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Northern Ufology

Edited by Jenny Randles (MUFORA)

Published by the Northern UFO Network (NUFON) In a monthly series with the Northern UFO News

Address: 23 Sunningdale Drive, Irlam, Salford M30 6NJ Cover Design: John Watson (CHRYSIS)

NORTHERN UFOLOGY NORTHERN UFOLOGY

Q�!����--!2Z2____________ . · . . Issue 65 ------------��--------------------------------·

Contentsa: P.2 The Future of NUFON, News, Reviews P .• J - 8 UFO RES�.RCH - What Should we do? (Articles by: Ron

Sergeant, Ste�hen Banks, John Watson,·Martin Keatman & Jenny Handles) ··

--------- P.9- 10 Investigations - Including an EM· case from C heshire ------------------------------------------�-.*"7*------------------� ---

EDITORIAL: "A Critical time to decide" Some of you have no doubt received a most interestinc circular , issued by

�FO� and HAPIT jointly.This intimates "'ha-b n6 true liaison is undertaken by J':HI FLN : ,and in some senses I take their point.NUFON always has had a limited approach and is,in reality,more of a "coordination centre" - pooling clata to·-6ether for the .benefit of posterity and fature research.Undbubtedly,thGre are aspects of NUFON which promot-e liaison�and ef:torts are uriderway tfu further-­foster this (see P.2).However,the bi�r�est problem remains - and o��ly,it �as FUFOR themselves who took me to task when I once cliscussecl it in $-n e.di torial (no.J8. July_l977).There �,without cloubt,two types of UFO group- the hooby ists and the activists. · · · •'· ·

In orcler to fulfill its coordination role NUFON must be in'{o];ved w:t th any association which aims to study the UFO phenomenon.This leads to inevitable­problems (shared by open membership bodies such as BUFOHA) whe:te only a min�,_. ority of participants (the activists) respond and

.take deep interest in nider

issues.Whilst this situation cannot be aboided if one is to coordinate all ··

efforts,it can (asit seems to have done with FUFCRar>.::-1 MAPIT) instill-;"rca"t,. frustration into the small number of activists. ·

FUFOR/I"'APIT have realised this point clearly in their important· ctrcul::tY ')

and have laudably rlecicled to aim for "True Liaison" between themselves , e·:-r ..:. stand.ardisa tion of methodolo�y, joint research e-bc. Whilst l a an applaud

! s��h .

moves and hope they are precipitative of others {and I know. };t·is not t:rue. · that no other liaison is goinr� on) ,it is nonetheless a pity th�t FUFO:rt and NAPIT found it necessary to ostracise themsel v�s from thi:3. Nl1FON �ommur�i ty. ·

.· (·; :-.:.··

It seems to· me· ·that a similar motivation l.::ty behind the· ideas of ol).e o'r · . two who wanted to formulate a "Bri �icsh Group Netwo:xk" (see J.a:::;-1:, issue ) � T�rry _ . ·

.

.

Hooper of UF·a· 1NTl.mBJ�.TIONAL is certii:nly one aricl I would stress that some of.· you appear to have regarcled him as "in competitiun" when,in truth,he has bee:!l. more forthcomi'n('; than anyone else involv�d in these plans in keeping us

-··u:p -·us·--· ·-· · -·-· · · ·-

date on the co�cept.Terry is as concerned as we are not to formulate splinter '-�roups in abundance.Ne-tis··of .·.the first _meetin:.� (helGl September 15) is not yet to hahd, but. I gather minut·es will be cir01..1lated and there is hope o£ progre .ss o

It is of interest to· note· that much of what FUFOR/NAPIT propose 'in th<:;;i.r circular h as in fact been ·attempted by UFOIN since 1977 .Improvemel?-t of report standards, standardisation and- coordination of methodolo_sY, and. coordination

.ol·

active ufolop;ists (rer;ardless of .;roup alle.�-�iene:ies) UFOIN works between · ·· individuals not groups because there are very few active ufol.or:;ists5Several · .

belon,c; to oth8rwise inactive :>;roups,several are ke·y cocrclinators of relative"iy · ·

active �roups - others prefer to keep apart from -�roups.For thepe reasons the individual ooncept provicle:s better coordination,I feel, than a c;roup, system would.I also believe UFOIN is becinnin.� to justify i tsel,f _,apd I?�ec.:ise�.y· as FUFOR/�1APIT :propose in their circular announces "if they -do .. not ."attQ.in i;-he necessary standards, such reports will not be aca:epted. "The "-in clepth" UFOIN files at Nottin�ham will illustrate this point (one case alorie has 119 pa.��es

of rJports,photo .. �raphs,maps anc1 evaluations�) As FUFOH/MAPIT reco�nis � this souncls dictatorial;but it ·is--the only way ahead - provided the system is nc:t :�overned by an elite and is o:pen to anyone who meets the standards·..:. as UFOIN ..

·

The UFOIN approach is one way ,ancl the NUFON one is another.Both ha-..r8··-- · · · ·--- ... ··· distinctive advantages.I am not positive that there is justification for a

'middle road' approach - coordinating _only active groups,since this �eally just duplicates. what in combined function NUFON/UFOIN attempts .Nonetheless I do accept tpat. there is fruitful 3round for explorin3 an extension of the FUFOR/MhPIT proposals.Perhaps they will. CiZare . to pro vide a paper to the meet-ing in Nottin-�ham on· November 24 ( seo F.2) .Their important ideas call then he_ ··'· \_\;· di�cussecl by those ·who· care (for the NUFON e1,rea at lt?ast ) sinc.e � lets face it� they will be the ones to· turn up at thG meeting. Let· us not waste the oppor�un� ty .·.

NORTHERN UFOLOGY OCTOBER. 1979

With the last issue of this ma .. ;azine a circular was sent to all NUFON 3roups., This contained important _proposals for future development viz:-FL ) A NUFOn administration be set up Wl th-ani nominated person 'particfp-�'tihg • .

��eh individual to h0ve specific respohsibility for aro�s of liaisona b) A:1 annual "Status Report" be published. on all �roups.IncludinG full"data,

qrea covered,equipment and specialists available,and a pbsition statement on current research and ideas about the phenomenon.b."n obvious aid to liaison�

c) "Sub -networks" to be self formulated on .the···basis·;_bf Ireland (already .. in, operation),East Hidlands (ditto),West l'lidland.s,North Mindlands and Scotland and Borders.H:ach to spoci�ically coordin0-te local inv_esti�_�ation better - but NUFON to overall coorcl.inat�.as1 at presen(; ·

Not suprisin�ly there has been a·lbw respohse with just th�·activists even 1::othorinr; to comm�nt on what are .si. ;nificant p:;opos�+s .However, as reaction was , . favourable from those responding a NUFON meetinr, has.been called to discuss the moves. NUFOIS (Not:tingham.) are to. b� hos�s �n� ·

:th� provisipna+ date set is NOVEMBER 24 1979,Full details will pe included in the next fussue·, but if you T-fish them in the meantime contac-t;:, NUFO�S (SAE p�ease) at·: 443 Mcacl.cw Lane, Nottin�ham NG2 3GB or phone Bob Morreli on-o602�860010.

