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This is a New Zealand Defence Force public release of RNZAF file AIR 39/3/3, "Flying Saucers," which covers 1952 to 1955 and was declassified in September 2010 under the Official Information Act. It collects sighting reports from the public and military personnel, press clippings, and a table of 1952 sightings. It also holds Carter Observatory opinions attributing some reports to meteors. A large part covers the inquiry into lights seen from National Airways Corporation Flight 108 on 31 October 1955, which the RNZAF could not fully explain as Venus.
“Christchurch”32 pages
Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.
# TIMES ELIMINATE ONE THEORY # Strange Light In Air Definitely Not Venus ## Mystery Light To Be Investigated. THE best part of a day's discussion at Air Headquarters yesterday did not find the explanation of the fastmoving lighted object sighted by the captain, co-pilot, and passengers of an N.A.C. airliner flying north from New Birmouth on Monday night I yawned on Monday night. There is, in all great probability, a simple enough explanation—when someone finds it. Air Commodore R. J. Cohen, who was a passenger, has expressed the opinion that Venus is the answer. This was a first point for discussion yesterday, and the conclusion was that it could not have been Venus, for she had already retired for the night, at 8.6pm, for the height at which the plane was flying, over the line of the horizon had the horizon been perfectly clear, but in fact would have been hidden earlier than that by lowlying stratus cloud. He jettisoned his long-range tanks and did diving turns out to sea. He flattened out at about 4000 feet and the lights followed his general direction, always astern. Following his change of height they descended to about 1000 feet below him but were soon climbing again when he stayed on a level course. At an indicated speed of 260 m.p.h. he gradually drew away from the lights. lying Status Group. Venus, in short, is declared officially out as the explanation, and, so far, nothing has been put in her place. A "post" reporter had a talk with Captain W. T. Rainbow and his co-pilot, First Officer S. G. Trounce. They do not suggest "flying saucers" nor wish their observations to be given any flying saucer flavour or twist. say from the right. Mr. Lumsden said the two tights seemed to maintain an even distance from each other and varied only slightly in relative height from time to time. One was always slightly lower than the other. Captain Rainbow is quite definite about seeing a light which fluctuated "from a bright light, to a brilliant glow" off to the west of the air line at a distance which appeared to be 10-15 miles. ## First Sighting It was first seen at 8.5pm to the rear of the aircraft, which was flying at about 8000 feet between Ohura and Raglan, two regular reporting and control points. It was so reported by radio telephone to Flying Control, Wellington, and there recorded in tape form. At one stage he thought they m' be wing-tip lights of another aircr, but had they been so the other a craft would have been flying right wing down at the impossible angle of 20 to 30 degrees. He experienced no flak or searchlights on the flight. NEW PLYMOUTH, Nov. 3 (PA). A full investigation has been ordered by the Minister in Charge of Civil Aviation (Mr. Shand) into the sighting of a mysterious lighted object by a National Airways Corporation plane crew on Monday night. The acting Minister of Defence (Mr. Halstead) this morning asked the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice-Cooperation of the R.N.Z.A.F. in the 'airy. mak or searchlights on the night. "I found it hard to make other members of the squadron believe me when I told my story," said Mr. Lumsden, "but the following night one of the squadron Night commanders, in the same area, had a similar experience' with a green light." All reports, routine, or otherwise, are recorded. The replaying of this record was, of course, a part of yesterday's discussions. The conversations fixed the times beyond question to a dot. Venus had gone to bed for ## Thinks Strange Light Was ## 4 NOV 1953 ## Planet Venus AUCKLAND, Today (PA). The Royal New Zealand Air Force can call its Inspector General, Air Commodore R. J. Cohen, as a star witness in the top level Services inquiry ordered into the flying light mystery. The probe follows an NAC crew IT'S ANNUAL DAILY EVENT ## Flying Light ## No Illusion, ## Says Captain Also seen by aircraft passengers. The "flying light" object that he saw on Sunday night while flying from New Plymouth to Auckland was not an illusion, said Captain W. T. Rainbow, when he arrived at New Plymouth yesterday. Several other people in the aircraft also saw it, he added. Captain Rainbow was piloting a National Airways Corporation DC-3 aircraft over the Waikato when he first sighted the object. "It was travelling at the same altitude 8000 feet and was clearly visible," he said. "It looked like a marine beacon and kept revolving, so that we could see some kind of porthole in it. The object also changed colour slightly" singular. There was a full moon and visibility was good, said Captain Rainbow. He judged the object's
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