The UFO Enigma - 2001 01 - Volume 21 no 5

Magazine Overview

Title: The UFO Enigma
Issue: Volume 21, Number 5
Date: January 2001
Publisher: UFO Study Group of Greater St. Louis

This issue of The UFO Enigma delves into various aspects of UFOlogy, featuring a local study group meeting, eyewitness accounts from different regions, and a significant historical claim regarding a lunar discovery.

What's Right or Wrong with UFO Studies & Groups?

The lead article announces an upcoming meeting of the UFO Study Group of Greater St. Louis on January 14, 2001. The meeting will feature a panel discussion moderated by Robert Soetebier, with panelists Ray Nelke, Ellen Sheire, and Frank M. Brown. They will share their opinions on the methods and practices within UFO studies and organizations. The forum is open to audience participation, aiming to foster discussion on government, industry, and media influences on UFOLOGY. Ray Nelke, a long-time member and contributor to the group's archives, has studied the paranormal, crop circles, and creature phenomena. Ellen Sheire, a clinical psychologist, will discuss UFOs in relation to Carl Jung's work and compare Don Berliner's contemporary concerns with Jung's prophetic quotations. Frank M. Brown, a member since 1973, shared his own UFO sighting from around 1940 and has a history of reporting on UFO phenomena for tabloids.

Missouri Relatively Quiet

Authored by J. D. Scarpellini, this section reports on a relative lull in UFO sightings in Missouri during the late summer and fall. However, a few scattered reports emerged from the Mark Twain National Forest, west of Potosi. These included a spherical white light seen near a hiking trail at Sunnen Lake by multiple witnesses. Another report from a campground involved a white light seen at dusk that appeared to follow campers down a trail, frightening them so badly they left immediately. The report notes that the campers were too frightened to discuss the experience. A historical account from the Boy Scout camp superintendent mentions a similar light appearing over a spring for many years. The local sheriff's office reported no calls related to aerial phenomena. Staff at the National Forest Ranger Station on Highway 8 did receive calls about a light perceived near the Forestry Tower North of Viburnum, which employees also observed, though no explanation was found.

The Easy Way to Brooksville

Written by Donald M. Ware, this article details two separate cases involving Mary T. from Brooksville, Florida. The first case involves a video taken on December 25, 1994, showing a bright object moving near Mary's houseboat on the St. John's River. The video captured a star-like object that moved, left the camera's field, returned, and appeared larger as it descended near the boat. The object was described as having three lights on the edge of a circular object. Mary was advised to log all data and consider hypnotherapy. The second case, from March 17, 1999, describes Mary experiencing missing time, a shaking bed, and the appearance of five-foot-tall beings with dark eyes in her room. She reported feeling pain and that the beings backed out through the wall. Later, she felt she had received a 'cleansing' and no longer feared alien encounters or missing time. The article also mentions a researcher, Bob Oechsler, who reported seeing a UFO increase in size and then 'explode into many sparks' over a restaurant in Pensacola Beach. It also references an article by Billy J. Rachels about the 1965 Brooksville case involving John Reeves.

UFO Roundup: Triangular UFO Sighted in Columbia, Missouri

This report, dated December 21, 2000, details a sighting by Mrs. M and her daughter on October 29, 2000, in Columbia, Missouri. They observed a triangular-shaped UFO with a white light at each corner, traveling in a straight line at approximately 70 mph and 1,500 feet altitude, making no noise. They also recalled a TV program about a similar triangle UFO sighting over western Illinois. The report notes Columbia's location relative to Jefferson City.

California Contrail Message

Rob Maine reports on a peculiar event in Los Angeles on December 8, 2000, where contrails formed the words "WHO ARE WE?" in block letters across the sky. The author observed what appeared to be an unmarked Boeing 770 aircraft and later a KC-10 involved in similar skywriting. This event, visible for 45 minutes, was not reported by any news media. The author questions if this was a psychological test and suggests the aircraft originated from Antelope Valley or Edwards/Vandenberg Air Force Bases. The planes were described as gray, multi-engine jets flying at high altitudes.

New Oz Files UFO Sightings

This section, compiled by Diane Harrison, Director of AUFORN, presents several reports from Australia and follows up on previous sightings. One report details a sighting on November 8, 2000, near Lowood, Queensland, of a "Rectangular and box shaped" object described as "The Biggest Hovercraft in the UK a Car Carrier." The object was dark metallic, had gold-orange and blue lights, and emitted a spotlight beam. Witnesses described it as unlike anything seen before, even near Amberley Airforce Base. Another follow-up report from November 15, 2000, in Warrimoo/Blacksland, NSW, describes a bright white speck seen flying extremely fast across the sky, noted by Steve who recalled a similar sighting eight years prior.

Alien Moon Base Discovered 30 Years Ago

This lengthy article by Eric Howarth recounts a story from an Air Force veteran with an above-Top-Secret security clearance. The veteran claims that in the late 1960s, while working with the Lunar Orbiter program at Headquarters SAC, Langley Field, Virginia, he was tasked with repairing a technical problem with an Electronic Photographic Contact Printer. During this work, he was shown a mosaic print of the Moon's surface that clearly displayed geometric structures, spheres, and towers, indicating an artificial base on the far side of the Moon. He was given a photograph of this discovery. The veteran states that despite his efforts to fix the equipment and enable the release of the photos, the information about the Moon base has never been publicly disclosed. He is coming forward now due to a recent request by Astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell for information regarding extraterrestrial cover-ups.

The article also briefly mentions the significant UFO events of 2000 in Calama, Chile, including reported alien eggs and public abductions, and welcomes the 21st Century.