Representation at the meetine; ought to be considered essential_-·�!. c;ny group·· who believes itself active.It is conceivab�e that even wiaer issues· of' liaison will come to be discussed. It hc:ts been decid.ed

.that the meotin:s. wi.ll b_;:�_,�c a

theme of "UFO Investie;ation''and group coordination". It will commence -wj_th papers,pres�mted by any :;roup or:inclivid.u.al,,o�. this "coordination ;, theme ancl will be followed by debate and- resolt:j_on.Tp�_�o· pa.p;;;rs should be concise (no lonr;er thn.n 15 minutes) and mak� spe9i:fic ._polnts or .PD�posals.Dven if you have .. never spoken publi'-ally before, present one tf, you have somett'Iinr; to' say.cGroupB outsir1e the NUFON system are cordially· ·�nvi �ed to c�ntri bute also .. Brief_ abs4ra?ts ( ie notes .on content) should be forwa,rded to NU;FON . by November 1st so ttat an . outl2.ne of

.propositions ·,may_ �)e c�rc��at�cl'.next issue.Full papers shoulcl_ als.o · . be subsequently made available

.(on �quest) fo± publication.I hope everyone · · · · seriously concerned about liaison and poordination (in all its rmany EtSlJects --��­

investi�atipn,research, �ywatchi!lG o'tc .. E1tc) _will c·ontribute to the debato, It is ho,ped (as with usual, pJ;qctice) 4 to.· rou'nd off proceecliri:_�s Hi th on.,_; or

two more c�eneral papers �0 th�t ·yqu ·.do' not t;ravel just for a meeting .2:t is anticipated that the mcetine r{�ll :r_:un.from. a�9ut 1.30 to 6pm_ • • • -�·BE THEHE� --------------------�------------�---�-------------------------------- ------·-1 I I o ' '\ 1: • ' "J ,'

N1!.,1·lS 11 This month's tpic provided some m.ost lnterestin[S ic.lreas, which pe.rhaj!·S

will not just be r8ad and c.liscardeq.In . line with the NUFON meeting· in November the theme for· the January issue will be: ": mgoLOpY IN BRITAIN - How should it : be organised?" Your views on f,roups,networks and future approaches pleaseo: ,

aa Attempts are to be m�de to rossu�ect the· dormant but greatly needed INVESTIGATOR TRAINING COUHSE. Would anyone who feels they are willin�/able to··. assist in developing and running sucq a-scheme pl�ase contact the editor. �

• • Subscriptions for January- Decemb�r l980_ �re noH beinb accepted from NUN and Northern Ufolof,y readers. The price h�s been 0eld steany 'for tw9 years but inflation has forced eno::rmous ·rises in paper·· and duplicator costs· over the recent perioc1. We have kept to a minimum the. enforced rise (well. below ·inflatio:-:t level o�er tho period),but 1980 subscriptions will. be £J.60'for 12.issuoso ·

:: You will all know of the disastrous crash.of two Harrier jets over

1:lisbech on September 21.0ne of .. our subscribers .(Dana �arry -:e�Titor of UPNB) lives in the road involved in the acci�ent.His.house was not orie- of tho�e dest:=oyed by the crash but we can only h8pe th�t he clicl not suffer in a!'.y way from the disaster.If he did then we sencf our symp::1thy. ·

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RE' IE��S: A new bfuok to look out for is "ENCOUNTERS WITN THE PAST" 1::y Peter Noss

It co�erns hypnotic re:;ression exper_iJ!lents a�d the hyp�otist invol vec.l· .iG Joc Keeton (who performe1 the experiments on1Gaynor Sunderl�nd - see previous NUNs) It costs £7 .95, but includes two records so you cah he:J.r .. the re.�ressionso SKYWATCH (Hh.PIT) Aug/Sep contains much fo�e;ign material.'ancl an· impor-caut :article )ly Mark Noravec of ACOS,Australia, on "The Ethics of UFO tnvesti�ation" �NCOUNTER 79 ( 36 Torkin_;ton St,Edr�eley ,Sfockport,SKJ 9JS)· is issued FRg;� ancl aims to "stand against be bad ufolo>;ist" and be highly cri ticalcissue 2 starts to comment on NUFON. dillTHLINK is now issued separate from. the Essex UFO Study Group but same adc.l:eess.Full account of the Jean Hin�ley CEJ (mince pies and all:)

UFO R�SEARCH - WHAT SHOULD ·WE· DO? 1) " The base idea : .. n research" Ron Sargeant (Freelance UFO Investigate; ) (Ro'R is a former RAF servic;e r)fficer)

�he Doyen of Ufology ,Allen Hynek, once said that there mus� be enough inf,:::·­rmation in the mass of reports to find the answer to the U:FO phenomenon if one only knew 'What' ,'Why' ,'Where' and 'How' to use it.T�at state�ent makes sense but only if you have a base idea.

. .

Research may be defined as careful search and inquiry, scie.ntific investigation and study to discover facts,So what is a UFO? Careful search and inquiry into the report of a UFO incident can establish all the basic facts as faT as the witness remembers and understandsit.To a certain extent groups or individuals can carry out elementary scientific studies,but finance and qualifications are a limiting factor.How I would love to get a UFO for close scrfutiny,but we all know how elusive they are, .

So - the main ingredient into research (a UFO�) is unobtainableoUnless one does a great deal of skywatching you will most likely never even see one�Yet this is,I think,the first poimt of rcsearch .• Skywatching,as a subject,is not very popular with supposedly serious ufologists,but I feel it has valuecActually if the whole of the population was to do absolutely nothing else but skywatch then I think we would find a valuable return for this activ:Ltyo

Skywatching is regular for some groups,an� these do provide interesting re-sul ts,For example 1 showing how an object c·an be tracked across country and be soen from varying directions,Sometimes by this,method a positive

·'�dentification

can be made, Thore is also another form of ·skywatching that is very· valuable ·-· the r:1dar watch..

.

If anyone has access to air traffic centres then it could be extremely useful� A nationwide radar coverage is in operat�on,although informatioh is difficult -. ­

to come by.Hilitary radars are no doubt of 'even more interest,but here the difficulties are increa�ed,not just from the cooperative viewpoint �ut also because the 'Official Secrets Act' steps in.

