Lights in formation, stopped, changed formation, then continued along their previous direction.

Mid-July 1977 / 10p / clear skies I had just graduated from HS, sitting at a local, Neighborhood Park in the Northeast Heights of Albuquerque, NM.  I was contemplating my collegiate future, looking up at the clear, dark sky.
I have since told this story many times since that night, and it never changes.  What I saw was both startling and intriguing.  These five lights (about the brightness of one of the brighter stars in the big dipper) appeared in the SE night sky, traveling North by Northeast.  They formed a straight line in relation to my view, but at 30 degrees from the horizon, equidistant apart, just less than the length of my thumb as I held it up to the sky.  I first saw them at about 3 o’clock to my far right.  Their speed was constant, until they all stopped at once, after traveling just over an arm’s length (elbow to fingertip) in only 3-5 seconds.
I initially thought they were helicopters, but convinced myself they traveled too fast to be ‘copters. They must have stopped for 2-3 seconds, maintaining the straight line.   What happened next gave me goose bumps.  One by one, while still in that straight, diagonal line, they made crisp, sharp 90 degree turns, changing their alignment to a V-shape formation.  This occurred in about 5-7 seconds.  Once in a V-shape, they maintained stationary for another 3 seconds or so, then continued at their previous speed in the same North by Northeast direction.  I watched them for another few seconds until they were out of sight.
I am now a respected engineer and still look to the sky, convinced UFO’s are real, with the only question being where are they from and who are they.  Perhaps us, from the future?  We used to ask about disclosure.  It already happened, and we never really noticed!  We’ve become pre-occupied with our own lives, and concerns about such things as COVID-19.   UFO news is no longer intriguing or curious.  Most people acknowledge their presence, but also inquire about contact.  Actual contact is the next logical step.