Filer's Files

#4-1998
January 30, 1998

MUFON Skywatch Investigations
George A. Filer, Director, Mutual UFO Network Eastern

George Filer: Majorstar@verizon.net
Webmaster Chuck Warren
My website is at: www.nationalufocenter.com

Many UFOs are actually rather mundane objects such as satellites, air ships and Black aircraft. Still 5 to 10% of UFOs remain unexplained.

FLORIDA

MUFON Investigator trainee Nancy Dunning writes: "I am a member of MUFON and I am trying to learn to be an investigator. I am sending you a report that I wrote of a sighting that a friend of mine had. This person does not want her name revealed so I am referring to her just as the witness. The witness was staying with her son on Venice Beach. The house is not directly on the beach, there are trees in between. The object was first sighted at approximately 11:15 or 11:30p.m. on Friday, January 23, 1998. There is a small airport nearby and at first the witness thought that an airplane was crashing. She quickly changed her mind when after falling straight down the object stopped just above treetop level and hovered. She described the object as a bright red ball of flames. As it came down out of the sky it left a flame trail behind it. Once it started to hover this trail disappeared. As the object hovered it also appeared to get wider. It changed to an elliptical shape. It hovered for approximately one minute and then sped off to the SSW. The object hovered over the Gulf of Mexico. The witness went into the house to go to bed. She awoke about 1 1/2 to 2 hours later. The cat wanted to go outside and she walked outside as well. She said that the object appeared again and did exactly the same thing it had the first time. The witness said that the sky conditions at the time were very clear. She heard no noises while witnessing the object. The only other person at the house did not witness the object. I have personally not been to the house where the sighting took place. I am planning to go there within the next couple of weeks. If I find out anything else significant to the sighting I will e-mail you with the details." Thanks to Nancy Dunning DUNNING01@aol.com.

ZANESVILLE, OHIO

UFO investigator Jim Donohoe, publisher of the Equinox Newsletter, received a call January 29, 1998 at 7:45 AM from a female resident of Bellville, Ohio who reported a 'V' shaped object, which had a bright light at the front and center of it. The rear of the object could not be seen clearly due to the brightness of the main light. The witness also described a 'reddish glow' across a portion of the rear the would have been near the rear edge. The object hovered at a high altitude for 25 minutes. The sighting was reportedly made at 7:07 a.m. in an area east of Zanesville, Ohio (Muskingum County). The witness then called a nearby resident, who had also been watching the object for a 'period of time,' using binoculars. Through the binoculars, she described many objects 'maneuvering' to the larger object, seemingly to merge with it. A third witness, sister of the first reporter, was also contacted and also observed the object. Its size was said to be at least one mile across the rear edge of the 'craft,' and said to be an estimated 6 or 7 thousand feet. This judgement was made from the estimated distance and altitude, by the 3 witnesses. The soundless object disappeared from sight as clouds moved into the area, hiding it from view. The witness with binoculars was the only one who reported 'other objects' attempting to merge with the 'craft'. Researcher Jim Donohoe will conduct additional witness interviews and an on-site investigation of the report. Thanks to Report filed by Kenny Young UFO Research http://home.fuse.net/task/

COLORADO

On January 28, 1998 Stephanie Sylvester's a writer for The Denver Post- reported that at noon yesterday several people saw a large fiery object trailed by a plume of smoke crash to the ground near in Breckenridge, Colorado. "It was a fairly large object that was on fire with smoke that was spiraling off the back of it," said Blue River Marshal Steve Ford, who saw it from his car near Blue River Road and Highway 9. "My first thought was that it was a meteor." Fork watched the object plummet more than a thousand feet. He lost sight of it at tree level. "It was a vertical shot toward the ground, and I'm sure it impacted the ground," Ford said. Leigh Pezzicara, a spokeswoman for the Breckenridge Ski Resort, said several guests reported seeing a flare in the area of Peaks 5 and 6. "However, we really can't confirm what it was," she said. The Summit County sheriff's office received two calls about the possible meteor. James Rickman, a spokesman at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, said the scientific term for an object like the one described by Breckenridge eyewitnesses is "daytime fireball."