What would be the most productive research subject'?The preceeding paragraphs have shown one; aspect, but also tl;le obstructions to it. I mentioned the 'ba.se idea·· and this is �he most important ingredient of our research. Think out wha·� UFOs are and then research in thA.t direction.Dragging in 'Skywatching '_pradR.r- reports 9 .

photography, instrumental effects etc may be· :tl3quired, but �ll re-search must be done open mindedly.If you are _1�H inclined -and a seemingly psychic �spect �omes up - consider it! The same is true in reverse,Do not discard in favour of just one application of possibilities,

In researching UFOs I would say a most valuable commodity is imn.gination, Thoug_b many will disagree and say it is unscientific' it must be. remembered that some __ _ · _ _ _ ·--of science's mo $ successful findings have owed a lot to imagination o Take �rw in. A.s an example.What is extra-terrestrial or natural evolution'? That is another · · story - or is it? Above �11 else be tho�oug� and determinede ---------------------------------�----�----------------�-------�-----------------

UFO RES�RCH - WHAT SHOULD WE DO-? 2) "Phy�ical & Non-Physical - a balanced modus-operandi"

Stephen Banks UFORA (BUFORA & UFOIN) (C oordinator of UFOIN physical trC1.ce toam o ) If the basic contention behind research is that it will help in the �CCQmul�- ·

a tion of knowledge of the subject under study, then I feel that a n�:�w facet must be added to our research projects.

·

l"lany ufologists have found the 'New Ufology' ,formulated along basically psycho�� logical lines,of instant appeal.The danger is of course that they will clip8 _to fashionable ideas -that ·have no real foundation in what is termed conc,ensus� .rea1i-�y, In this case ,however, there is sufficient evidence in my view to indicate ·tl:.J:C. .i large body of 'psychic -UFO' 'linked events have occurred � In £act Isliko most people, started in the UFO field wholly ignorant of any brid��ing of the -'::.Ho set:=: of �henomena.I try ·to remR.in entirely objective and realise that many �eports

.t,' .

of an unidentified ne1ture have no psychic or pR.ranormal features whatsoever,. but that a preponderance of clos_e encounter witnesses claim persqnal exper-· iences of a. kind encompassed by th(] term '· Parapsycho;J-ogical occurrepces .. �

I propose!f.therefore,that a balanced research syst.em would 'be comp:r::ised of the many people already attempting very good -research in:to areas such a�landing

.

reports,E?-1 effects etc,and also those who probe the' witnesses 'themselves ( thGir psychological traits etc) On a further level it also needs -those who p::;er into the nebulous waters of allegedly paranormal experi8ncas �laimed by certain•UFO

NORTH�RN UFOLOGY OCTOBER 1979 ?ACE J

.. _. i · -, .. .

PHYSICAL and NON-PHYSICAL Cont •••

pcrci�ients .Mn.ny might argue that this i.s not the way of progress, but merely a

retre�t,grasping under�ainties (unexplained psychic experiLnces) to try to

explaln other uncertainties (unexplained UFO events) I cont .end that this is not

the case and that such people,in the name of objectivity,aro being subjective

'ln� restrictihg the effect of a broad based attctck by an amalgam of the physicaJ.

sclences,psychology and parapsychology . .,.. . .

The basic idea og all research is to weigh carefully all the variouS-comp-

onents of a system under study and to gradually break down the unknown to

include it in the known.To draw an analogy - how could natives of the Indo ...

nesian hinterland fi�;ure out an automobile ' S purpose and the mode ' of mech�Eicrtl

function of its engine,if they failed to include the -c-arburretor and othe:: vital

components merely because they did not believe they had anything to do with the

principal system? A daft situation,I knOw,but a valid statement I thillk,

Obviously a researcher into the various fields will have pet tho ories , as

it were.Landing Trace specialists such as I r(I am a chemist) will be inclined

towards 'p lysically objective oxturn."llised phenomena ' ·hypotheses, wheras a

psychologically interested party will find Jungian archetype theories at least

of interest.Thus you can see that by only viewing part of the phenomen·)n,a

very false picture is obtained. Just because a CEJ witness :tllegus ' psycln-kinetic ' abilities it does not

effectively nullify the ETH.So far,no data presented to me has undeniably

destroyed any of the major hypothes<>s,ranging from the afor2men:j<ioned El'H to

the wholly cliffGrent sociological viewpoint .The trouble is that too many people

embark on research projects in an attempt to verify their own personally _held

views . I believe that much work on the physical factors is ·alreauy.being attempted

that will greatly augment our knowleclge ( eg Bloecher :md Philips in the USA) l

Jan Heerin�s papers on solid iight phenomena etc .Now a bn.l�nce is being ach·­

ieved with more conceptmal thinkers such as Sprinkle,Berthold Schwarz et alia�

He too have a chance to balanc� our perception of the phenomenon· in researci1

circles by the suggeSted liaison with the Society for Psychical Resoarch� �.na

other such meaflS.I am sure that this �ill produce some effect , if only to

en�ble rese�rchors and investiga�ors �o �aze at the whole and not the part,

despite a restrictive view and specialisatiori being a prerequis ite of r8search,

To summarise then,I would say thn.t � research must proceed along both physical

and non-physical pathways for the broad spectrum of UFO events to be understoOd

to a. far greater clegreo.After all,it only takes an open mind and a willingnBss

to learn. ---------------------------------------------------------------- --- -- ---- ·- --- -· ----

UFO RES.!!:ARCH- WHAT SHOULD WE DO? 3) "B asic Steps towards research"

John Watson CHRYSIS (BUFORA RIC,N.East & UFOIN)

We are all familiar with the inumerable stimulii which can give rise to a

UFO sighting,but l>ow� ofien -lo we take an objective look at how wellthese

stimulii are investigated 1 There are do�ens of UFO grci\.l"ps· throughout __ _ t):l_e_ "()unt:r:y

which too often tend to be biased tmmrds one theory or another in their work;--·­

Nuts a rrl bolts - natuial phenomena - psychic manifesta.tions how can a ·grOUp

which alloWs itself to be swayed in such a manner carry out a truly unbiased

inves�igation? To obtain a satisfactory result with a particular case questions pertine'nt

to all such theories (and others) must be,asked,How often Uoes a nuts and

bo 1 ts invo stiga tor ask if a witness has ever seen a §lost ?The r<Ner se applies

with equal Vit)our. Ome of the m�or steps towards sensible research has to be obtainins pr�cis c

data in the first place,To this end all research Groups will have-to start

thinking about carrying out more detailed investi3ation .i• �roup which allows

it-elf to remain biased in any way is us eleSs , even to themsclveS,Since the

informn.tion they :�ather must be incomplete.

