James McGaha

James McGaha is a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, astronomer, and director of the Grasslands Observatory in Tucson, Arizona. He held a TOP SECRET compartmented security clearance and participated in classified operations, including at Area 51. A prominent UFO skeptic, McGaha has debunked numerous UAP sightings using his expertise in aviation and astronomy. Key achievements include identifying the 1965 Exeter UFO lights as those from a KC-97 refueling plane, alongside Joe Nickell, and explaining the Phoenix Lights as misidentified aircraft. He has discovered 15 asteroids and 52 comets, authored over 1700 M.P.E.C. publications on near-Earth objects, and won the 2002 Shoemaker NEO Grant. Founder and chairman of the Tucson Skeptics, he serves as a scientific consultant to the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. McGaha has appeared in media like Point of Inquiry, StarTalk Radio, and Skeptical Inquirer, critiquing UFO mythology, Project Blue Book, and abduction claims while promoting scientific skepticism.