Fravor served as a naval aviator for 18 years and later retired as a Commander after 24 years of total service.
“I worked for the government for 24 years of my life.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122
00:00:00; 03:04:14
Fravor was enlisted in the Marines before being recommended to attend the Naval Academy.
“first I was in, I was enlisted. I was a Marine. And then, uh, the Marines actually sent me, recommended me to go to the Naval Academy.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122
00:12:18
Fravor holds an undergraduate degree in oceanography.
“My undergrad degree is Jacques Cousteau. So influences are Neil Armstrong and Jacques Cousteau. I have an oceanography degree.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122
03:43:33
Fravor holds an MBA from the University of Houston.
“I got an MBA from University of Houston.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122
03:43:42
Fravor's first fleet assignment was to fly A-6 Intruders on the west coast, stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
“i ended up getting a6s on the west coast which is a side-by-side bomber”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122
00:20:00; 00:25:31
Fravor attended the Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) in 1997, Class 4.
“I went through in 97, Class 4, 97.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122
00:07:44
Fravor graduated from Top Gun with honours according to Luis Elizondo.
“Commander Fravor graduated Top Gun with honors”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs — Chapter 2 (image only)
Chapter 7, paragraph 10
Fravor commanded Strike Fighter Squadron 41, known as the Black Aces, a squadron of 12 airplanes consisting of several hundred people.
“commander of the Strike Fighter Squadron 41, also known as the Black Aces, a squadron of 12 airplanes consisting of several hundred people”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122
00:00:00
At the time of the Tic Tac sighting, Fravor had just taken over command one month prior, making him the most junior Commanding Officer at the O-5 level in the Navy.
“I had had the squadron for a month, right? So I'm a brand new CO. I'm the most junior guy as far as a commanding officer goes... I think it was the most junior CO for 05 Command in the Navy”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122
02:52:37
On 2004-11-14, Fravor was the commanding officer of VFA-41 and pilot of the F/A-18F using callsign FASTEAGLE 01.
“CDR Fravor, Commanding Officer VFA-41, was the pilot of FastEagle 01.”
Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG-11) AAV Incident Report
page 7
VFA-41 was attached to Carrier Air Wing 11 and stationed aboard USS Nimitz during a workup cycle preparing for a combat deployment to the Persian Gulf.
“We were attached to Carrier Airwing Eleven and stationed onboard the USS Nimitz (CVN-68).”
David Fravor Statement for the House Oversight Committee
page 1, paragraph 2
Fravor's flight was handed off to USS Princeton and received vectors to an unknown contact.
“After they completed their training the E-2C controller handed them off to the USS Princeton callsign 'Poison' where they received vectors via Bearing Range Altitude Aspect (BRAA) to an unknown contact flying into the working area from the south.”
Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG-11) AAV Incident Report
page 7
USS Princeton had been tracking anomalous objects for approximately two weeks before the 2004-11-14 intercept.
“sir, we've been tracking these things for about two weeks. That's we had been at sea for two weeks. He goes, this is the first time we've had planes airborne.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122
01:17:15
Fravor's first visual indication was a disturbance on the water below, which he described as frothy waves and foam almost as if the water was boiling.
“According to CDR Fravor the first indication he had of the unknown contact was a visual of a disturbance on the water below the AAV. As he scanned the area he gained a visual on the object. ... when asked to describe the disturbance on the water he stated that it was localized underneath the object, did not appear as a trail or wake, and looked like frothy waves and foam almost as if the water was boiling.”
Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG-11) AAV Incident Report
page 7
All four aircrew observed a small white Tic Tac-shaped object moving abruptly over the water with no rotors, rotor wash, or visible flight control surfaces.
“All four of us, because we were an F-18F so we had pilots and WSO in the backseat, looked down and saw a white Tic Tac object with a longitudinal axis pointing north south and moving very abruptly over the water like a ping pong ball. There were no rotors, no rotor wash, or any sign of visible control surfaces like wings.”
House Oversight Subcommittee UAP Hearing – 26 July 2023
page 13
Fravor described the AAV as approximately 14 metres long and uniformly white across the entire body.
“According to CDR Fravor, the object's shape was like an elongated egg or a 'Tic Tac' and had a discernable midline horizontal axis. However, the object was uniformly white across the entire body. It was approximately 46 feet in length.”
Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG-11) AAV Incident Report
page 8
Fravor stated the AAV was 'holding like a Harrier', referring to the AV-8B's hover capability.
“CDR Fravor stated that the object was "holding like a Harrier." (Referring to the AV-8B jet aircraft, which is capable of hovering and Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing (V/STOL) via thrust vectoring.)”
Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG-11) AAV Incident Report
page 8
Fravor detached FASTEAGLE 02 (Alex Dietrich's flight) to hold high cover while he descended.
“CDR Fravor detached FASTEAGLE02, which held at approximately 20,000 feet, and FASTEAGLE01 descended to between 12-16,000 feet.”
Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG-11) AAV Incident Report
page 7
As Fravor descended, the AAV appeared to reorient toward his aircraft and began climbing to meet him.
