The following is from 'The Unexplained'. Published by Orbis

Publishing, Great Britain.

From 'The Unexplained' No. 5. Orbis Publishing, London.

MAKING A UFO REPORT

IF YOU SEE AN UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO,

AND WHOM SHOULD YOU TELL ABOUT YOUR SIGHTING?

In July 1978 a middle-aged couple in Manchester saw a

brilliant red cog-wheel float across the sky. They thought they

had seen a UFO, Not knowing anything about the subject, they

wrote to Patrick Moore, the astronomer, whose programmes they

had watched on television. Perhaps they did not express

themselves fully and Patrick Moore did not question them in

depth. In any event, he advised them that what they had seen

was probably a meteor, albeit a spectacular one. The couple

thought no more of the matter until, six months later, they

happened to watch a programme in which a well-known UFO

investigator appeared.

They contacted her and related their story. Whatever it was

they had seen, it was now clear that it was not a meteor. The

object had been too large, and had been seen in daylight for

several minutes. (Meteorites [sic] usually remain visible for

only a few seconds.) What they had experienced, according to

the UFO investigator, was an impressive close encounter of the

first kind: and it was only by chance that their valuable

eyewitness report was not lost forever.

FOBBED OFF

Two years earlier, just a few miles from this sighting,

Detective Sergeant Norman Collinson of the Manchester police

force was returning from duty in the early hours of the morning

when he saw a strange white disc in the sky. Naturally, he

reported his sighting to what he believed to be the 'proper

authorities' and waited for a reply, if not an explanation. he

was told by his superiors, to whom he had reported the

incident, that his account would be passed on to the Ministry

of Defence. But, despite several attempts to get an answer,

Collinson heard no more. Frustrated by this, he contacted his

local university, but received only non-committal replies to

his questioning. When he asked for the address of the local UFO

group, for example, he was told, 'Oh... you don't want to bother

with them'.

But with persistence, Collinson did contact such a group.

As it turned out, not only was his case a valuable addition to

the evidence for the UFOs, but Collinson became a keen UFO

investigator himself.

Both these cases illustrate the importance of what can

happen after someone has sighted a true UFO. But, as both these

cases also show, it is not always easy to find out who is the

right person to contact. So if you have seen something strange

in the sky, what should you do?

OTHER WITNESSES

If you believe that what you have seen might be a true UFO,

first of all it is important to try to find corroborative

witnesses. It is not, however, advisable to knock on people's

front doors - some may not take too kindly to your intrusion.

This does not mean that you should not try to call the

attention of those close by. Their presence may add weight to

your sighting, or they may be able to provide some other

explanation of the phenomenon you have seen. It could, after

all, simply be an identified flying object (or IFO).

Another important step is to make notes about the

environment and the area in which the sighting is made. Factors

such as the barking of dogs or the sudden silence of birds may

be significant. Of course, if you have a camera within reach,

use it! It is surprising how many people who are perfectly

equipped to take photographs are so overwhelmed by what they

have seen that they fail to do so. If it is dark, and there is

a controlled shutter speed on your camera, set it for a

reasonably long exposure - probably about one second. This

offers a much better chance of recording what mey be a

relatively dim phenomenon, even if it appears to the eye to be

reasonably brught.

If you are in a car, switch on the ignition and, if you

have one, the radio. There are enough stories to support the

belief that some UFO phenomena can cause interference with

electrical systems; and such evidence can be extremely

important to your eventual report.

FLOATERS

As you watch the 'thing' in the sky, try a couple of quick

experiments. Move your head from side to side and watch what

happens to the UFO. This will help to eliminate one claim

commonly made by disbelievers - that pieces of dead matter in

the eye's optical system, known as floaters, are often taken to

be UFOs. If a floater is the cause, the 'UFO' will move as your

eyes move.

Secondly, try willing the UFO in a particular direction!

This may sound ridiculous, but there is a school of thought

that says UFOs are related to psychic phenomena. If this is so,

then it should be possible for a witness to exert some degree

of control over them. Interesting evidence may conceivably

emerge from this exercise.

EYE FOR DETAIL

UFO encounters rarely last for long, and there is unlikely

to be the opportunity to telephone anyone while the object is

still in view. Time is better spent taking in as much detail as

possible. This is a skill that improves with practice. Look at

the picture of the 'UFO' on page 85 for about a minute. Then,

tomorrow, try drawing it from memory in as much detail as

possible, without cheating by looking at the original. Try the

same experiment with various other UFO illustrations, varying

the length of time from as little as an hour to as long as a

week between examining the picture and redrawing it. The

importance of being able to recall in detail what you have seen

is paramount, and requires practice.

After the UFO has disappeared, do not discuss details of

what you have seen with anyone else who might be around. Simply

exchange telephone numbers and addresses, just as you would if

you were involved in a road accident. Agree with other

witnesses on who is to report the sighting and to whom.

Finally, advise all the witnesses that, at the first possible

opportunity, they should draw the object you have all seen, and

write out a statement describing the sighting. Each witness

should do this independently, and not talk about it to anyone

else until they have done so. It is surprising how easy it is

to be unwittingly influenced by what others say.

