastest he ever flew. During a year on active duty with the Air Defense Mission, Starr helped guard the skies over Southern California. The radar stations located along the offshore islands tracked unidentified aircraft, known as “bogies”. When something unusual appeared on radar, Sabre jets were scrambled to quickly intercept. Starr had heard the stories. Now he wanted his own. One such mission delivered. Ground radar reported an anomaly stationary at 50,000 feet over Los Angeles. Starr and his wingman flew toward the bogie at full throttle. Their jets climbed through 37,000 feet where they reported visual contact. Ahead of them hovered a cigar-shaped object, no wings, no exhaust, and no visible means of propulsion. The bogie just was ‘parked’ motionless against the cold blue sky. As they closed in, the object brightened, shifted slightly, and then accelerated away with astonishing speed. In less than 15 seconds, it had vanished from sight. Ground control confirmed the quick movement out of radar range. Starr would experience several such intercepts during that year. For a pilot trained in performance limits, climb rates, and aerodynamics, what Starr and his wingman had witnessed defied conventional explanation. For him, the conclusion was simple and profound: humans may not be the only creators of mechanized flight. Call it UFO or UAP, we are not alone in this vast universe.

In 1954 I was presented with a certificate of membership in the Mach Buster’s Club by North American Aviation, Inc. for having flown the F-86 Sabre Jet faster than the speed of sound.  That aircraft was pure power and it was a thrill to fly it.