Even if we get all groups to think along more open lin8s our_ problem is.

but partly solved, If we go on ammn.s sing cases all it p:i:'o due es is· a pi le of cas0 2 ·

\-le need to use the information in these cases' to instigate a \lumber of research

nroc;rammes explorin ; the various as_p�cts ' of ufology,J-. t- the same. time's the Se

must be liaised closaly to.�ether,This. is whe:tc a groups- indiviclun.l bcliGfS. cab

be useful,Each group should begin lon·r, term research projects ba'sorl on specific

theori es they have for UFO origin .Each case they investi,-;atc shduld ,howover ,be,

NORTHERN UFOLOGY OCTOBER 1979

-�

BASIC STEPS TOWARDS RESEARCH Cont • • •

treated as if any of the main theories could have provider the stimu lus o if the cRse deve l0 ps alon� lines useful to their own research t h '3n it should be used to that end,but if it develops along different lines then th3 information should be pa ssed onto a group whose research it most resemb les .T he new NUFON idea o� iss­uin� position statements on all member groups will help in this.

Such a programme would require an enormous amount of organisation�cooperation and above all understanding.It is of no use if a group opts out of an established network merely because its theories are different.Any group which operates like that proviQes data which is not within the system,and is therefore almost useless ! Remember we all want the answers to t he same questions�

The idea for cooperative research is not new.Various people have a lready put forward excellent ideas for ambitious research projects with high hopes of succ­ess.Alas,this enthusiasm is met with the third major bug-bear that is around the�e days - APATHY!

Few people even bother to respond to these ideas,and the hi�h hopes are soon dashed to the ground.Where are all the so-called dedicated ufologists7Do we want to learn those answers or not?It is true that many u�olo�ists have much on their p late ,bei n� members of half a dozen different �roups,writing articles,producin-� m�azines etc.Yet what of the rest,who carry.out the odd investisation but do nothing else?

It is high time people started getting off ·their proverbial backsides ( or hL�h horses - whichever is applicable ) - and then starihed mucking in!A good. start would b8 to attend conferences.These ·afford ideal opportunities for meeting others,making contacts and working things out to satisfaction.It worked at London - so it can work a.q,ain.

As I see it there are t hree stases towards·a serious research programme!-1) T he most important' is to cure ourselves of this: mindless apathy and sta�t

using some of the information we get instead of admirin� it like wallpapero 2) All groups,re,3ardless of favourite theories,should· investtgate on the

assumption that anything could have prov.ided the timulus anu act accordingly� 3) All .�roups, sin. slY or jointly, should b e�in a res ear ch pro::;sramme based apo11

relevant theories9and should liaise closely with o ther ,di ver�ent �p r o j octs for data excha nge.

If we stay apart we are wastin� time and effort.Together'we may just find some answers.Let's make �t work! ______________ ; _____________________________________________________________ �

UFO RE�SEARCH - WHAT SHOULD WE DO? 4) " UFO Research - The Way ahe9-d ?" Martin Keatman UFORA. ( BUFORA RIG & UFOIN ) (UFOIN humanoid project coordinatcT\

Before we begin .to d.iscuss research a fu nd am ental ques�tion mus.t be aske d ,: Can th.� human race,at its present level of scientific knowledge and c0ncepti9n, successfully conduct investir,ation of a phenomenon so vast and complex with hope of discovering any meaningful facts about its nature and .origin? I strongly suspect the answer is. no: that however much we record and re ·searc h we will not

come any nGarer the tru.th than we are permitted to. .

We could ima�ine a group. of sixteenth·century scholars observing a modern jet �ircraft.They could record its pass&�e,possibly even draw it,and then ponder

what they ·had seen.With t�eir level·of knowledKe,however,it .is most unlikely that they could even conceive of .the prin cipl es involved .

We may our se lves be in such"a J?OSi tio·� wi'th the UFO.We are obviously dealing· with an intelligence order which greatly surpasses our own.,Therefora we coulcl fairly fi_fUestion if our patterns of thought and rea1ity are radically different to those behind t he p hanop1enon. This seems a reasonable sug:�estidm oincleed its framework of reality may, be on. a basis that we ·cannot even conceive ..

If we assume for t he sake of argu ment that this is so - which of cou:rse l"G

may not be - .our application of ·scientific method to the problem is prob:?..bly irl Valid .

· ·

In response to this rather dauntinr, prospect we can take heart in �hat a

sudden disc cbvery or theoretical modification could dr astically alt er our own vision of re�lity - with per h�ps amazing consequences.Many moddrn p h�r sicists hn.ve <mme to realise that our c·�ent theories of reality, time ·ate are ·i_n[tueqw"t·�

and that they may neeJ. considerable modification.b.dditionally,who is to cay .

that the process of evolution is comple te? I think it p lau sib le . t hat IJan is

still far from realising his gull potential,espe cially where the mind is. con­cerned.Bearinr; all this in mind w0 may outline what appears to be a sen::able

way of approachin� UFO inve sti gati on and research.

NORTHERN UFOLOGY OCTOBER 1979 · PAGE 5

UFO RESEARCH - THE

1: Scientific Method: Since scientific do�mas are �overned by perceptions of roe.:-.

i ty, true research can only be confined to this reality& u:1less or until i t.s bot:n ·­

daries are further �xpanded.We know from experi8nce that the only way to conduct research is by adopting an object;ive approach: t.o a problem. It is the sole reason that ::tan has progressed from a cave-living existence.Althou_sh many of us are hot scientists in. the true sense,this is no way prevents objectivity .or the emp· loyment of scientifiq method.It is surely far better to emulate the scientist than not.Very helpful in this area are two articles I would receommend.-"Advice for Ufolo. �y'' and· "Rationality and its limitations" both· by· Dr· I Gra ttan-{;uiness:; (1) They illustrate th� above point clearly. ·· ; 2 : Investi�ation:

S�nce all research is based on this it is imperative that .the hi�hest standard of accuracy and pres�.;ntabili ty be attained�At th� .NUFON �eetfng ·

in Crewe (Fob 24 1979) Peter Warrinston outlined the many factors to be ac�unted for in the witness interv�ew.These'were mainly concerned with visual perception; s:tress etc. Whilst highly commendable it would be diff_icult,if not ·impossible., to. adopt such ideas with any degree of practicability.

It is a major 'diffic�lty to know how to interview a witness,since e�eryone has a unique personality.It wou::.cl be best at the beginning of an intervie·w to stipulate - in forceful but genial terms - that a witness should say if he is uncertain of anythin�s .A!l inva.luable aid to anyone with minimal experience of interviewins UFO percipients was produced by Trevor Whitaker (2) .

£ince investL:sa i;;ion also involves the interviewer care must be take11 1-:Jy them J

Biased preconceptions must under no circumstances be consciousay intro�ucodcit mCl.y be ar�U:erl that we sho.uld not question a witness rersetrdin� other, pos;.::;J bly

· ·

related,experiences ( eg the familietr ':psychic phenomana' ) since we are p:cirnarily concernecl with obtaining information on the UFO report.I personally feel:howevl"'J:·,, that if su�h events objectively exist they shoukd be.docom0ntedoThe reason is simoi;:-If the UFO event is a close encounteqand if he has had previcus or sub-··· sequent psychic experiences,then there is at.least a case for a possible linka·�ery To blindly state that we should simply question a witness about the UFO exp-· erience is,to say the least,rather short-sighted.