There are several possibilities, and you should think

carefully before acting. The most obvious choice is the police.

They will probably regard it as their duty to check your story;

but in most countries, with the exception of France and the

USA, where certain official procedures exist, there will be

little they can actually do.

CORROBORATION

In some cases, the police may refer the matter to the

Defence Ministry. But, as often as not, the sighting will get

no further than your local police station. Unfortunately, this

is inevitable. The police have many tasks to perform and

experience has taught them that most UFO reports are not really

very important. Consequently, they tend to be given a low

priority. But the police should certainly be contacted if you

think that the object you have seen has landed. Their presence

at the scene of the landing would provide very valuable

corroboration. Otherwise, it is probably advisable not iven a low

priority. But the police should certainly be contacted if you

think that the object you have seen has landed. Their presence

at the scene of the landing would provide very valuable

corroboration. Otherwise, it is probably advisable not to waste

their time.

Another agency you may think of notifying is the local

airfield, either civil or military. As with the police, there

is generally little they can do, or are prepared to do, unless

it seems to them that your report justifies calling a defence

establishment. Airport staff may be able to tell you if any

aircraft were in the area at the time of your sighting, but it

is not advisable to ask them if they have read anything

unusual on their radar. A denial might mean that they genuinely

had not, or it could be that they had, but for some reason

were not willing to tell you. The matter, for example, might

already have been passed on to the Defence Ministry, who would

want to make their own investigations.

As far as newspapers, radio and television are concerned,

try to resist the temptation to approach them. The media will

probably be interested only if they think they can use your

story, and that may depend on whether it is quiet or busy in the

news-room, rather than on the credibility or intrinsic interest

of you sighting.

SCIENTIFIC APPRAISAL

The most sensible step to take if you have seen what you

believe to be a UFO is to contact a UFO investigator as soon as

possible. They are trained to help you and to record accurately

the necessary information for scientific appraisal.

There are many kinds of UFO investigator and UFO

investigation group. Some are motivated by an almost religious

belief in UFOs and will be biased. Others may border on the

eccentric, attracting cranks and frauds. Most, however, are

serious-minded and will be concerned with establishing the

authenticity of your sighting. A list of reputable UFO

organisations and their addresses is given at the end of this

article. If your country is not included in the list, it does

not necessarily mean that there is no serious UFO society

there. Write to the British address. All the groups listed are

associated with the international UFO magazine 'Flying Saucer

Review', which is distributed in over 60 countries. Your letter

will be forwarded to a local agency.

Each report is treated confidentially and almost all UFO

groups use a standard report form. You will probably be asked

to fill in one of these forms. You might also be asked if it is

possible for a UFO investigator to come and see you at a time

and place of your choosing.

Naturally, if you happen to come face to face with what you

may think is a UFO, it is not always easy to remember exactly

what to do. The oddness of the occasion may well lead you to

panic. Yet it is always worth trying to remain calm and

remembering the procedures outlined in this article. The more

well-authenticated, well-documentated cases there are, the

more will eventually be discovered about these elusive

intruders.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

FLYING SAUCERS ON FILM

ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE UFO SIGHTINGS OF ALL TIME TOOK

PLACE WHEN A NEW ZEALAND TELEVISION CREW MADE TWO FLIGHTS IN

ORDER TO SEARCH FOR UFOs, AND ACTUALLY SUCCEEDED IN MAKING A

FILM OF THEM.

Late in the evening of 30 December 1978, an Argosy freight

plane set off from Wellington, New Zealand. It's skipper was

Captain Bill Startup, who had 23 years' flying experience

behind him, and the co-pilot was Bob Guard. On board were an

Australian TV crew from Channel 0-10 Network; reporter, Quentin

Fogarty; and camerman, David Crockett and his wife, sound

recordist Ngaire Crockett. Their purpose was to film UFOs, for

there had been reports of 'unknowns' during the preceding weeks

in the region of Cook Strait, which separates New Zealand's

North and South Islands. They were spectacularly successful in

the quest, so successful in fact that, after the story had

appeared in hundreds of newspapers and clips from the films had

been shown repeatedly on television around the world - the BBC,

for instance, gave it pride of place on the main evening news -

critics and droves of debunkers lined up to try to explain what

the television crew had seen, in terms ranging from the

sublimely astronomical to the ridiculously absurd.

The Argosy had crossed Cook Strait and was flying over the

Pacific Ocean off the north-east coast of South Island when the

excitement began. The television crew was down by the loading

bay, filming 'intros' with Quentin Fogarty, when Captain

Startup called over the intercom for them to hurry to the

flight deck: the pilots had seen some strange objects in the

sky. According to Crockett, they had already checked with

Wellington air traffic control for radar confirmation of their

visual sighting.

Fogarty stated that, when he reached the flight deck, he saw

a row of five bright lights. Large and brilliant, although a

long way off, they were seen to pulsate, growing fom pinpoint

size to that of a large balloon full of glowing light. The

sequence was then repeated, the objects appearing above the

street lights of the town of Kaikoura, but between the aircraft

and the ground.

