Aviation Pioneer Sees UFO in 1931

originally posted by: wmd_2008

originally posted by: nablator
"Like a pearl with a tail."

It reminds me of this curious optical phenomenon: Easyset case May 21, 2011 (French).

Well quick look at the pictures and NO exif data (why?) typical of ufo sites, the camera has obviously focused on the wing the supposed ufo in this case looks like another aircraft out of focus due to depth of field now if we had exif data that could be checked!!!

This is actually the shadow of the aircraft the pictures were taken from. It likely is in fact, in focus... Perhaps not. But the bright object is the light reflecting around the aircraft shadow and the trail is the shadow of the contrail. All cast on the clouds below. I have witnessed the exact same thing...many many many times. This is absolutely not et.

a reply to: SecretKnowledge

It wasn't a machine. He saw something, just as he was intended to.

The whole fading thing is a clue. These are kind of like a mirage, created somehow by energy, in another dimension. They fade in and out, doing all they can to maintain, and stay in our dimension. The beings that do this somehow band together to increase power, and break through. I had a guy standing in this very room. He looked like us, but his skin was glowing. Within seconds he faded away. He spoke first.

originally posted by: sparky31
and 100% want to believe him but going to throw spanner in works by suggesting like so many excuses he was seeing another planet,one of the first flights its oh so possible.

I would have to disagree...he said he could see the waves through the aircraft as it vanished. I'm quite certain that there are no known planets that exist between airplanes and the ocean during flight.

Basically he is describing a foo fighter personally I don’t believe the foo fighters were related to extraterrestrial activity it is interesting to note that foo fighter sightings diminished greatly with the introduction of jet powered aircraft.

Could the foo fighters phenomenon actually have been a natural phenomenon possibly caused by prop wash causing friction in the surrounding air resulting in static electricity discharges. To me this theory would explain a lot of the common characteristics noted in foo fighter sightings and it certainly has more credibility than the alien and paranormal theories.

a reply to: brianporter

Plausible but i dont recall foo fighters vanishing slowly and therefore being see through.
Also were'nt they round? We have here a description of a teardrop shape or "like a pearl with a tail" to be exact

I agree with most of the posts so far.


People who have that much experience, are trusted enough and truthful enough to get knighted by the Queen of England.

Pretty safe to say, if he says he saw something, you can bet your ass he did. People that caliber have no reason to make it up, theres nothing to gain, only lose by admitting to it.

originally posted by: visitedbythem
a reply to: SecretKnowledge

It wasn't a machine. He saw something, just as he was intended to.

The whole fading thing is a clue. These are kind of like a mirage, created somehow by energy, in another dimension. They fade in and out, doing all they can to maintain, and stay in our dimension. The beings that do this somehow band together to increase power, and break through. I had a guy standing in this very room. He looked like us, but his skin was glowing. Within seconds he faded away. He spoke first.

Sounds interesting, you should start a thread about that.

On topic, it could of actually been an electromagnetic ufo, check out member The Gut's excellent Thread on the topic

a reply to: Biigs

Exactly, and precisely my point in my OP.
This man had everything to lose and absolutely nothing to gain so that makes for it to be totally the truth.
Also back then there was no such thing as a "ufo" or "flying saucer" so he couldnt even put a name or tag on what he saw. Accounts like this, on film, this old, pre-1947 are gold

After this early flight, Chichester went on to a career in aviation followed by his adventures in single-handed yacht racing.

He wrote more than a dozen aviation and sailing journals and accounts.

His written accounts of his sailing adventures became very popular best-sellers and I read them all.

Never once did Sir Francis ever write anything about sighting a UFO on his earlier flight.

He continued to race yachts and write about it well into the 1970s and even when the Flying Saucer craze was at it's height, Chichester must not have considered his experience to be of any importance because he never mentioned it again.

a reply to: Psynic

Maybe he didnt want any attention from the ufo crowd, which seems likely.
This was a "sir" a man of some prestige.

Seems like he was'nt the type to talk about it much

Mistaking a planet or star for an unidentified flying object has always been the military governments easy way out. Right up there with weather balloons and ice crystals.

a reply to: nablator

interesting looks a bit like the description

Well done OP, good find.

I wasn't aware that Chichester had had a UFO encounter. Like you say, the early ones are far more credible, and the fact that he is talking about it in 1965 still gives a credence to the story. I see no reason not to believe him.

As you are all aware, UFO's only became popular with Kenneth Arnold's story which brought the term 'flying saucers' into the public realm in 1947. However, they are plenty of accounts of UFO encounters going back as far as the 1800s.

brianporter:

Could the foo fighters phenomenon actually have been a natural phenomenon possibly caused by prop wash causing friction in the surrounding air resulting in static electricity discharges.

Quite plausible, as even German pilots saw the same phenomenon, thinking that it was some secret allied weapon. It didn't require certain atmospherics to appear, as it was witnessed in all types of weather.