The Argument from Authority Fallacy once again shot down.  Despite the UFOs = Alien Craft Crowd and their claim that pilots can never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever make any mistakes whatsoever in the air, comes this story…

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/sleepy-pilot-mistakes-planet-venus-oncoming-plane/story?id=16158107

Anybody who thinks a pilot can’t make a mistake should take up flying themselves and see what happens. I did and I had a pretty good time of it when I could afford the luxury. I learned fairly early on just how easy it is to mistake something like a planet or a star for an object which was close at hand and moving. In point of fact, this is one of the earliest lessons one learns in basic flight training.

Equal Opportunity Curmudgeon - 05 May 2012 07:58 AM

Anybody who thinks a pilot can’t make a mistake should take up flying themselves and see what happens.

They don’t want to take up flying.  They want to mystery monger.  And they take at face value any claim made by a pilot and hold up that claim as indisputable proof that aliens are patrolling our skies based on the fact that the person is a pilot.  Voyager, are you listening?   

I also like the fact that the same Lights -in-the-Sky = Alien-Craft-Hypothesis-Crowd also likes to point out anything that goes wrong with a plane as somehow “evidence” of aliens using their tractor beams.  In another thread on UFOs Voyager pointed out a 1960 era F4 Phantom of the Iranian air force has something go wrong with it, and a big deal is made out of that fact!  Well since we all know no mechanical or electrical malfunction could ever possibly occur with a 1960s fighter jet based in Iran, then that must prove aliens exist!  Omniscient and omnipotent deities manufactured those jets, maintain them and fly them.  These aren’t mere mortals.  No error of any kind could ever happen without alien interference!  No mechanical problem.  No mistaken identity.  Nothing!  They are perfect 100% of the time.  And yet, here is a pilot that took his plane into a dive over Venus.

Well since we all know no mechanical or electrical malfunction could ever possibly occur with a 1960s fighter jet based in Iran, then that must prove aliens exist!

Kind of ignores the fact that it was a lot more remarkable if something didn’t go wrong with aircraft of that era.

Weapons which didn’t work as advertised when needed, electronic systems based on vacuum tube technology which just loved to break, and engines designed to the very limits of the state of the art which tended to misbehave for no obvious reason. Alien intervention not required. All ET had to do was sit back and watch the fun!