Magazine Summary
UFO NEWSFILE
Summary
This issue of BUFORA UFO Newsfile from April 1994 covers a range of UFO-related incidents and discussions. A 'Families in UFO scare' headline highlights reports from Birmingham, later revealed to be an airship. Experts are to study a UFO claim from Holland captured on video. The death of leading UFO researcher Ken Rogers is reported. The magazine also details sightings in Clacton, Scunthorpe, Michigan, and Scotland, including a video of a hovering object. Discussions touch on a proposed European flying saucer observatory and the potential for a new car accessory to mimic UFO sightings. Several personal accounts of strange lights and objects are shared by readers and investigators across the UK.
Magazine Overview
Title: UFO NEWSFILE
Issue: 19
Volume: April 1994
Publisher: BUFORA
Country: United Kingdom
Price: £1.50
This issue of BUFORA UFO Newsfile, dated April 1994, presents a collection of UFO-related news, reports, and personal accounts from across the UK and beyond. The magazine covers a range of topics, from expert analysis of sightings to public scares and the ongoing research into unexplained aerial phenomena.
Cover Story: Families in UFO Scare
The main cover headline, "Families in UFO scare," details an incident in Birmingham where dozens of families reported seeing a UFO. However, the object was later identified as an airship advertising a telecommunications company. The article notes that such reports started coming in from Halesowen and hovered over Quinton and Kingstanding. Mrs. Janice Johnson of Quinton described the object as looking "just like a flying saucer. It was round with little lights around it."
Experts to Study UFO Claim
An 18-year-old teenager from Holland has reportedly captured a UFO on video. The film has been given to the Essex UFO Research Group, and photographic experts are set to study it. Ron West, the group's chairman, stated that the teenager and his mother saw a white, triangular light in the sky. The group also recently received about ten reports of a UFO the size of two football pitches floating across Clacton seafront.
Flying Saucer Scheme Cleared for Take-off
A European plan to establish a Flying Saucer Observatory in France, estimated to cost millions of pounds, has sparked a political storm in Britain. Sir Teddy Taylor, an arch Tory Euro-rebel, urged the government to refuse payment, calling the proposal "madcap" and a "plotter of fanciful flying saucers." He expressed concern that British taxpayers' money might be involved, despite the European Parliament's Trade and Technology sub-committee giving the project the go-ahead.
UFO Spotter Dies
The issue reports the death of Ken Rogers, a leading flying saucer researcher and writer, at the age of 44. Mr. Rogers had returned to Warminster, an area known for high UFO spotting rates, and had retired early to become what he called Britain's only full-time professional UFO spotter. He spent countless hours logging unexplained sightings, particularly around Cley Hill. Mr. Rogers, a former BBC news sub-editor, had held UFO exhibitions in Warminster and died in the Royal United hospital in Bath.
News from Around the UK
Clacton Gazette: An airship flying back from the Winter Olympics in Norway caused a UFO scare in Surrey, with police receiving numerous calls from motorists as the craft cruised 1,500 feet above the M25.
Chronicle & Echo: (Related to the Clacton sighting)
Sunday Mercury: (Report on Ken Rogers' death)
Western Daily Press: (Report on Ken Rogers' death)
Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph: Kenneth Wilkins, 72, reported seeing flashing red and white lights over Scunthorpe, which he was convinced was a UFO, describing it as moving up and down and back and forward.
Daily Sport: A new car accessory featuring four neon tubes fitted to a car's underside can make it look like it's floating on air, potentially causing UFO sightings.
Evening Echo: Authorities in western Michigan are investigating dozens of sightings of low-flying, brightly lit objects that appear to coincide with unusual radar trackings by the National Weather Service.
The Visitor: Mrs. Margaret Fry of BUFORA expressed cautious agreement with the European plan for an observatory, provided it consults existing researchers and utilizes available information to avoid wasting public money.
The Guardian: The death of Elizabeth Klarer, an 83-year-old South African woman who claimed to have given birth to an alien love-child, was reported. She believed an alien named Akon had seduced her and taken her to his planet.
Daily Record: UFO expert Malcolm Robinson stated that Scotland has become a focus point for visitors from outer space, with over 700 people expected at a conference in Falkirk to discuss strange sightings.
Barnet Advertiser: Reports of revolving lights in the sky were traced to the new UCI cinema complex at Edmonton, where spotlights were being tested for its opening weekend.
Keighley News: A Cross Hills businessman, John Mitchell, reported seeing a large, disc-shaped object glowing dull orange, moving silently across the sky towards Keighley.
Lincolnshire Echo: Richard Millen, a self-appointed UFO investigator, noted that many people are frightened of being laughed at if they report genuine sightings.
The Flint Journal: A radar operator in Muskegon, Michigan, tracked a large, triangular object described as "huge returns" moving over western Michigan, with multiple objects appearing and disappearing.
Northants Evening Telegraph: Dorothy Taylor, 81, of Kettering, reported seeing a "big glittering orange-coloured lamp" in the sky, which moved in a way that indicated it was not a star.
Leader Times: Residents in Armstrong, Pennsylvania, reported seeing "radiant, aerial objects" near Shoemaker Hollow, with descriptions varying from bright lights to "glowing china saucers." Some witnesses believe it's a government project.