On January 27, 1998, Tim reports: "I'm getting a little escalation lately of reports around Salida, Colorado and increased military activity. My 17 year old daughter Laray was sitting in the computer room at 9:00 PM, when she viewed a moon size ball of green light for a couple of seconds moving at high speed and disappearing to the southwest. At the same time my wife's sister [Kathy Rauter] and her 4 kids were driving to our house and viewed it down the road a half mile to the south of our home. They also reported the same description and said other people had to see it. No tail was observed by any of the witnesses. They were extremely excited and some were scared. I could tell by the reactions it was a major sighting. They said it did not appear to be that far away. I just had got off the computer and was upstairs reading a book so I missed the action again."
Jim Robert`s called me last night and said he viewed a orange, salmon colored globe from his house in the Cotapaxi area, 20 miles east of Salida on January 23, 1998, at 9:00 PM sharp. Object was hovering, dimming and brightening to the west and he thought it might have been viewed in Salida. No feedback on anyone else seeing it except his wife down there. His description is very similar to the commercial pilot report that I just listened to on Art Bell from the Phoenix area last week. Seems like these things are everywhere. Jim also reported a triangular shaped object circling under the sun last week with lights. He went in to get his camera and then couldn't pick it back up. This man has frequent sightings especially of orbs or globes at his house. Locals continue to come forward and relate sightings to me, especially older ladies. Many I don't even document anymore as it seems so common place up here and takes too much of my personal time up. Thanks to Tim edwards@amigo.net and Skywatch International Inc.

Tom King, the Arizona Skywatch Director reports: "Just a thought concerning last week's sightings in AZ. Exactly one week before last week's AZ sightings on Jan 14, (Jan 7, 1998, 5:30 PM to around 3:00 AM), intense "UFO" activity was reported in Huerfano County, in South Central Colorado. Right in the middle of the La Veta Military [low-level flight] Operations Area. Witnesses near Farasita, and Gardner, CO, watched extensive aerial activity by dozens of unknown objects, for hours, that did not appear to be conventional aircraft. Witnesses of this activity have been interviewed by investigator David Perkins. These craft sightings were described as large, "disco-ball" appearing "motherships" which discharged small red lights/craft which appeared to criss-cross the Huerfano for many hours in a grid-type pattern. The following morning, (Thur Jan 8) two additional witnesses reported "20 to 30" fighter planes (coincidentally?) "criss-crossing the Huerfano". This conventional activity was described by the long-time residents as being highly unusual. (Remember, these folks see military flight activity daily in the La Veta MOA). Later that same day, (January 8, 1998, at 5:20 PM.) Two more witnesses, driving north on Highway 17 (25 miles west of the Huerfano sightings), claim they watched a "150 foot [diameter] disc" at "between 1500 to 2000 feet " in altitude, travel down the center of the SLV over the Baca Ranch, 2 miles east of State Highway 17 mile marker 93. One of these witnesses (ex-military) estimated the disc's speed at between "500 and 600 mph." I find it highly intriguing that last year's "AZ Mass Sighting" followed closely on the heels of an intense (little-publicized) wave of sightings in South Colorado. And what do you know?"

Last week's AZ sightings again appeared to follow intense activity reported in South Colorado. (Let's not forget last spring's mysterious rogue A-10 flight from the AZ "mass" sighting area BACK to the Colorado sighting area) Is it my imagination, or is there some sort of a synchronistic connection here? If (as some have suggested), "our" military is behind the AZ activity, perhaps the fly-boyz w/ toyz are conducting dry-run sorties over the sparsely populated South Colorado region to gauge the potential public's response before trotting out their toys over AZ for the inevitable big media splash. It appears to this investigator that someone is playing the unwitting public in both regions like a fiddle. Thanks to Tom King and Skywatch International.

Chris O"Brien reports, "Since 1994, Southern Colorado has had several reports of 300-400 foo-sized triangle and rectangular craft flying at low altitude in the middle of the La Veta Military (flight) Operations area. I assume a mundane explanation for a majority all sightings reported from this part of Colorado/New Mexico. Comment: I now assume that "our" military has operational flight capabilities that could explain the AZ lights and other large craft reports, i.e., single-digit speeds, hovering capability, etc. There are some (in and out of government) that have a vested interest in promoting the "alien" visitation theory to explain away most large craft sightings, including March's AZ mini sighting wave. The wheat from the chaff scenario gets even more complicated with every increase in operational/technological capability of "our" military. As diligent, objective investigators, we should be able to explain over 90% of ALL reported sightings." Thanks to Christopher O'Brien, tmv@amigo.net.

