Jim Slaight

Lt. Cmdr. Jim Slaight was the Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) aboard the second F/A-18F Super Hornet during the 2004 USS Nimitz Encounter. Flying wingman to Commander David Fravor, Slaight and Fravor were vectored by the USS Princeton to investigate anomalous radar contacts approximately 100 miles southwest of San Diego on November 14, 2004.

Upon arriving at the intercept coordinates, the pilots observed a white, oblong object resembling a Tic Tac candy hovering above churning water. Slaight described the object’s subsequent departure as being "shot out of a rifle," noting its instantaneous acceleration and lack of visible propulsion. Shortly after the object vanished from visual range, USS Princeton radar detected it reappearing at a secure Combat Air Patrol (CAP) point roughly 60 miles away, a movement implying speeds far exceeding known aircraft capabilities