Eastern Evening News: Carol Kingsland-Christy launched a UFO group in Cambridge to provide a sympathetic hearing for people who have seen UFOs and feel ridiculed. The group meets monthly at the Unicorn pub.
Cambridge Evening News: A lengthy list of strange sightings from the News library files is presented, dating from February 1957 to August 1991, including reports from Cambridge, Newmarket, and Ely.
Post, Newark, Del.: Terence Pressley of Tunstead, Norfolk, reported seeing a bright white light hovering erratically in the sky near RAF Coltishall, which he suspects might have been a UFO.
Post, Newark, Del.: A meeting of the Extraterrestrial (ET) Contact Support Group in Newark led to UFO sightings by members, including a large red light and a triangular craft with colored lights.
San Francisco Examiner: A proposal by Robert Zubrin, a Martin Marietta engineer, suggests that astronomers might detect the "exhaust" of alien starships crossing the galaxy, potentially visible up to 2,000 light years away.
The Plain Dealer: The article mentions the funding of "Project Phoenix" by private donors after Congress cut NASA's search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Windsor & East Berks Observer: A "Sky Trekker" light display outside a club in Ascot caused confusion, with some mistaking it for a UFO, leading to inquiries from UFO societies.
Islander, Pensacola Beach, Florida: A UFO sighting in the Tiger Point area, described as similar to previous sightings, was reported, along with a smaller anomaly resembling a "firefly" that darted around.
Chronicle: A report from Muskegon County mentions law enforcement receiving reports of a UFO.
Irish Times: A report from Japan details unidentified flying objects seen by students and local residents, with the town council considering the implications for local economic development.
Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance
The recurring themes in this issue of UFO Newsfile are the prevalence of UFO sightings across the UK, the challenges faced by witnesses in being taken seriously, and the ongoing efforts by various groups and individuals to investigate and understand these phenomena. There is a clear stance supporting the serious investigation of UFOs, with BUFORA and other organizations actively collecting and analyzing reports. The magazine highlights the skepticism faced by witnesses while also presenting evidence and expert opinions that suggest there is more to these sightings than simple misidentification or hoaxes. The editorial stance appears to be one of open-minded inquiry, encouraging the sharing of information and supporting research into the unexplained.
It looked just like a flying saucer. It was round with little lights around it.
Key Incidents
A teenager captured video of a white, triangular light in the sky that floated and then shot away.
About ten reports of a UFO the size of two football pitches floating across the seafront.
Dozens of families reported seeing a UFO, which turned out to be an airship advertising a telecommunications company.
A 72-year-old man reported seeing flashing red and white lights moving up and down, back and forward, convinced it was a UFO.
Authorities are trying to explain dozens of sightings of low-flying, brightly lit objects coinciding with unusual radar trackings.
A family captured video of a strange ball of light hovering above their home, described as 'very exciting' by a local UFO expert.
A truck driver reported seeing a fire in the sky, described as a second run of the night, travelling along the A45.
A reader saw what looked like two halos side by side, bright yellow and orange, hovering low in the sky and moving upwards.
A motorist saw a blazing object falling from the sky, descending and moving slowly as if coming to land.
A businessman reported a close encounter with an enormous disc-shaped object that glowed dull orange and moved silently across the sky.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is BUFORA?
BUFORA is an organization that produces the UFO Newsfile publication, featuring reports and discussions on UFO sightings and related phenomena.
What was the 'Flying saucer scheme' that caused a political storm?
It was a European plan to set up a Flying Saucer Observatory in France, costing millions of pounds, which provoked criticism from some British politicians who did not want British taxpayers' money involved.
What caused the UFO scare in Birmingham?
Dozens of families reported seeing a UFO, but it turned out to be an airship advertising a telecommunications company.
Who was Ken Rogers?
Ken Rogers was a leading flying saucer researcher and writer who had recently retired to Warminster to become Britain's only full-time professional UFO spotter. He died at the age of 44.
What is the 'Bonnybridge triangle'?
The Bonnybridge triangle refers to an area in central Scotland that has been plagued by bizarre UFO sightings, with a recent baffling film of a mystery object rekindling fears.
In This Issue
People Mentioned
- Sir Teddy TaylorEuro-rebel
- Mrs Janice JohnsonResident
- Ken RogersUFO researcher and writer
- Nigel KertonJournalist
- Malcolm RobinsonUFO expert
- Colin MacfarlaneJournalist
- Kenneth WilkinsWitness
- Graeme AllenJournalist
- Sarah RobertsWitness
- Michael StavriWitness
- Guy LawrenceMarketing manager
- John MitchellBusinessman
- +8 more
Organisations
- BUFORA
- Essex UFO Research Group
- European Parliament
- Mutual UFO Network
- British UFO Research Association
- Ministry of Defence
- NASA
- Martin Marietta
- British Flying Saucer Bureau
- East Midlands UFO Research Association
- Royal Air Force (RAF)
- Royal Greenwich Observatory
Locations
- Holland
- Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Halesowen, United Kingdom
- Quinton, United Kingdom
- Kingstanding, United Kingdom
- Warminster, United Kingdom
- Cley Hill, United Kingdom
- Bath, United Kingdom
- Clacton, United Kingdom
- Surrey, United Kingdom
- M25, United Kingdom
- Scunthorpe, United Kingdom
- Michigan, United States
- Llangernyw, United Kingdom
- +6 more