Governor Reagan's UFO Sighting Near Bakersfield

California Governor Ronald Reagan and pilot Bill Paynter witnessed a UFO from a Cessna Citation aircraft near Bakersfield, California.

Paynter reported the object accelerated rapidly and shot off at a 45-degree angle, while Reagan described it going straight up into the sky.

The Incident

Ronald Reagan and Bill Paynter observed the UFO from a Cessna Citation near Bakersfield, California.

Witness Accounts

• Bill Paynter reported: "It appeared to be several hundred yards away. It was a fairly steady light until it began to accelerate. Then it appeared to elongate. The light took off at a 45-degree angle at a high rate of speed."
• Ronald Reagan told Norman C. Miller (Wall Street Journal): "We followed it for several minutes. It was a bright white light. All of a sudden to our utter amazement it went straight up into the heavens."

Response

When Reagan realized he was speaking to a reporter, he broke off the conversation immediately.

Significance

Reagan later referred twice to an 'alien threat' in speeches — at the United Nations (1987) and before students.