{"id":67394,"date":"2026-09-21T23:06:47","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T21:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=67394"},"modified":"2026-09-23T20:49:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T18:49:52","slug":"the-two-strange-events-sighted-from-a-spanish-air-force-p-3a-orion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/09\/21\/the-two-strange-events-sighted-from-a-spanish-air-force-p-3a-orion\/","title":{"rendered":"The two strange events sighted from a Spanish Air Force P-3A Orion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Flying is an unforgettable experience under normal conditions, and pilots around the world cherish many interesting stories.<\/p>\n

A former Spanish pilot tells two curious anecdotes about the excellent P-3 Orion<\/a><\/rel>
\nThe interior of the P-3 Orion 'Cisne 31', a Spanish plane that tracked Soviet submarines<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

Beyond routine experiences, many aviators have witnessed strange events\u2014often classified as UFOs<\/strong> (Unidentified Flying Objects). While this term frequently draws jokes, it simply acknowledges the impossibility of explaining certain aerial sightings based on available data<\/strong>. Whether those sightings involve extraterrestrial craft or some other phenomenon is a separate debate.<\/p>\n

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The P-3A Orion P.3A-01 (22-21) flying over Torrej\u00f3n Air Base at the Spanish Air Force's 75th anniversary air show, on October 15, 2014 (Photo: Elentir<\/a>).<\/div>\n

The Spanish Air Force has not been immune to these sightings.<\/strong> Between 1991 and 1992, the Intelligence Section of the Combat Air Command (MACOM) General Staff\u2014the organization responsible for defending Spanish airspace\u2014published an official 18-page report listing dozens of UFO sightings<\/a> that occurred between August 1962 and September 1991. The report, now declassified and digitized, can be viewed at the Virtual Defense Library<\/a>; also available there today are 80 UFO case files recorded by the Air Force<\/a>, totaling approximately 1,900 pages.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
The P-3A Orion P.3A-01 (22-21) being towed after its last flight at Cuatro Vientos Air Base on November 14, 2017 (Photo: Ej\u00e9rcito del Aire<\/a>).<\/div>\n

One of the cases not included in those official records occurred in 1989<\/strong> during an instrument flight training mission involving a P-3A Orion maritime patrol aircraft<\/strong>\u2014specifically the P.3A-01 22-21, affectionately nicknamed \"Abuelo\" (Grandfather) because it was the first unit of this model operated by the Air Force. At that time, the P-3 Orions were assigned to Wing 22, based at the now-defunct La Parra Air Base<\/strong> in Jerez de la Frontera (C\u00e1diz).<\/p>\n

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The P-3A Orion P.3A-01 (22-21) is currently at Cuatro Vientos, awaiting incorporation into the fleet of aircraft on display at the Air Museum (Photo: Ej\u00e9rcito del Aire<\/a>).<\/div>\n

That mission involved a night flight from Jerez to Son San Juan Air Base in Mallorca, where the crew performed a \"touch-and-go\"<\/strong> (the term aviators use for landing and immediately taking off again without coming to a full stop). Colonel (R) Miguel \u00c1ngel de las Heras recounts the events in this video, released today by the<\/strong> Air Museum Friends Association<\/a>; he describes the experience from inside the very aircraft where two strange incidents were observed\u2014one over Valencia and another over the Gulf of C\u00e1diz<\/strong> (the video is in Spanish; you can enable automatic English subtitles in the player):<\/p>\n