UNKNOWN TARGET

Crockett, who was wearing headphones, received a call from

Wellington control, warning the pilots that an unknown target

was following the Argosy. Captain Startup put his plane into a

turn to look for the unidentified object but the passengers

and crew saw nothing. Control, however, was insistent: 'Sierra

Alpha Eagle... you have a target in formation with you...

target has increased in size.' This time, lights were seen

outside the plane; but because of interference from the

navigation lights of the plane, Crockett was unable to film. So

First Officer Bob Guard switched off the navigation lights, and

everyone saw a big, bright light. The plane was now back on

automatic pilot, so Guard gave up his seat for Crockett, who

obtained a clear shot of the object with his hand-held camera.

Crockett has since explained that this changing of seats with

the camera running was responsible for the violent shake seen

at that point in the movie film they made.

After this, Startup decided to put the plane into another

360-degree turn to see if they could spot the objects again,

but they had now lost sight of the UFOs, although Wellington

control said their echo was still on the radarscope. Although

there was no room for a camera tripod to be mounted on the

flight deck, the unidentified object stayed steady enough for

Crockett to be able to keep it dead centre in his camera

viewfinder for more than 30 seconds.

As the plane approached Christchurch, the fuel guage went

into a spin, but the captain said that this occasionally

happened and was not necessarily due to interference by the

UFO. At this point, they were out of touch with Wellington

control. Christchurch control, however, had the object on its

radarscope, but later, when Captain Startup and American

investigating scientist Dr. Bruce Maccabee asked to see the

radar tapes, the Christchurch supervisor replied that they had

been 'wiped' clean as part of routine procedure.

The Argosy landed at Christchurch and journalist Dennis

Grant joined the team in place of Dave Crockett's wife, Ngaire.

They left on the return flight at about 2.15 a.m. on 31

December 1978.

PULSATING LIGHTS

Early in this flight, the observers saw two more strange

objects. Through the camera lens, Crockett saw what he

described as a sphere with lateral lines around it. This object

focused itself as Crocket watched through hi PULSATING LIGHTS

Early in this flight, the observers saw two more strange

objects. Through the camera lens, Crockett saw what he

described as a sphere with lateral lines around it. This object

focused itself as Crocket watched through his camera, without

adjusting the lens. He said the sphere was spinning.

Significantly, one of the objects swayed on the Argosy's

weather radar continuously for some four minutes. Later, they

all saw two pulsationg lights, one of which suddenly fell in a

blurred streak for about 1,000 feet (300 metres) before pulling

up short in a series of jerky movements.

Were the objects true 'flying saucers'? Many alternative

explanations have been put forward. The film perhaps depicted a

'top secret American military remote-control drone vehicle',

plasma or ball lightning, a hoax, meteorites, 'helicopters

operating illegally at night', mutton birds, lights on Japanese

squid boats, or 'reflections from moonlight via cabbage leaves'

(at Kaikoura); while Patrick Moore hedged his bets with a guess

of 'a reflection, a balloon or even an unscheduled aircraft'.

PLANETARY SIGHTINGS

One newspaper claimed the film showed the planet Venus,

out-of-focus because it was filmed with a hand-held camera.

Another offered Jupiter as a candidate, stating that an amateur

astronomer had enhanced the light values of the film by putting

it through a line-scan analyser, thereby identifying four small

points of light, possibly Jupiter's four largest moons.

But because the television crew were so vague about the

possibility of the lights relative to the aircraft as they were

filming them, it was impossible to make a positive

identification. One of the most exciting aspects of the

incident however, is that it appears to offer independent

instrumental evidence of the sighting both on film and radar.

But even here there are problems. Although both ground radar

and the Argosy's own radar picked up unidentified traces, the

number of UFOs the television crew claimed to have seen - about

eight - conflicts with the 11 reported by ground radar. And the

crew actually filmed only one object. The radar controller at

Wellington, Ken Bingham, was dismissive about the whole

affair.

"I managed to plot three of the echoes for 20 minutes or so

before they faded completely. They definitely moved, varying

between 50 and 100 knots (92.5 km/h and 185 km/h). I certainly

couldn't identify them as anything. It's pretty inconclusive.

They were purely the sort of radar echoes that constantly pop

up. It is not unusual to get strange echoes appearing on what

we call primary radar. They usually amount to nothing at all."

Nevertheless, the Royal New Zealand Air Force was concerned

enough about the incident to put a Skyhawk jet fighter on full

alert to intercept any other UFOs that might appear in the

area. By the end of January, however, the fuss had died down

and the New Zealand Defence Ministry then stated that the

unidentified objects were 'atmospheric phenomena'.

So what is the truth of the New Zealand affair? The film

appears to be genuine; and computer enhancement has not proved

it to be a fake. However, it seems almost too good to be true

that a television crew that had set aout with the deliberate

intention of filming 'flying saucers' should come up with such

spectacular results. yet it has to be assumed that the objects

were real enough to those who beheld them, and were not mere

hallucinations. The case remains on file, accompanied by a

fascinating question mark. vid Crockett and his wife, sound

recordist Ngaire Crockett. Their purpose was to film UFOs, for

there had been