--UNITED KINGDOM

Victor J. Kean reports that Flying Triangles (FT) continued visiting three nuclear power stations (NPS) in Southeastern England during the month of NOVEMBER 1997. There were a total of 137 Flying Triangle sightings over the three nuclear power stations. This is an increase of five over October when 132 sightings were reported.. Sizewell NPS in Suffolk had 74 sightings averaging more than two a night for the month. There were 76 sightings in October. Bradwell NPS in Essex had 37 sightings in both October and November. Dungeness NPS in Kent sightings increased in November to 37, almost double the 19 sightings in October.. The Flying Triangles are usually first observed in the North Sea off the Suffolk coast. It is thought the same craft probably visit more than one nuclear power station during their almost nightly routine. These three nuclear power stations are on or near the Eastern coast of England. Victor Kean writes: "I have started to look closer at the times of the FT sightings in Project FT's database.. Whilst analyzing the FT data which now runs into 1,000s of reports, I am always on the look out for any traces of 'human intervention' in the data which might indicate that the FT is *not* alien For example: At 0200hrs on March 29th 1997, the good citizens of the UK put their clocks and watches back by one hour at the beginning of 'Summer Time.' Now, unless the 'controllers' of the FT did the same, one would expect that the sighting times in the next days would show a 'one hour' step. Similarly, at the end of Summer Time at 02:00hrs on October 26th 1997 when the clocks were turned forward by one hour, subsequent sighting times should reflect this one hour step backwards. Early indications confirm that there are 'one hour steps' at these times. This is *not* proof of 'alien control'...lots of humans also forget to adjust their clocks.<smile> Perhaps others may suggest other possible checks along these lines... Victor J. Kean Project FT.

Editor's Note: In examining the data I tried to consider what could the purpose of these nightly visits. The craft may be taking samples of the air over the nuclear power stations checking for radiation leaks. Also, an Airborne Warning and Control aircraft (AWACs) might fly the same route defending the UK from long range attack. Aereon Corporation in New Jersey developed a patent for a roughly triangular shaped craft known as the Deltoid Pumpkin Seed. Although, the company attempted to get either the Air Force or the Navy to develop the craft, none was put into production by Aereon.

RAF COSFORD, UK

Adam reports that he lives ten minutes drive from RAF Cosford, UK. I have been informed from a fairly reliable source that RAF Cosford - which is supposedly being quietly run down - has suddenly had it's security up-rated by a phenomenal amount. This coincides with an increased number of strange sightings including the ubiquitous black triangles. My informant, who has an RAF jet pilot as an acquaintance, tells me that this pilot has suddenly clammed up on the subject of strange sightings. Previously he was always ready to discuss the phenomena. The pilot is based at RAF Cosford. An interesting snippet of information is that apparently RAF pilots are not subject to the same 'gagging' when they have been based abroad. This particular pilot has in the past been based in Saudia Arabia and was always willing to talk about UFO's he and his colleagues had seen over there. Thanks to the UK UFO Network and adam@adl.enta.net (Adam)

IRIDIUM SATELLITES CAUSING LIGHT FLARES

Ed Cannon writes that regarding the report quoted below regarding very bright lights seen in the sky in or near Exeter, New Hampshire, on Dec. 28 and about a month earlier. Given the description, it appears very possible to me that these people observed flares of reflected sunlight from Iridium satellites. I've seen several of these flares now (including once or twice with my family in San Antonio), and they are incredibly bright flashes of light with a bluish cast to them, if you're near the centerline of the flare. The last two I've seen were near the Moon, and one of them was more intense (brighter in some sense) than the Moon, while the other rivaled the Moon in brightness. The brightest ones are visible in broad daylight, though I have not yet really tried to see one of those. I ran Iridium flare predictions for the Exeter, NH, area and found several very bright ones for Nov. 26-30, 1997, and two candidates for the morning of Dec. 28, 1997. Depending on exactly where the man was and what time it was, better candidates might be confirmed for that date. The most brilliant part of these flares is very localized, within less than five miles or so of the centerline.

I suggest that reports of simple but intensely bright flashes in the sky be immediately checked out as possible Iridium flares. There are now 46 of the satellites orbiting, with 5 more due to be launched this Saturday and the final total to be 66 operational with several spares as well. They are in near polar orbits and so can flare anywhere on Earth. There is an online prediction site that gives predictions 5 days in advance of the current date for any selected location. The URL is: http://www.gsoc.dlr.de/satvis/ (It also gives one day's predictions for other satellites, as well as two weeks' predictions for the Mir Space Station.) For checking in the past, one would need to run a flare program such as Iridflar.exe, the one I use, which was written by Rob Matson, a satellite observer who lives in California. The first Iridiums were launched on May 5, 1997. There's a good site with more information about Iridium flares at: http://www2.satellite.eu.org/sat/vsohp/iridium.html Recently there was a very nice story regarding them in the Salt Lake City "Desert News": http://www.desnews.com/newtdy/rg0ku14t.htm

