FAA Guidelines for Reporting UFOs - From NIDS to BAASS, Bigelow, and NUFORC

Mick West

Administrator
Staff member
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In a recent interview with former Navy pilot Alex Dietrich, she encouraged people (specifically civilian pilots) who saw a UFO to report it to the FAA, and referenced a section of the FAA's FAR/AIM set of regulations.


Part of why I agreed to talk to you [...] is to reduce the stigma, so that when folks see something strange, they will come out and report it up the appropriate channels. [...] So FAA, Federal Aviation Administration has a page in their FAR/AIM manual [...] for you know, what to do if you see a UFO [...], and there's a phone number to call. And I would say, you know, if you see something, no prank calls, but if you see something real, call,
Content from External Source
The page she is referring to is currently:
Article:
Section 8. Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) Reports
9-8-1 GENERAL
Persons wanting to report UFO/unexplained phenomena activity should contact a UFO/ unexplained phenomena reporting data collection center, such as the National UFO Reporting Center, etc.

If concern is expressed that life or property might be endangered, report the activity to the local law enforcement department.


You'll notice that there is no phone number to call, just "contact a UFO/ unexplained phenomena reporting data collection center." One example is given, the National UFO Reporting Center, or NUFORC.

The phone number she is referring to actually appears in older versions of the manual, like back in 2014, paragraph a read:
Article:
Persons wanting to report UFO/unexplained phenomena activity should contact a UFO/unex-plained phenomena reporting data collection center,such as Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies(BAASS) (voice: 1−877−979−7444 or e−mail:Reporting@baass.org), the National UFO ReportingCenter, etc


Even older version have something else, "NIDS", in this version dating back to 2002
Article:
7-6-4. Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) Reports

a. Persons wanting to report UFO/Unexplained Phenomena activity should contact an UFO/Unexplained Phenomena Reporting Data Collection Center, such as the National Institute for Discovery Sciences (NIDS), the National UFO Reporting Center, etc.


The reason for this change was given by the FAA in Feb, 2010:
Article:
2. BACKGROUND: Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) is a new organization that is devoted to exploration of extremely advanced aerospace technology, including the so-called unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) or unidentified flying object (UFO) topics. In 2001, another of Mr. Bigelow's organizations, the National Institute for Discovery Sciences (NIDS), succeeded in becoming the “go-to” organization for the reporting by pilots and air traffic control of UFOs in the United States. NIDS is now defunct and has been replaced by the larger, more capable BAASS. Therefore, pilot and air traffic control reporting of UFOs in the United States should now go to BAASS, vice NIDS. So we are deleting the NIDS acronym and adding the BAASS acronym.


John Greenwald, of the Black Vault, FOIAed documents from the time regarding the change, which was regarded as largely administrative, a name change.
http://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/faa/FAA-BigelowBAASS-1.pdf
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The oldest version includes contact info for NIDS

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(removed the phone number, as it's now been re-assigned to a private individual)

An announcement on the NIDS website details some of how this happened.

Article:
Home > NIDS Research > FAA Announcement

NIDS Becomes Only Official Organization to Receive UFO Reports from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

NIDS is pleased to announce that the newly printed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) manuals indicate the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) as the sole contact point in the United States to which the FAA reports UFOs.

The following four FAA Manuals contain the changes:
FAA Order 7110.65, Air Traffic Control
FAA Order 7210.3, Facility Operation and Administration
Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM)
Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP)

The FAA wording of the order mandating the changes is as follows: “In calendar year 1999, representatives from the National Institute for Discovery Sciences (NIDS) contacted the FAA Administrator to offer their research institution as the single point of contact recognized by the FAA in regard to UFO information. On April 14, 2000, after being referred by the FAA Administrator, NIDS representatives met with ATP-200 to finalize a course of action. This document change proposal is a result of that meeting and is official FAA recognition that NIDS is the single point of contact for UFO research.”

The official date for all FAA offices to receive the new manuals is July 12, 2001, but NIDS has confirmed that many FAA offices have already received the manuals.



Neither NIDS nor BAASS exist anymore. NIDS ran from 1995 to 2004. BAASS (Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies) was a division of Bigelow Aerospace, which laid off all its employees in March 2020, as they were unable to continue operating during the pandemic. It's unclear what became of the thousands of reports submitted.

This is interesting because it speaks to the pervasive influence Robert Bigelow has had over the UFO scene in the last 20 years. Particularly the "official" intersection. From 2002 to 2014 the official FAA recommendation for reporting a UFO was to call Bigelow. Bigelow was also awarded the contract for the AATIP program in 2008, ending in 2012. AATIP also included study of military incidents, like the 2004 USS NImitz case.

Was this a good idea? I don't think so. Bigelow's was already convinced that UFOs were some sort of alien entity. His NIDS program was not simply a UFO report collecting entity - they also studied unnatural cattle mutilations, life after death, and extrasensory perception. He bought a ranch (Skinwalker Ranch) specifically to study the local UFO and supernatural sightings.

So for a decade, the FAA was funneling UFO reports into an investigator of the supernatural. On the page of the UFO reporting form recommended by the FAA is a link to an "entities" report form. It was all pseudoscientific nonsense that has no place in government.

Except, of course, that we've been there before. The US Military has actually dabbled in the supernatural. From 1970 to 1995, US intelligence became concerned that the Soviet Union was researching psychic powers. So they began what should be known as a national embarrassment - a project that came to be known as "Stargate Project." Stargate involved people like Uri Geller, championed by Hal Puthoff, who went on to work with Robert Bigelow at AATIP, and then Tom DeLong at TTSA.

