UFO Potpourri No 425

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO POTPOURRI
Issue: No. 425
Date: May 1999
Publisher: John F. Schuessler
Contact: 9862 West Unser Ave., Littleton, CO 80128-6986; e-mail: [email protected]; Web Page: http://home.mho.net/schuessler/

This issue of UFO Potpourri presents a collection of articles and news items related to unidentified flying objects (UFOs), new aerospace technologies, and related phenomena.

DIAMOND-SHAPED CRAFT – U.S. MADE?

This section, sourced from Aerospace Daily (January 23, 1995), details McDonnell Douglas's experimental 'Diamond' aircraft. For about a year, engineers tested this unmanned vehicle, which had a 10-foot by 10-foot hollowed-out diamond planform, weighed approximately 33 pounds, and could fly at 80-90 knots. The vehicle, painted black and white, was built from off-the-shelf materials with no defined customer or application, representing an 'engineer's dream' costing about $5,000 in capital costs plus labor. The primary goal was not to build a perfect platform but to demonstrate a new concept and learn about 'difficult-to-understand' aerodynamic principles.

Diamond 1, the first prototype, flew in early 1994 at Creve Couer Airport near St. Louis. Its unique hollow diamond planform featured four wings (two swept aft, two swept forward) and a central spar with twin tail fins and a dorsal engine. Engineers used intuition for control configurations, placing elevators on the rear wings and ailerons on the front. However, the first flight test revealed insufficient pitch authority, making it 'like an arrow' and stable but ultimately leading to a crash into a tree.

Diamond 2 was built in about 45 days with several modifications, including eight surfaces for pitch and roll on its four primary wings, a movable center of gravity, and movable landing gear for takeoff and landing. The article explicitly states that neither Diamond 2 nor Diamond 3 (which had a more sophisticated control system) could explain any UFO sightings. McDonnell Douglas also designed and flew a tailless test aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base to prove the viability of that concept. The article concludes that these devices do not explain the large triangular UFOs seen globally and that their flight locations make it doubtful they could be used to explain any UFO sightings.

OLD RADAR-VISUAL CASE NEVER EXPLAINED

This report, from the Lahontan Valley News (December 5, 1979), details a UFO sighting near Fallon, Nevada. Residents were discussing a mysterious unidentified flying object (UFO) seen east of the city the previous Friday night. The Churchill County Sheriff's Office received a call at 9:59 p.m. regarding the object.

NAS Fallon radar tower personnel reported an 'oblong shaped' object hovering over Sand Mountain at 5,000 to 6,000 feet, which was visible on radar and in visual contact. Sheriff's Lt. Jerry Chisholm and Reserve Officer Mike Richards drove to Sand Mountain but could not see the object, reporting only a star as a bright object. NAS reported the object moved off and then back onto radar, confirming it was not a star, a helicopter, or another NAS aircraft. The object was reportedly moving west toward Fallon. After about 40 minutes, the investigators returned to Fallon, and the object left the radar screen at NAS Fallon.

NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO RESEMBLE UFOS

Sourced from IEEE Spectrum (January 1999), this section discusses emerging unmanned air vehicle (UAV) technologies that could potentially be mistaken for UFOs. Contractors are submitting studies for high-powered UAVs, including unmanned attack aircraft capable of high G-forces, and concepts like reconfigured F-16s, redesigned Joint Strike Fighters, flying saucers, and bat-wing designs. The level of autonomy for these craft is still under consideration.

At the smaller end of the scale, the Air Force is considering 'concept notices' for fly-sized vehicles for eavesdropping or operating in clouds. More comprehensible small aircraft are also emerging. The Navy is developing a hovering, pizza-sized platform for urban assaults, named the Cypher by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., which can carry a 23 kg payload and fly ahead of troops. It is described as an upside-down helicopter with shrouded rotors for safety.

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is funding research into micro air vehicles (MAVs), which are palm-sized UAVs. These use lightweight batteries and piezoelectric actuators for wing flapping. Advances in CCD video-camera miniaturization are driving this field. Examples include a flying disk from AeroVironment Inc. (Monrovia, CA) with a rear propeller, lithium batteries, a 15 cm wingspan, and a weight of 42 grams, capable of flying a 3-km radius at 50-65 km/h. The current model requires a skilled operator but will be upgraded with a color video camera.

Sanders (Nashua, NH) is developing the MicroStar, a fixed-wing, delta-shaped MAV that is recognizable as an airplane. It has a wingspan of 15 cm, weighs 85 grams, and features a front propeller. Its key difference is its computational skill and autonomy, allowing it to fly independently with a 5-km range to a target on a digital map within 10-20 minutes.

The article notes that while these devices are mostly in design and testing, they may account for UFO sightings in the coming years, especially during urban warfare exercises. It explicitly states that none of these devices may be blamed for past UFO sightings.

SATELLITE SPOTTING SOFTWARE

This brief item from NASA Data Systems Branch at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center introduces 'J-Pass,' a new software tool for UFO investigators. J-Pass helps investigators identify high-flying lights, often mistaken for UFOs, by providing information on when and where to spot satellites passing overhead. It can also send messages for upcoming satellite passes. The article provides a web link for the software.

Several other useful web sites are listed, covering topics like city profiles, spaceflight, scientific publications, electronics resources, Darpa programs (Global Hawk, DarkStar, MAVs), Navy hovering platforms, unmanned vehicle systems, and the International Space Station.

BRITONS BELIEVE IN EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE

This news brief from BBC News (January 13, 1999) reports on a survey conducted for the popular science magazine Focus. The survey found that just over half of Britons (50.2%) believe alien life exists. Furthermore, 80% of respondents believe the government would not disclose information about alien life if it knew. The results showed variations based on sex, age, region, and social class, with women being slightly more skeptical and pensioners being the most likely to insist there is no intelligent life.

WEATHER ANALYSIS & MODIFICATION

This section discusses the intersection of UFO research with discussions about contrails and government weather modification. It suggests that some UFO cases are based on paranoia, while others may be valid. The article recommends a U.S. Air Force site (http://www.au.af.mil/au/2025/volume4/chap03/b9_2.htm) that describes a global network of sensors used by 'weather warriors' to monitor and predict weather. The site indicates that weather modification tools can manipulate small-to-medium scale weather phenomena to enhance friendly capabilities and degrade adversary ones. Methods mentioned include precipitation inducement/suppression via particulate seeding or directed energy, fog generation/dissipation using directed energy, storm triggering via cloud seeding, and radar enhancement/disruption using high-power microwave devices and ionospheric mirrors. Ionospheric charging for spacecraft disruption is also mentioned.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the potential for advanced technology, both military and civilian, to be mistaken for UFOs. The publication highlights the development of sophisticated aircraft and drones that mimic characteristics previously attributed to unexplained aerial phenomena. There is a clear stance that while new technologies might explain some future sightings, they do not retroactively explain past unexplained cases. The issue also touches on public perception of extraterrestrial life and the controversial topic of government weather modification, suggesting a critical examination of phenomena often linked to UFO reports. The editorial stance appears to be one of cautious investigation, distinguishing between technological advancements and genuine unexplained mysteries.