An Illustrated Sighting

Written by James Neff, this account describes a personal UFO experience from August 1969 in central Arkansas. The narrator, as a child, witnessed a "ring of fabulously colored lights rotating counter-clockwise and twinkling wildly" above the trees. The object was black and circular, with swirling, colorful lights. The cicadas in the trees fell silent during the sighting. The object appeared to descend, and the narrator felt it was aware of their presence. This experience profoundly impacted the narrator, leading to a lifelong fascination with UFOs and a desire for more information.

1951: Off the Radar Screen

This report details an incident involving a Curtis C-46E airliner (N59487) on December 20, 1951. While en route from Chicago to Newark, the aircraft experienced a complete loss of avionics and radio communication after passing Toledo, Ohio. The plane's radar blip vanished from ground controllers' screens. The pilots were unable to contact Cleveland Center or receive any navigational signals. The airliner was apparently carried northeastward over Lake Erie, with the pilots having no explanation for the phenomenon. The report highlights the mystery of the event and the lack of any communication from the outside world.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue consistently explores the nature of UFO investigation, the credibility of witnesses, and the potential for government secrecy or cover-ups. There's a recurring theme of personal experiences shaping beliefs and a thirst for truth. The publication, as indicated by its title and content, appears to be a platform for sharing UFO sightings, research, and theories, often presenting anecdotal evidence and personal accounts with a degree of seriousness and open-mindedness, while also acknowledging the skepticism and debunking that often surrounds the topic. The editorial stance seems to favor the open investigation and reporting of phenomena, encouraging readers to share their own experiences and insights.

Title: The UFO Enigma
Issue Date: January 2001
Volume/Page: Page 11
Publisher: Fawcett Publications Inc.
Country of Publication: USA
Original Language: English

This issue of The UFO Enigma features a dramatic account of an emergency landing and a year-end review of UFO-related phenomena.

The C-46 Emergency Landing

The lead story details a perilous flight of a C-46 airliner piloted by Captain Smelser and co-pilot Ed O'Leary. While flying over Lake Ontario, they faced critical fuel exhaustion and engine failure. Smelser calculated that they had only about forty-five minutes of fuel left, and any descent through the clouds carried the risk of flying blind into a mountain or burning up fuel too quickly. They decided to stay at altitude as long as possible before attempting a landing.

As they descended, the aircraft encountered turbulence. Upon breaking out of the clouds, they found themselves over an expanse of open water, initially uncertain if they were over the Atlantic or one of the Great Lakes. Their radios, which had been silent, suddenly began operating normally, with Rochester, New York, reporting the airliner on radar and guiding them towards a landing on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario.

During the approach, the left engine (Number One) sputtered and quit, forcing Smelser to feather the propeller. With only the right engine remaining, which also began to sputter, the C-46 became a "very heavy glider." Smelser made the difficult decision to trade altitude for airspeed to attempt a landing on a narrow beach. The aircraft skimmed over trees, scraping its aluminum underbelly, before landing on a snow-covered field. Captain Smelser intentionally kept the landing gear retracted to prevent the plane from sinking into the snow. The C-46 skidded for nearly a mile, coming to a halt just short of a barbed-wire fence. Despite significant damage to the aircraft's belly and engine nacelles, the pilots and passengers were unharmed.

The official cause of the accident was attributed to fuel exhaustion. The report notes that the unexplained behavior of the radios at the time could not be explained by experts and remains unexplained.

UFO Roundup: A Year in Review

The issue concludes with a brief summary of UFO-related events from the past year (Y2K). This included reports of "ice bombs" falling in Europe, "weird ice circles" appearing in Canada, numerous UFO sightings, dramatic abductions, multiple apparitions of the Virgin Mary, sightings of the "Chupacabra" and "El Lobizon" (a monster in Argentina), and other unusual animal sightings. Notably, "Hillary" is mentioned as having made it into the USA Senate.

Local Meetings and Organizations

Two pages are dedicated to local UFO study groups and organizations:

• UFO Study Group of Greater St. Louis: Meets the second Sunday of the month at Grone's Cafeteria, 1269 S. Laclede Station Rd., Yorkshire Shopping Plaza, St. Louis, MO. Contact Walter Palmer or Spence Wolling.
• MUFON Missouri-St. Charles, MO.: Meets the third Tuesday of each month at the Holiday Inn Select, 4221 South Outer Road., St. Peters, MO. Contact Bruce Widaman.
• MUFON of Southern Illinois: Meets the third Sunday of each month at the Ponderosa Steak House in Collinsville, IL. Contact Forest Crawford.

The issue also lists the officers and board of directors for the UFO Study Group of Greater St. Louis for the 2000-2001 term, including President Clarence Barnes, Vice President Walter Palmer, and Editor of the Enigma Spencer Wolling. The Fund for UFO Research, Inc., based in Mt. Rainier, MD, is also mentioned as a nonprofit organization dedicated to research and investigation of unidentified flying objects.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine appears to focus on detailed accounts of specific UFO incidents and related phenomena, such as the C-46 emergency landing, which highlights potential unexplained technological aspects (radio behavior) alongside conventional explanations (fuel exhaustion). The year-end review suggests a broad interest in a wide range of paranormal and unexplained events, from extraterrestrial encounters to cryptids and unusual atmospheric phenomena. The presence of multiple local UFO study groups and a dedicated research fund indicates an active community involved in investigating these topics. The editorial stance seems to be one of documenting and reporting on these events, often drawing from published books and expert analysis, while also acknowledging the unexplained aspects.