Another ne�lectou aspect is the · n ..JO· ::s ;_·· of the witness fZ�:.: a co�nsellor r:Many percipients habe hact. traumaric experiences,and it Ihs up. to the investi{ator to provide what help he can,I woulu now like to quote from'a paper presented oy John Brent Mus_;rave to the CUFOS conference in Chicago _in April 1976· (.3) - ··

"Attention has foc'rlsed. on the UFO. percipient as a source oi' inforniationoBut at· fielcl investicrator level little attention has been paid to the UFO. perci])ient A.�: a person who has experienced s;omething that potentially is the most traumatic;' or 'meaningful' experience of life" He. goes on, •• " in rtclcll tion to uncoverinc; valuable data,attention must be paid to the well-being of the pe�son who�has. experienced the phenomenon.Lack of attention.to_this o� the prtr� of some UFQ investigators has meant. that investi�;ations have sometimes hei��htened the anx-� ·

iety associated with a UFO event.It may even -turn out that the 'investigato+s. role as healer or counsellor outwei�hs their role as ,d�ta gatherers�UFO inv-estigation· has to be concerned with e

'thics as· well as scientific method.()"

These quotes outline a virtually untouched area,but �.responsibility the· in-restic�ator must accept. The need for practic�l training on c.lose encounter :::lv·-· estigation is urgont.How man� t�es do we hear of a witness refusing to say more about the events,following. the approach of e;ul tist or inexperienced . (and consequently unsympathetic) investi�ators? .

A final very important point concerns the actual approach to the rli tness,. I -c i£ not for the investi �a tor to dress �;randly . and speak lfke royalty rrhen the wi�ness is obvdl.ously incompatible wi.th this lifestyle,The converse app1j_es alsor An irresponsible attitude will immediately introcluce .stress.,It is i!nperG..tive to discover the percipients lifestyle and con<lUEt oneself accordingl�· � .�-1ch points may seem trivietl but they are not.Witnesses can be alienated from the.: investi��ator otherwise.On more ·bizarre cases witnesses must feel at e.1.0c ·to l'e· late their information,ancl so an in

.vestie;ator must .. make every effort -�o be

friendly.'.:.he witness must have a -hi;�h opinioq of the �nvE;sti:;sators� I have dwelt on investigati1on as· it .is the root problem(;Not enough .:r:-:?.pe�

investigations are conducted,ancl we· therefore la.ck source.-data .. for_ rec�ear:�n:l

Ja The Case Rep.ort 1 A report .cri teria,£ormulated by John Hind, is· bein,:s J..:'J.b�ishE�G.

by UFOIN shortly.I will add no more at this sta�e. N�HTHERN UF · ocTOBER 197°

��----����--------------�-�- �

UFO RESEARCH - THE WAY AH�AD ? Cont • • •

4 : Pre sent Research : In the UK we have something of a dilemm 1 .Very little research

has , or is bei n,:-� ,d.one . It is a situati on that must change as · rre know virtually no ·�

thing more than we did 30 years ago . We must continue to become.

properly organ· �

ised , adopt standara termi nology , metho�olo�y and specific ·research groups 0 We also

need to continue to use traditional methods such as computers and_. stati sti c s c Wc

�nust :1.lso see why we are not comi ng up with answers , and I would like to piDopo se

r.n a:nproach that encompasses all aspects of an event .

5 :A Propo sal : Steps must be taken to remfuve ourselves from thi s rut n i would conte nC:�

that we have concentrated too lonJ on the detai ls of reported manife stations a

All thi s work has yielc1ed little except archetype s of shaP,_e , coloy:r etc ... Thi·s mu.st

surely prove the approach is wrong . I propose that we must chan��e our mi s�';u id.ed ..

path and look at all aspec ts of UFOs and .associated phenomena with an or ::m mind ��

THE l:.GV II:NT : ; We should continue . to . collate material on the phys:i.c al cha::aiittor-,

i stic s , but also make note · of the circumstances in which the sig_(n·,i::G

was made ( wi tne ss.movements , psycholo�i cal reacti ons etc )

PERCIPIENT : Far more attention must be pairl to the perci pi ent as an integral

part of the event ; psycholo �i cal and physiolo :i cal make -up } i ntGr e sts �

· holz!bi es , knowled�e p feeling s towards the phenomenon , cll;aimed :para-1�ol·mal

abili tie s .An evaluation by a . trainer1 psychologi st.-; would heliJ :.

SI GHTING : : The mental state of the witne ss when the sie,hting was made 9 atmo s

pheric conditions ( temperature , pressure· , cloud rover apd ltevul ) 1 comp-·

rehensive si te details: are all vital frtctors .

PHENOMENA : : Question the wi tness about having observed o ther ' stran�e event s 9 and

check out for previ ous s ie;htin�s by him or hi s fami ly . C heck if the

events qccurred on a ley-line ( now verified by. c0mputer at· London

Uni versi;ty ) ; check previous sif�htin:;s in the area , other events , hi story

of the area ( e� hauntin.a; s , folklore etc ) . 1{e should co_nsicler messa�e s

from tranc e mediums , automn.tic wri tin�s etc Hi th the simi lari ti e s ( if

any ) . recorderl and re searchecl . Abi li t i e s of PK and telepathy should be

considered .All paranormal events should be yiewed as part of a whole a

There are those who wi ll · que st� on tnuch_ of the above clue to a bias they pos ses.s o .

I f there i s no association with other such . events then there i s no reason why

quewt'ionning wil:).. not support thi s non-association. It i s time to leave -the well

worn trail of UFO . social meetin-�s , petty 'bickering :ncl per sonality clashes o Thi s ·

has led us up the ��arclen path , probably the ri.:;ht way W:i thout our rGa1i sing i t o

We should consicler everythinG , sifti� with strict ·o bjecti vi ty ancl lookin_� at

n.ll that pa,ss e s through . I say this with mi st�i vin'� S si nce I have ho doubt we will .

only know 'what we are suppo sed to ,At lea st if we arropt the pro posal and find ,

nn ::tnswers we will hqve made t=�. more determi ned effort - and enjoyecl i t too �

1 ) " Advice ffur U folo::sy" -FSR Vol 22 N o 4 , p 12 "Rati onali ty and its limi tations" FSR Vol. l9. N o S , p 22

2 ) " Investi-;�ati on Proceedure s" nubli shecl by BUFORA Ltd .

3) " The UFO Invc stir; a tor as counSellor and Healer" FSR V o 1 22 No 5 , p 26 .

