Joe Rogan Interviewed a Former Navy Pilot About His UFO Encounter

Fravor soon spotted an aircraft, cross-shaped, 40 feet long, moving back and forth above the Pacific. Fravor assumed it was a helicopter, but he couldnt detect rotors. Hoping to get a better view, Fravor began to circle. Then, to cut the aircraft off, Fravor dipped his planes nose. The mystery aircraft crossed in front of Fravors screen. Then it disappeared. Poof, said Fravor told Rogan.

The encounter is known as the USS Nimitz Incident. The incident gained attention in 2017 after infrared footage was released to the public showing the aircraft appear and disappear on screen. The New York Times also covered the story , making the incident one of the more seriously researched and reported sightings of unidentified aerial vehicles.

The speed at which the aircraft moved off radar, Fravor said, has no precedence among existent technology. In other words, if an aircraft hovering over the water could move laterally at that speed, its not an aircraft the U.S. military has ever encountered. If you had something like that, said Fravor, it would change air travel forever.

More than alien life, what seems to interest Fravor more is this propulsion technology that would allow an aircraft to maneuver in the way he witnessed. Of course, the implication of his observations (and the radar video) are more than technological.

My entire flying career is now defined by chasing this white tic-tac, said Fravor, referring to the size of the image on his radar screen.

Fravor told Rogan that since his experience was published, he's began to receive random phone calls and emails from many others wanting to share their experience with unidentified objects.

Rogan pointed out that its a subject thats so easy to mock.

I dont know what it is, but it was pretty frickin impressive, and Id like to fly it.

Skeptics of the incident point to several possible explanations, including radar sensor malfunctions and the possibility that the air crew encountered classified government technology. When the New York Times ran the article about Flavor in 2017 (13 years after the incident) they prefaced the piece by saying earthly explanations often exist for such incidents, and that not knowing the explanation does not mean the event has interstellar origins.

Not one to avoid revealing his biases, Rogan admitted at the beginning of the podcast where he stood: Ive gone on a journey with this UFO stuff. From being a full-on believer, to being incredibly skeptical, to trying to be open-minded, to being more of a believer now than Ive ever been before. The people I put my trust in are high-level military people like yourself.

Fravor said the Navy never investigated the encounter. It wasnt classified. He wasnt asked to hide the experience. On whether or not he believed it to be alien lifeforms, Fravor simply expressed his doubt that in a universe so big, ours was the only planet to harbor life. And if the alien craft really was an alien craft: I dont know what it is, but it was pretty frickin impressive, and Id like to fly it.