1975 10 00 SAGA - John Keel - Ancient Astronauts Modern Mysteries

Magazine Overview

This document is a two-page spread from a magazine titled "Ancient Astronauts Modern Mysteries," featuring an article by John A. Keel titled "Pilots and UFOs." The content focuses on the phenomenon of UFO sightings reported by pilots and explores the challenges in verifying these reports, often attributing them to misidentification of natural phenomena or man-made objects.

Pilots and UFOs

The article begins by discussing the Volunteer Flight Officer Network (VFON), an organization founded by Herbert E. Roth and sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution Astrophysical Observatory. VFON aimed to collect UFO reports from commercial pilots, gathering over 56,000 reports from 120 airlines and 57 countries. The author notes that in the past, pilots who reported unusual sightings often faced ridicule or professional repercussions, with airlines ordering them to remain silent to protect their image.

Despite the censorship, the phenomenon persisted. VFON attempted to systematically collect and analyze pilot reports. Roth compiled astronomical data, space shot listings, and meteorological records to identify potential explanations for sightings. He discovered that many UFO sightings could be explained as debris from rocket reentries, meteors, or natural phenomena. The article suggests that the U.S. Air Force also employed astronomers, like Dr. J. Allen Hynek, to provide astronomical explanations for sightings reported to Project Blue Book, even for unusual phenomena like dirigible-like objects.

VFON, however, was not part of the official explanation system. Its goal was to study genuine UFO reports. Dr. Hynek joined VFON in 1966, establishing an "invisible college" of scientists. Reports that Roth could not identify were passed to this group. However, the article states that "unidentifieds were few and far between."

For the period of July 1, 1974, to June 1975, VFON received 382 pilot reports, but none were identified as genuine UFOs.

A Sky Full of Junk

The article then shifts to the issue of space debris. It highlights that in less than 20 years, space has become a "junk yard" with 3,313 satellites, spent rockets, and assorted hardware by May 11, 1975. This debris, including items like a lost glove, reflects sunlight and can be seen from great distances. The absence of an atmosphere can distort perceptions of distance, making an object 50 miles away appear much closer. Airliners cruising at 35,000 feet can see reflective objects up to 100 miles away.

The author criticizes UFO enthusiasts for readily accepting reports from police officers and pilots as super-reliable, without considering potential miscalculations of altitude, distance, or size. A common error cited is mistaking a bright star for an airport beacon. However, the article acknowledges that some pilot reports have been verified by radar, and both U.S. and Soviet astronauts have witnessed unexplained phenomena in space, such as the mysterious "cylinder" sighted by astronaut James McDivitt in July 1965, which was also reported by the crews of Voskhod 1 and 2.

It is noted that most Soviet and U.S. space satellites have military purposes and are designed not to reflect light, unlike some earlier satellites that were visible from the ground. Today, only the Skylab hulk is visible, appearing to flicker due to its tumbling motion.

The article states that there are approximately 1 million licensed pilots in the U.S. and 150,000 private airplanes, with millions of miles flown annually. The 382 reports to VFON represented 4,266,507 miles of air route coverage, meaning an average of 11,000 miles were flown for each report, and none were genuine UFOs.

How to See a Flying Saucer

Modern astronomers are described as rarely looking at the night sky directly, relying instead on instruments. Similarly, pilots are often preoccupied with instruments and navigation, paying less attention to the world outside their windows. Light planes are noted for having poor visibility, sometimes requiring pilots to sit in the rear, limiting forward view. This could allow an unidentified flying object to go unnoticed.

Despite the low number of reports, some spectacular pilot sightings are mentioned, including a helicopter incident in Ohio in October 1973 where it nearly collided with a huge unidentified object. The author suggests that if the skies are filled with flying saucers, the reason so few pilots encounter them might be that most sightings are made by people in automobiles, particularly when parked. The article humorously suggests parking in a remote lover's lane might increase the chances of seeing a UFO.

For those actively seeking UFOs, the article recommends flying between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, as most pilot sightings occur at this altitude. Sightings above or below this range are infrequent. This may explain why VFON pilots, who typically fly at higher altitudes, saw fewer actual UFOs.

UFOs from Earth?

The article posits that high-altitude sightings are rare, while low-altitude sightings are common. It questions whether UFOs originate from outer space, suggesting that if they were launched from "mother ships" in the upper atmosphere, astronauts would have encountered them, and radar stations would have more evidence. The data suggests UFOs are primarily a low-altitude phenomenon, traveling near the Earth's surface rather than from distant stellar systems.

A significant account is presented from a major in the Royal Australian Air Force who reported an unusual sighting off the coast of Tasmania in 1942. He described a "singular airfoil of glistening bronze color," approximately 150 feet long and 50 feet in diameter, with a beak-like prow and a rippled surface. It had a dome from which flashes were seen. The object turned towards the plane, revealing an image of a "grinning Cheshire cat" in a white circle on its dome. The airfoil then flew parallel to the aircraft before abruptly turning away, revealing fins on its underside. It then "dived straight down into the Pacific," creating a "regular whirlpool of waves," as if it had been a submarine.

The author concludes that Herbert Roth's VFON files contained nothing to top this Australian report. Instead, Roth's work seemed to prove that most reports were man-made or natural. However, the article ends by posing the question of who or what pursued the helicopter over Ohio or dived into the ocean off Tasmania, implying that not all sightings are explained.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this article are the prevalence of UFO sightings by pilots, the difficulty in distinguishing genuine UFOs from misidentified conventional objects or space debris, and the historical tendency for official bodies to dismiss or explain away such sightings. The editorial stance appears to be skeptical of extraterrestrial origins for most reported UFOs, leaning towards explanations involving atmospheric phenomena, space junk, and psychological factors, while acknowledging that a small percentage of cases remain unexplained.