.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - � - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - · - - - - - �

UFO RESEARCH - WHAT SHODL� WE DO ? 5) "A Rad� cal Propo sition"

( Secretari n.l Assi stant of FSR 1?u �'lic?:tions) Jenny Randle s MUFORA (UFOIN )

Knowi n�5 what to do -. and how to uo i t - re,�aruJn� lJFO ·research i s a ·=ne�· · _

enni al and vi tal question . I f all we ever ao i s collect - reports �-E? obvi ously -:.et - ·· . :­

nowhere . I ts rather like coun tinr� , one by one. � �he r:rains 0f sand on B lackpoo1

beach,-.-After 30 yea;rs you r�Jrtli s e you have counted one million someth5. r.L(:; s ; b'..lt

you arc no nearer workin�3 out what tho se somethings are , nor what they form, when

�laced to�other . .

·

. .

Of course a bClsic �ue stion has to be whether UFO reports �- i solated grain3

o� a. compo si te whole . If we ana�yse et=tch ��r::ID we -l.:e.t one solution ( chemi cal com· ·

po sition - s'ili ca , quartz e tc ) <tnd ' i f analyse the beach another , (a shiftinr: flu'-cl ,

iike solid J;hat i nteracts i n many · ways with wincl , water etc ) o i t i s not a s simpl0

as mi:-rht be thm.ir"ht to decide whether· we should stucly · UFO .reports or a composit• ·

J • ") .,..)

•:uFO phenomenon' r . My basic cu.ntention i s that the phenomenon i s multi -faqeted n.nd i t i s point - ·

le ss defining re se(l,rc h without reali s��3 thi s .Als� re search must b e multi-­

di sciplined because there are many aSpect s of science ( phys ical and social ) that

are interwovem aA psychc)lo;�i st wi ll , mot su:pri si n:�ly , look for proo f that all U�Os

NORTHEHN UFOLOGY OCTOBER 1979 PAGE 7

A RADI CAL PROPIDSITI ON Cont • • •

share e lements of " mass psycho si s" , wheras a physi c i st wi ll attempt to ci.efine nhy s i c al princi ple s .The problem is that one or other m ight be totally c orrec t . ., J partly correct or completely wrong , so far as the tru e nature of UFOs i s conc erned �

C onse�uently , I feel it i s. impo s sible to say what we should so so far as re search i s conc erned . Rather we mu st ancourar�e multi -di sc i pli ned approache s ·from i ndi vidual standpoi nts in the ho_1)e that answers ·wi ll s lowly fi t to ·� e ther , The real diffi cu lty come s in rlecidin� whi ch data each speci ali s t should study . S11eciali sts . have � nasty habi t of se le ctivity , ni scardi ng data which do es not s eem to fit the i r field .Thi s could be the downfall · of all re search . The o YJ.ly way i s , unfortunately ,· dupli cati on e Ei ther two speciali sts· must .do the same research or each speciali st must do it twic e . I will explai n .

h s sume that a psycholo�i st attempts to look for ev�denc e that UFO reports are products of mas s hysteri a •. He mus t bo th exami ne every c �se �ven thos e whi ch do not seem to fi t ) and also select tho se whi ch , to him , do seem relevant and look for _ patterns in theseii f there i s · an all embrac i ng answer he wi ll find i t ( i f hi s ,

. . · approach i s the ri,;ht one ) since all reports wi ll fi t i t , I f only some of the data fi t s hi s theory then he wi ll be ab le to . demon strate thi s with reference to thG d8.ta whi �h fits and .. that whi ch do es no t ·( which wi ll have cl early di s t i nc ti ve .. attributes ) ·. A simi lar methodolo. �y mu st be adopted by all re searchers .

I wi ll c ite my own opi nions a bout UFO s as example . I fe el the whole t phenomenon has a psycholo 3ical component ( causing a d i s torti on of vi sual perc eption ci.ue to factors such as ' B eli ef ' ) I n extreme Qase s ( ce rtai n cont�c t s ) thi s may be the actual sourc e o f UFO data , but i n . other i ns tance s i t is just a mani pulati ve element ( di stortin� o ther phenomena· i nto a UFO context ) I further beli eve that many UFO s are e x-)licable as rare . or presently unknown nc=t tural phenomena ( opti cal , elec tri c al , . .. · meteorolo;-z;i cal etc ) Some UFO llccounts are pe:r;fec t exampl e s of the se , and it i s pure ly i nve sti;;:atory preconce:;)ti ons whi ch twi st the imterpreta.tion t o anyth ing else o Others are hen. vily influ enc ed by . psycholo.-�i cal . overtones .As for anythinr'; el se - the EXOTIC UFO I call i t - · I am not · convinc ed it eyeh e:ci s t s.! I do not deny tho po s sibi lity of c ourse , but it may · be that the so lutions I hav.e pro po s ed so fn.r are enou �h i n themsel v1: s . -

r1y personal re search s o lution would , therefore , s eem here.ti cc=tl -.To·' p�oc oed on the 1s sumption ( not belief) that EXOTI C UFOs don ' t exi s t . We sti ll need many ki nd s -:r:: s· )eciali st from -both s ides of s c ienc e , but I would wai t to see . . how they. fared 1--e:fore de cidin·� what · - if anythin -� - remai ned . I t c ould be al l their effort s · would sti ll leave a shaay area ( the .EXOTI C UFO ) and we would

, the n · .haveto .· pr; . po se thecri e s

for i t s interpret3.:ti on . on · the · o ther hand they may effec,tiv\Jly . explcii n �verythi n�:� o Since thi s i s a :oo s s i bili ty we really shou ld tac kl0 thi·s probl�m. first , H c seem to be one ste1) ahea�l of ourselve s - re searchin:� an exqtic enie;ma which we have no conc lu sive proof exi sts .

Huch the same propo sition was put forward by Peter Warrin��ton and I in "UFOs : A Bri t i sh V iewpoi nt" but we did also ki ck arounci. ideas for t he ' EXOTI C UFO ' i f i t exi s t s , Suc h a n approach mu st be lo:.�ic al . . .