Context like this is lost on those who express surprise that the government is lending credence to UFOs by investigating them and producing a report. But they have done far stranger things in the past. I think this current flap might represent something of a last gasp for the old guard of Bigelow, Reid, and Puthoff. But it's unclear what's being going on, and what the immediate future will hold.
 
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Except, of course, that we've been there before. The US Military has actually dabbled in the supernatural. From 1970 to 1995, US intelligence became concerned that the Soviet Union was researching psychic powers. So they began what should be known as a national embarrassment - a project that came to be known as "Stargate Project." Stargate involved people like Uri Geller, championed by Hal Puthoff, who went on to work with Robert Bigelow at AATIP, and then Tom DeLong at TTSA.
There's even a film based on that: The men who stared at goats.
 
There does seem to be a rather perverse cycle of kooks fooling the government and military into funding their pet projects and then using this funding as legitimization. Many UFO debates end up at the "well the government is taking it seriously so it can't just all be mundane" talking point. UFO enthusiasts seem to be ignorant of or unwilling to accept the fact that the government has been milked by charlatans, I guess because they can't see that the same thing has been done to them.
 
Context like this is lost on those who express surprise that the government is lending credence to UFOs by investigating them and producing a report. But they have done far stranger things in the past. I think this current flap might represent something of a last gasp for the old guard of Bigelow, Reid, and Puthoff. But it's unclear what's being going on, and what the immediate future will hold.

Well-investigated and well-articulated context, Mick. Unsurprisingly so. ;)

It would seem Alex Dietrich is herself blissfully unaware of the 'usual suspects' contracted to 'investigate' UFOs on behalf of the FAA/Government. Let alone the fact that their 'services' have been hired by several government departments for quite some time.

I'm afraid as long as there remains (1) a sizeable and noisome alien-believing demographic of voters, represented by the 'usual suspects', and newly fired up by Elizondo's leaks, and (2) bipartisan congressional interest in securing their votes and/or in UAPs as potential national security threats, some manner of congressional pressure on the Government to investigate UFOs will continue to be exerted.

Hiring the services of the 'usual suspects' for these investigations, either openly or through proxies, would remain a major possibility given the unhampered culture of horse-trading between congress politicians and lobbyists (including UFO lobbyists).

Unfortunately this is the default flaw of modern representative democracy, and hence an absolute elimination of nonsensical political distractions from professional government is a bit of a pipe dream. Albeit a lovely one.
 
Lets not forget that George Knapp met Harry Reid in 1989 (if not earlier) formed a friendship with him that included a pact where Reid promised to provide Knapp with UFO material. Knapp introduced Reid to Bigelow and all three have ~ 30 year friendship.

Knapp even worked for Bigelow under NIDS from the late 90's to early 2000's

Reid is on record as saying Knapp got him into looking at UFO's

Fast forward to 2007 and you then have Reid starting up the AAWSAP contract that goes to Bigelow who was the only bidder on the contract
Surprise!

Reid also starts AATIP. Where as with AAWSAP , Puthoff and Eric Davis are involved at least as consultants

The the UFO media are like look, the gov had a secret UFO program. Without any understanding it was two big players in UFOology in the background who influenced Reid to start it all

It's a story of the Tail wagging the Dog




Source: https://i.imgur.com/04tGPef.jpg


Source: https://www.mysterywire.com/ufo/harry-reid-ufo-04032021/


Source: https://i.imgur.com/oUMHUFe.jpg


Source: https://i.imgur.com/MLfDWrx.jpg


Source: https://www.rollingstone.com/cultur...-ufo-area-51-nevada-pentagon-history-1046067/
 
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This is the "UFO 'enthusiasts' all the way down" scenario, where it turns out they are the ones asking themselves what's going on and leaking whatever they can to themselves having got access to the veneer of being "The Pentagon" by Bigelow's influence.

Anything they got hold of that looked odd is "Pentagon releases evidence of UFOs" and any holes in the story is "Pentagon covers up evidence of UFOs" add in some conflation with a genuine concern about foreign drones and you have today's UFO flap.
 
One might assume that Dietrich, had she looked up this information herself, would be more likely to find the most up to date information. I wonder if this is something she found herself, or if it was something that was sent to her when she came out of dark mode ?
Or, was it in her big box of archives she has posted on twitter, and she reported to that number some time, possibly.
 
Calling the number (877-979-7444) gets a recorded message:

"Hello, you've reached the Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies FAA Incident Reporting Line. Please leave a brief message, and a BAASS representative will return your call as soon as possible. Thank you.
Content from External Source
 
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In credible ufology (cringe at the term if you please) UAP (ie. uncorrelated hypersonic contacts) were seriously researched by NRO & NORAD.

Navy, Air Force, DIA & FAA are the wrong agencies to be looking at.
 
In credible ufology (cringe at the term if you please) UAP (ie. uncorrelated hypersonic contacts) were seriously researched by NRO & NORAD.

Navy, Air Force, DIA & FAA are the wrong agencies to be looking at.
I don't believe that NRO & NORAD are within topic scope but I'd like to see something on it for sure, if someone cares to do so
 
I'm suprised as well that people don't talk more about NRO. All sorts of crazy stories there.

They are very good at keeping things secret by compartmentalizing everything, giving contractors just enough information to solve a specific problem without ever letting them see the whole picture.
 
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