“They began the decent as they rolled in from about 10,000ft and approximately 350 knots to take the object close aboard. CDR Fravor pulled nose on and then pulled trail (aft) of the object. As they were maneuvering, the object appeared, according to CDR Fravor: "to recognize us." He assessed this from the fact the object "pointed" (realigned it's axis) in the direction of their aircraft. At this time, according to CDR Fravor, the disturbance on the water ceased.”
Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG-11) AAV Incident Report
page 8
The AAV accelerated quickly and disappeared at supersonic speed; USS Princeton later reported it had reappeared at Fravor's CAP point.
“As they completed this maneuver, the object ascended quickly and pulled lift vector on and aft of them at a supersonic speed. CDR Fravor commanded the radar through the Short Range radar set and asked for a picture from Poison. Poison initially reported that the "picture was clean" (no contact) but then stated "you're not going to believe this, its at your CAP" meaning that the AAV had flown to their training CAP, which was located in the southern end of the training area and had climbed to approximately 24,000 feet.”
Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG-11) AAV Incident Report
page 8
Fravor assessed the AAV travelled approximately 97 kilometres in less than one minute.
“This Tic Tac Object had just traveled 60 miles in a very short period of time (less than a minute)”
David Fravor Statement for the House Oversight Committee
page 2, paragraph 1
There was no video footage recorded during Fravor's visual encounter; all four crew members observed with the naked eye only.
“There is no video from our event. It was all four sets of eyeballs staring at this thing.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122
01:15:15
Chad Underwood took off after Fravor's flight and recorded the infrared video of the Tic Tac object.
“when Chad and his pilot took off, that's when Chad got the video of it.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122
01:15:19
Fravor stated the radar tape showing APG-73 jamming was never released and its whereabouts are unknown.
“What you do not see is the radar tape that was never released, and we do not know where it is at, of the act of jamming that the object put on an APG-73 radar”
House Oversight Subcommittee UAP Hearing – 26 July 2023
page 14
The 2004-11 Nimitz UAP incident was never officially investigated; none of Fravor's crew were ever questioned.
“What is shocking is that the incident was never investigated, none of my crew were ever questioned, tapes were never taken”
David Fravor Statement for the House Oversight Committee
page 2, paragraph 3
Not until 2009 did Jay Stratton contact Fravor to investigate the encounter; Stratton was part of AATIP led by Luis Elizondo.
“It was not until 2009, until Jay Stratton had contacted me to investigate. Unbeknownst to all, he was part of the ATIP program in the Pentagon led by Lue Elizondo.”
House Oversight Subcommittee UAP Hearing – 26 July 2023
page 14
Luis Elizondo contacted Fravor in 2016 shortly after Fravor spoke with Alex Dietrich.
“I was contacted by Mr Elizondo shortly after talking with Alex in 2016. We briefly chatted and I was told that he would be in contact.”
David Fravor Statement for the House Oversight Committee
page 2, paragraph 4
To the Stars Academy worked with journalists to publish articles in the New York Times in December 2017.
“worked with Leslie Keane, Ralph Blumenthal and Helene Cooper to publish the articles in the NYT in Dec 2017 admitting the USG was looking at UAPs and removed the Stigma of the UFO topic”
David Fravor Statement for the House Oversight Committee
page 2, paragraph 5
Fravor was interviewed on Fox News / Tucker Carlson Tonight on 20 December 2017 about the encounter.
“David Fravor, interview, Fox News/Tucker Carlson Tonight, 20 Dec 2017.”
Ross Coulthart UAP Book - Prologue, Chapter 1 & Chapter 2
Chapter 11, endnote 10
Fravor participated in a 60 Minutes story on UAP alongside Christopher Mellon, Alex Dietrich, and others.
“Mellon, Senator Rubio, Commander Fravor, Lieutenant Commander Dietrich, me, and some others participated in what would go on to be a historic 60 Minutes story.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs — Chapter 2 (image only)
Chapter 23, paragraph 35
Fravor testified before the House Oversight Committee under oath in July 2023.
“Commander Fravor, Lieutenant Graves, and Dave Grusch, who were now testifying to the American people in Congress under oath.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs — Chapter 2 (image only)
Chapter 24, paragraph 6
Fravor assessed the AAV as far superior in performance to his F/A-18F and as not operating under any known aerodynamic principles.
“was far superior in performance to my brand-new F/A-18F and did not operate with any of the known aerodynamic principles that we expect for objects that fly in our atmosphere.”
David Fravor Statement for the House Oversight Committee
page 2, paragraph 1
Fravor came forward publicly because a friend told him he was the one person who could not be discredited.
“I was pestered by a friend, and I asked why and he said, you are the one person that they cannot discredit, and you will add credibility to the New York Times article. And so after about six times I said OK.”
House Oversight Subcommittee UAP Hearing – 26 July 2023
printed_page 48
Fravor stated he is not personally a UAP enthusiast but is an expert witness because he actually chased one.
“no i'm not but i chase one so i'm an expert”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122
03:27:27