Even i f the foregoinG i s �ali<.l ( and i t may not be ) ufolo �i s t s are . not redundant . · We are specifically �ood at . c_oll.ecting . data and aidi � wi tne s s e s and ·should conti nue to clo thi s wi th groater effec t . No 'd6.ubt some · of us · wi·ll · -be able to re search the se physical/ psycho lo ·� i c al po s sibi liti e s and I wou ld not evon rleny the v::tlu e of propo s i ng testable " exoti c " the ori e s . Paul Whetnall propo sed an �xtremely i nterestin� iaea that a natural e l e c tric al phenomenon may scramble brain wave s and tri ·�eer psycho lo :; ical experi enc e s !' Pat Grant of UFOIN is also workin·s o n simi lari ci e s between UFO enco�nter effec t s and mi�rai ne and epi le psy sufferers . The poi nt is that for re search to ' be meanin �ful one must propo se a

thoory - su �gest the effec t s of i t bein� true - then · te s t thorn a�ai nst the data . One can do thi s fur all the ideas sugge sted so far i n thi s arti c le . One c anno t clo i t for the ETH or i nterdimen si nal i deas etc , si nce i t i s impo s s i ble to pred i c t th\3 effect s of suc h theori e s being true . C on sequently I ar ue i t i s lo;:Si cal to di s c ard them fnr the time b e i ng ( even i f in the lon;-z; term they are=· vali d )

p,;rsonally I would like t o s e e a study o n .tb� lin e s o f the CONDON C ommi ssion 9

involvi ng a number of re searchers t e sti nr; di fferent wor�able . hy1iothe ses :J. �ai nst s ta. nclarcli s ed . �oorl qmali ty data . A t the and of a set time · period each i nd.ividuals work c ould be collated , publi sherl and studi ed by ex:1ernal .s c ient� fic opi nion to decide whether the work had ade�uate ly explained the areas of UFOlogy or whether there was scope for hraader po s si bili ti e s .• J£i ther way we would have learnt a ·lot .

N e edle ss to say the li kli hood i s no t hi� �h that suc h a pro j e c t wi ll come about wi thi n the scientific fratern i ty jus t now , bu t I fe el that there are eno��h

·

OCTOBER 1979 PAGE 8

. .. .. .

... � RADICAL PROPOSITION Cont • • •

· odicated and knowled��able ufolo�ists iri Bri tairi to initiate such a study .£2! , _u!:'�elves tt When publi shed it may set scientific minds at work • .

If anyone reading this feels , as I do , that · we . not only could but . �hould do t41::.. s to give an injection of life into UF'O research I very much would like to ht)ar from them . Perhaps , then , we can stop t;t.lking ,and start doing, something positive :

. ..

. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -·..:..!.-·- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - � : ,

INVESTIGATIONS SECTION

Ref Date Time Location 78-241 Jul 16 23 . 1 1 G lrts.sow , Scotland 7964 Feb ? 21 . 00 Clayton , Staffs 7968 Jul 2 00 . 3C St Helens ,. Msyside 7969 Jul .26 00 . 55 Kirkby ,Msyside 7970 Aug 5 01 . 42 Canno�k , Staffs 7971 Sep 5 20 . 20 BluY.ton , Staffs

HEDIUM DEFINITION ACTIVITY - · · -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I '

Event ( Investir.;a tion :ci:val . Tri.angular LITS David Sydeserff D I nsuff Red' & beams UFORA A Helicopter W LITS ( 30min) MIGAP c, Star? W .LITS MIGAP C Aircraft ? . Buzzing LITS UFO SI S B · Aircraft R &. W LITS UFORA .. '"A HelicopteJe

l+i 21 Summer 13 ., 15 Rainhill ,Msyside MIGAP C Insuff (Fire Officer sa1l grey cigar dart v. fast � about · sky , hoverill.;.� 4 times in 5 mins) 6617 June 22 . Q O Ga�loway , Scotland

. · . David Sydeserff B Insuff.

(' vloman and family saw ci�ar for 4 mins .Green/,Orange haze surrounding it) -7966 Mar 22 03 . 00 Solihull , W .Midlands .UFOSI S A Meteor ? . ( �loman FC saw . for 4 secs a large _ cigar , whi te· · wi'th sharp outline .Moving like ��teor _

but she c laim� it was very laree - estimates 120 ' + . . ":"' several other FC s in Coventry" ,:.llegedly witness . also .Attempts beinp; made to trace these) · · . '

:to? Jun . 1 13. '1 5 Newcastlef�Staffs · · UFORA A- Insuff , ·

,- ;�an and dau�hter saw �ilver/black oval fall , like :teaf on breeze , then climb away an��l8 .. in ·similar · manner .-5 mins durs,tion ! Po�s.�hle wind blown debris ?)

� ' .

-=' \:��Li!_�g_-�1_-!g_�_QY�-�Q��Q�'E Investigation by Peter Ho:;ben (tiiOSI S ) · - -- ... .. _ __ __ . . ·· -· ---

-

?c�bru:try i 7 1979 Stourport ,Wo�testershire Level A MED UNKNOWN _ _ _ .. ____ �--- · · · ·

Two 13 year old r-;irls . . we:r:-e witness to a stJ;."ange object as they , traveikl�d the fmr yards from one of their houses to ano�her-.:ht ' first they assumed it was · an . � . . .

2-ircraft but it remained statiobary and si.lent in the SE . I t was also rotating · · . . . . .

on its axis and flashing co�o�s (red , blue , green and orange) .They crossed_ a : ·

r>laying field . as a short cut , a · little frig�te1,1ed,�_ .by _ :Lt , and · saw· it had - moved� � it now being in the ENE . • It was estimated ,as 200 yards away· and 200 · feet · .off the .. ,· .

��round. They stood watching : it rotate for. 5 minutes , , · : ' and . then saw it climb · slightly and move · ar1ay· N, bef.- . . ) \</hi te ore back-trackine; and movfn:� away SE ,di sal_Jpea::r;..ing at ._,

150 bearing. No sound · or · effects ·noted ·.-at any , .tim�-•- .

. 1\Spin The R;irls ran tq. the house · where 'one of their fathers J � came out but ' saw nothinB.Due · to their fear i t w�s

- -� - reported to the police .-No aircraft were il). · the area and the cloud ceilinr; was 2 -J()O feet at the ' time of sighting ( 21 . 00) Visibility. . .. w�s only 2-3 Km and wind speed 8 knotts from the NNE . In view of this no plau�ible cxplanatioh seems possible . ( PS : Both these :�irls lived at No .23 respectively in their roads. I t· has struck me

how prominent this number is in UFO circ1�es - and not just because I live at No. 23 � An article on page 32 of I ssue 23 of FORTE11.N TIMES gives much thou��ht on tl)e eni:�ma of the apparant sir';nificant coinc:ldenc�s involving thi&. '-1'1umber • • EDITOR) - - - - - , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - � - - - - - - - - - - -- - - ��

·- - - - - - - - - � - - - -�- .

LOvl IilNEL GIANT UFO IN CHESHIRE ' · - - L ..... - - · - - · - - - - - ..;, - - - - -· - - - - - - - - - ... - -

Investir;atio.n by Martin· . . Keatman · ( UFORA) overr."'.Jer 28 1978 Ho lines Chapel·,·cheshire · . . -· · . . tevel.J3 .. .. CE 1 EM? IDNKNOWN - ·.

This is a most impressive case , extremely well investi�ated .Anthony L�kin,who .

. . . .

.. .

. _ _ . .

