Flying Saucer Digest - No 097 - 1987

Magazine Overview

Title: FLYING SAUCER
Issue: NO. 97
Date: SPRING 87 (1987)
Publisher: UNITED AERIAL PHENOMENA AGENCY (UAPA)
Document Type: Magazine Issue

This issue of Flying Saucer Digest, published quarterly by the United Aerial Phenomena Agency (UAPA), delves into various aspects of UFOlogy and related phenomena. The editor is Robert S. Easley, and Allan J. Manak is the Associate Editor. The UAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs).

From the Editor

The editor's notes discuss the ongoing Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), highlighting Harvard Professor Paul Horowitz's search efforts with the Megachannel Extraterrestrial Assay (META) at the Oak Ridge Observatory. Despite over forty attempts at SETI since 1959, no legitimate contact has been made. The editor speculates on the nature of potential extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) and the challenges of detection, suggesting ETI might not use radio astronomy as humans do.

Massachusetts MUFON

The Massachusetts branch of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) is offering several items for sale, including a bumper sticker, a UFO Trivia booklet by Jim Melesciuc, and a videotape titled "UFOs - A Scientific Enigma." The videotape features Dr. David Jacobs as narrator and includes interviews with notable figures in the UFO field such as John Schuessler, Budd Hopkins, and Ray Fowler. Audio tapes from the Mass. MUFON Forum in August 1986 are also available, featuring talks by Dr. Richard Haines on the disappearance of Fred Valentich, Dr. Bruce Maccabee, Philip Imbrugno on the Hudson Valley UFO Mystery, and Budd Hopkins on Minnesota abduction reports. Items can be ordered from Jim at 43 Harrison Street, Reading, Massachusetts.

About This Cover

The cover illustration depicts a sighting by the Mannor family on March 20, 1966. While sitting at supper, their dogs began howling. Frank Mannor went outside and saw what he initially thought was a shooting star. The object stopped over trees near a swamp and descended with a red glow. The rest of the family joined Frank, and they observed a football-shaped object, about eight feet above the swamp, emitting weird lights. The object appeared metallic and quilted. Suddenly, it turned bloody red, all lights went out, and it disappeared without sound or trace. The illustration is noted as being the cover of the upcoming Special 40th Anniversary Issue.

News Update

This section provides several brief news items:

• Paleontology: Paleontologist Peter Dodson announced the discovery of fossil remains of an unknown type of horned dinosaur in Montana, named "Avaceratops Lammersi." This 7-foot-long plant eater, weighing around 400 pounds, challenges the notion that all dinosaurs were large.
• Technology: Stanford University graduate students have designed a new computer chip, about one-third of an inch square, containing 34,000 transistors and capable of 80 million arithmetic operations per second. This chip will be used by NASA in their SETI program.
• Archaeology: A nearly perfect trilobite fossil, 13.5 inches long and 10 inches wide, was unearthed at Caesar Creek Dam in southwest Ohio. This fossil, Ohio's state fossil, dates back 650 to 250 million years and represents a precursor to modern crustaceans.

Analysis in Astronomy

This section reviews articles from ASTRONOMY MAGAZINE:

• Comet Wilson: Discovered by Caltech student Christine Wilson, Comet Wilson was expected to develop a bright tail and be visible in the Northern Hemisphere in late May to early June 1987.
• Mars: Research suggests Mars may have once been covered in rivers, lakes, and seas. Michael Carr of the U.S. Geological Survey believes water may exist half a mile beneath the surface of Martian rocks.
• Exoplanets: Research by Anneila Sargent and Steven Beckwith indicates that planets may be forming around the star HL Tauri, potentially offering the most definitive demonstration yet of other stars having planetary systems.

Manak's Notebook

This column explores the topic of undersea UFOs, presenting two cases:

• Argentine Steamer Naviero (July 30, 1967): Captain Julian Lucas Ardanza reported a cigar-shaped object in the sea, estimated at 105-110 feet long, emitting a powerful blue and white glow. The noiseless craft paced the steamer for 15 minutes before submerging.
• Shag Harbor, Nova Scotia (October 3, 1967): Residents described a 60-foot-long object with bright portholes gliding into the harbor and submerging. Royal Canadian Mounted Police and divers investigated, finding only yellowish foam and bubbling water.

Foremost Sighting This Issue

This section reprints Associated Press dispatches concerning controversial Alaskan sightings:

• Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 (November 17, 1986): Pilot Kenji Terauchi reported two bright lights and an object as wide as two aircraft carriers followed his Boeing 747 cargo jet for over 300 miles over Alaska. The object appeared on cockpit weather radar and possibly FAA radar, but military radar dismissed it as clutter. The lights stayed with the plane even as it changed altitude and maneuvered.
• Japan Air Lines Flight (January 15, 1987): Captain Kenjyu Terauchi reported another encounter with lights while flying from London to Anchorage. FAA spokesman Paul Steucke suggested this might be light reflecting off ice crystals, but noted the November sighting occurred in clear weather without an inversion.

Recent UFO Sightings

This section compiles various recent UFO reports:

• Peabody, Kansas (December 31, 1986): Mayor Jay Cook and Larry Watts reported a strange light hovering over a hill, which then took off into the clouds. The object had a half-moon row of bright lights with a red and green light underneath.
• Belleville, Wisconsin (January 15-16, 1987): Police officer Glen Kazmar and a companion observed bright red, white, and blue flashing lights in the sky for 35-40 minutes. The object was described as a clump of light, brighter than a star, and not an airplane.
• New Stanton, Pennsylvania (August 31, 1986): Twenty people reported seeing a 50-foot-long metallic object with multiple yellow-green lights that appeared to cause a hillside to catch fire.
• Powell County, Kentucky (Monday evening): Approximately 20 people observed three flashing objects, one of which appeared to explode. Witnesses described the objects as vertically oval with red, green, and white lights.

Far Out

This cartoon depicts two figures observing a UFO, with one exclaiming, "HEY! LOOK! A GIANT 'EGG-SHAPED' OBJECT!" and the other responding, "DARN... IF IT AIN'T!"

Other News Items

• Moon Phases and Accidents: A Chinese astronomer suggests that lunar phases may affect traffic accident frequency, with "hazardous days" accounting for a disproportionate number of accidents.
• Yeti Sightings: Villagers in Kashmir reported new sightings of the yeti, or "abominable snowman."
• Great Pyramid of Giza: Japanese archeologists discovered what may be a concealed tunnel within the Great Pyramid.

Book Sales

The magazine includes a list of books available for purchase, including titles like "Chariots of the Gods," "UFOs for the Millions," "Incident at Exeter," and "The Flying Saucers Are Real," with prices and conditions listed.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are UFO sightings from various locations, the ongoing scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), and other unexplained phenomena such as the yeti. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into these subjects, presenting reports and analyses without definitive conclusions, encouraging readers to consider the evidence and possibilities. The magazine aims to document and disseminate information on UFOs and related mysteries.