UFO Potpourri No 439

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO POTPOURRI
Issue: No. 439
Date: December 2000
Publisher: John Schuessler
Contact: John Schuessler, Post Office Box 369, Morrison, CO 80465-0369, [email protected]

This issue of UFO POTPOURRI, dated December 2000, presents a compilation of pilot and air traffic control reports concerning unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) from the late 1960s, sourced from The APRO Bulletin.

Pilots See Formation Over Australia

This article details an observation made on August 22, 1968, by two Australian pilots, Captain Gordon Smith and Captain Walter Gardin, while flying a Piper Navajo between Adelaide and Perth. The sighting began at 0940 G.M.T. (1740 W.S.T.) at 8,000 feet with an airspeed of 195 knots. They observed a formation consisting of one large "aircraft" in the middle, with 4 to 5 smaller "aircraft" positioned to its right and left, and above. The formation maintained station with the Piper Navajo.

Captain Smith contacted the Kalgoorlie D.C.A. Communications Center to inquire about other flights. Upon learning there were none, he reported their observations. During this communication, they experienced a loss of radio contact with Kalgoorlie, receiving only carrier wave with static and rash, with no voice propagation. This communication blackout lasted for approximately 10 minutes, during which Captain Smith transmitted about 7 times and Captain Walter Gardin about 5 times without success.

During the observation, the main "ship" split into two sections, while the smaller "aircraft" flew out to the left and right, eventually returning to format on the two halves. Approximately 6 smaller "aircraft" took turns engaging in this maneuver, with the two halves of the main ship sometimes joining and splitting. This cyclical behavior continued for about 10 minutes.

The main "shape" of the main "ship" was described as capable of changing from a spheroid to a slightly elongated form, though not drastically. Its color was a constant dark gray or black. The smaller "aircraft" were described as "cigar-shaped" and of "very dark color." A peculiar characteristic noted was their ability to travel out and return without actually turning, unlike conventional aircraft.

At 0950 G.M.T., the entire formation departed "at a tremendous speed," as if commanded simultaneously. The disappearance took about 3 to 4 seconds, with the objects diminishing in size until out of sight. The pilots reported fine weather with no haze above 5,000 feet. Coincidentally, radio communication was restored normally immediately after the UFOs departed.

The witnesses concluded that they observed objects possessing "the solidity of aircraft."

Planes Paced by UFOs Over Florida

This report, from The APRO Bulletin, November-December 1968, describes an event on November 27, 1968, where two pilots of small planes were reportedly followed by football-shaped objects for approximately 30 miles. One pilot, Robert Holder, was unsure of what he saw, describing the objects as bright moving lights. The other pilot, L.P. Duplantis, provided a more detailed account. He stated that four objects were flying in an echelon formation about a quarter of a mile behind his plane, with one in the lead and the others stacked to the right. Duplantis commented that their flight characteristics were unlike anything he had ever seen. He observed one object lower three telescopic legs before descending to land in a swampy area about 20 miles west of Melbourne's Cape Kennedy Regional Airport, near a "restricted U.S. Air Force bombing range."

Airport Tower Personnel Observe UFO

Also from The APRO Bulletin, November-December 1968, this section details an observation on November 26, 1968, at 5:40 p.m. by three air traffic control employees at the Bismarck, North Dakota airport tower: Jack Wilhelm, Jack Reeves, and John Fischer. They spotted two bright lighted objects in the northeast sky. For five to seven minutes, one object moved northerly at a 45-degree elevation, while the other traveled south at a 30-degree elevation. Suddenly, the southbound object executed a sharp 180-degree turn, ascended, and joined the other object. The two hovered briefly before flying off to the northeast and disappearing within seconds. Wilhelm remarked that he believed "there's nothing that could make a maneuver like the lower one did and at that rate of speed."

During the sighting, the Bismarck tower contacted the Great Falls Air Force Base in Montana. Radar at the base had registered an "erratic target" approximately 83 nautical miles northeast of Bismarck. Robert Watts of Capital Aviation and a student, who were flying nearby at the time, also observed the same objects.

Pilots Sight UFO Over Pyrenees

This report, from The APRO Bulletin, September-October 1967, describes a sighting by the crew of a Douglas DC-6 aircraft en route from Majorca, Spain, to Britain on September 10, 1967. First Officer Patrick Hope estimated the object was 100 feet in height and about 80 feet wide at its widest point. It appeared metallic, with its upper part clearly outlined. Initially a silver speck moving directly across the DC-6's flight path, the object was at the same altitude (16,000 feet) and visible against the Pyrenees mountains.

Captain Fred Underhill estimated the object traveled about 60 miles in the first minute, equating to approximately 3,500 miles per hour. The object slowed down and turned towards the airliner, its shape becoming clearer. It approached within 5 miles of the plane, maintaining speed, before disappearing below the aircraft.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme throughout this issue is the reporting of credible sightings by pilots and aviation professionals, emphasizing the unusual flight characteristics and speeds of observed phenomena. The publication appears to present these reports without overt skepticism, allowing the witness accounts to speak for themselves. The use of data from organizations like APRO suggests a focus on documented cases within the UFO research community. The editorial stance seems to be one of documenting and disseminating such reports to a readership interested in the UFO phenomenon.