;:-::-ks with the witness , obtained a report form and interview within 3 days of the · · ·ents and so the details would appear tb be very consi stant.T11.e witness (age 26)

� senior projectionist at a cinema in Stafford but works for ·securicor part-time •

.:: i s regardeq _p,s reliable , observant arid trustwothy-. His. wife attests to his .).:c:. ted and slie;htly. shocked state on arrival- hoiJlB .. _ af.:ter . . th.� _ _ i}1C:i��n_t �-

·- --- - ·· . . .

. -. --

l'�ORTHiliN UFOLCGY OC110BER 1979 · . , Pil-GE 9

LOW LEVEL GIANT UFO IN CHESHIRE Cont, , , First a sighting on November 1� ( 1J. days before ) i s rele ,rant . The witness was

previously sceptical abou t UFOs , 0n this ni�ht he · was drivin� a new Securicor E scort out of Northwich when he saw two white lights ( as bJ� ig�t as Venus ) side by side . Hi � Pye Olympic transmitting radio ·� �as on ( in low receivin� mode so as he woulr l not be startled suddenly) and thi s wa-s · �rowned out w5 th static a He put on the squelch control but thi s- had no e�feot.P.%..t.�� _f.ive seconds the ' light streaked ::1way into c loud , Time was 04, 00 . . · · · ·· ·· · -· · · · ·· · · ·

lit a simi lar time on November 2P he was · driving a Securicor load to Warrinston on the M§ n.nd w:as passing close to the Holmes C hapel junction (1 8 ) .A ' $.h.qotin g s·ta::.: ·

to hi s left attrac--t�d his · -attention , seemi ngly 1..9-_t!d.in� in the ad jacent . fi eld s o Then he saw a very large stati onary oval light in the N�T o He slowed and watched i t , and was very pu� zled o He turned off

Fin _ · . . .' . . . _ the

. Junction s�i p road , stopped c:nd ��ot C?ut - �-eavi ng

eng1ne and rad1 o on .A car raced by , b�t he cGu:.,_d not ·

· · stop i t . Then the light be£San to move slowly towards him � He watched as it came sil ently and extremely low ( estimate 59 metre s ) a in pani c ( he thou�ht it had seen him) he stepped back to - the van door and heard the1 radio ��ain suffering intense stati� . The uan en�ine was not effected , He switched off th� radi o o The object pass eel directly overhead on a SE course and was extremeJy_:)�c-e ( a large dinner plate at arms len:.�th ) Due to i t s speed i t took eight seconds·· · ta· -:na s::f . . . ·- · · fully overhead , The underside was dark ·and· ·bevelled , s eemingly metal�ic a Ther€{ � - ... appeared to be a fin -at the rear . The light was coming out from the fron:c iri tl·Io beams angled up and down at 45 degree an gle s . The lower one was , so bright :it�. cast a shadow on the ground , For a short whi le , when close st to overhead , he heard a ·faint . . buzzin� but otherwi se total silence despite the extreme lovr he ight. . The object moved away in a curve SE and i n ail was in view 4 mi �ute s a Weather wa s cold · ( minus ­five ) , no wind and no c loud .Manche ster Airport had no . traffic . I t i s mo st ;intei:-- · e sti � to compare thi s with case 78-214 ihvesti�ated by Peter Warri rrgton v-rhich occurred just 33 hours before at Whalley Bridge about 15 M east � Hero · 3 students s�w an almost identic al obj ect - dn.rk , massive , slow and silent� with a ' fin t . at t�1e rear and huge searchl,ights at the front . That too was uriexpl?-iried ·! . . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ .,.. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____ ______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ �----- ---·------ - --

�-�����-��-��2� Multi ple sightings and PSI events I nvesti5ated David Sydeserff

Richard Ma.cDowell ( 6 5) his wife and grown up daughter H'\.:;:i�"u . all cta:l.ri1 . riml ti"ple si�htin� s and ESP · event s . Marion i s claimed to be very , psychic .Witnesses believe in ETH and that only psychic people see UFOs . Thi s may b e relevant , Marion has faulty eyesi�ht . Richard· had. a brain operation in 1967 . Witne sses live in Edinburgh. ·

Se);ltember 19�0 - 21 , )0 Hu sband and wife saw stati6n�ry cigar with short blue

flames at rear . Howered 2 mins then sped away fa�t . to ' the south . N o so�nd . Winter 76-77 · - 06 , 00 dark mass took off in pitch black from park ( where Richard

was walkintf the do� ) Very large with serie s of squB:-re .:-ri�dov-rs on ef);:-:;8.c Crav-rled along the sround before ri si ng into the- sky �nd passint overhead very lOWo

Summer 1977 � 22, 00 eolden. ball chaw�in� shape _to cigar seen by all fami ly O\e� Meadowbank stadium - moving about above stand .Duration ' up to _ 25 minutes o

Late September 1978 22. 00 - large , ball_ of white li�ht seen moving by whole (family, Si lent.h.ircra:ft seen before w�s cleadl\;ning . ·· ·

Jan 25 1979 . - Ol , OO_ whole· family s�¥ blinkin� blue light whi ch moved slow,ly then ho�ered . Aircraft flew underneath - se�n clearly a s air�raft and heard o UFO then disappeared. · _ . .

·

.

All these, si:�hting s occurred in Edinburgh except the 1978 (Torretnolinos:.;Spain ) PSI experien�e s in.c lude 1nystery ·soiinds·, foot steps and several g'hos_ts seen by all three - including their dead cat ( which the . dog .saw als_o and rea-c ted ) ·. and a Roman Le�ionnaire . Hrs M also heard her grandmother caliin'�· her aft�r she died o

Dr Joh.nJ3.e_�9ff � ( the SPR ) who is from the PsyC(hology de:pari;,m�nt �t Edinbur�� Ur. :. versi ty heard ·· the interview tape.s .. .an9. . . p�9posed that the fe1.m1 ly had some .t<:lncl of coll ective · hallucination whi ch they shared.-.T.fie. )'SI has· ·no ·_· ·more

_oojecti ve

roali ty than ··the UFOs ... The i_nve stigator has re serv<i"ti ons- - a..bout. thi9. .:l � q�a •.

: . . :: . . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ,;,.. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ . CASES THI S MONTH : 1 3 2_ - {JFO ( = 1 5 . 4%-) 5 - Insuff d_ata , 2 Helicopter : 2 Aircraft ,

1 Mefeor , 1 Star � ·

Cases ' fromr S�ot land 1 Merseyside. , Cheshire , Staffs , W , Midlands , WorCEStershire Thanks to : David Syde serff , ClffiYSI S .( John Wats0h) l ·MIGAP � MUFORA ( Ron . Sergeant ) , .

UFORA ( Stephen - Banks & �Ic\rtin Keatmah ) ,UFO SJ S , · . .

- - - - - - - - - - - -- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -.- � - - - - :._ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ __.,....,. __ .

NORTHERN UFOLOGY OCTOBER 1979 PAGE · 10