I publish Iridium flare predictions for the Austin, Texas, area: http://wwwvms.utexas.edu/~ecannon/iridium.htm I'm not trying to debunk here, I'm just pointing out a potential source of extremely bright flashes in the sky that should be among the possibilities considered when such reports are received. I've seen them, as have quite a few other people now (including a field full of amateur astronomers at a star party southwest of Austin a few months ago). They can be fairly reliably predicted, watched for, and observed -- and they can be REALLY BRIGHT! The Iridium satellites are fairly small and so are visible to the unaided eye only when they flare.) Thanks to Ed Cannon ecannon@mail.utexas.edu Austin, Texas

SPACE SHUTTLE AND UFO

On January 14, we reported the Space Shuttle Endeavor narrowly avoided the collision with a UFO during its 12-day mission in September. We are unable to confirm this story through our sources and NASA firmly denies the event occurred. Generally, the NASA tapes have become available a few months after the sighting. However, the audio tape from the Endeavor report has not been obtainable or confirmed. The report was published on the web from several reliable sources and appeared real. The report stated: "The word from author William Kliner, who claims to have obtained a copy of the tape from highly placed NASA sources and flatly calls the incident, "the most dramatic close encounter in history. However, I have been unable to obtain a copy of this tape, and therefore feel this report is at least suspect and warn that the story may be a hoax.

In other Filer's Files, I have reported on two shuttle missions (STS-48 and STS-80), where UFOs were in fact video taped. I have this evidence in my possession and I feel it is genuine. The STS 80 video revealed hours of UFO empty skies beneath the shuttle. When the shuttle approaches a line of thunderstorms a group of UFOs appear. The disc-shaped craft move to intercept the thunderstorms and then appear to hover over the thunderstorms. The STS 80 cameraman apparently saw the UFOs moving in over the huge thunderstorms and zooms in on the scene. One particularly good close up shows a disc craft with a dark area in the center.

Also the December sighting of a large UFO in the Gulf of Mexico near an oil rig thus far has not been confirmed. A large craft only thirty miles from Corpus Christy should have been sighted by other the observers along the Texas coast. Jeremy Clark Packer the alleged witness and person responsible for the e-mail posting has not been located for verification of his story.

"INCIDENT IN LAKE COUNTY" TELVISION SHOW

UPN presented a one-hour special on January 20, claiming that the McPherson family, missing since last Thanksgiving Day had left a videotape account of a family's purported encounter with aliens. The show claimed that the videotape was the sole testament to the fate of the family who have a series of strange occurrences, that culminates in a frightening encounter with alien creatures. During the special, several people who claim to have had similar experiences relate their ordeals. Stan Friedman was the key expert for the show.

Ufologist, Dr. Bruce Cornet reviewed the show and sent this evaluation to UPN. "There is no doubt in my mind that UPN in airing the "Incident in Lake County: Alien Abduction" hit many nerves among those sensitive to how the alien abduction phenomenon, UFOs, and the paranormal are portrayed by the media. As a serious UFO investigator, who has had hundreds of personal sightings (most of them photographed and/or videotaped), and who is working with Sam Sherman, President of Independent International Pictures (Old Bridge, NJ) on a film documentary entitled, "From Beyond This Earth", which contains some of the best documented film of unidentified flying objects over Clear Lake in California (witnessed and documented by government scientists), I consider the reactions to your show as evidence that a major affront has occurred to the advancement of scientific knowledge and understanding of these phenomena. If any individuals employed by your company are of the opinion that this is all nonsense and should be ridiculed, I would like the opportunity to educate them. What we don't need are producers and editors who think that TV ratings are so much more important than presenting the truth (presented in an objective and neutral environment) that they will intentionally frighten for entertainment TV audiences. An analogous situation would be making a production about rape where the authorities and family of the victim couldn't believe that anything like that could ever happen without the consent of the victim. I have been approached by people who saw the show, and who are upset by it, thinking that it might be real. I told them that it was a hoax, made by a bunch of amateurs with a perverted and fraternity sense of humor derived from intimidation. These people seemed genuinely relieved to hear me say that. Most of them can handle the abduction phenomenon, but not when it is portrayed as a swat-team-like attack on innocent people in their homes at night. It is one thing to portray horror as science fiction, but entirely another when a real phenomenon is perverted into fiction. I hope you take the time to read the letters I have received, and learn from this experience. The show came across like the Clinton scandal to those of us who have experienced the real thing. Thanks to Bruce Cornet, Ph.D. bcornet@monmouth.com
http://www.OrionWorks.com/bcornet/

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