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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.
“The Advance”22 pages
This observer had time to draw the attention of a man standing nearby, to the object, and it was also reported to have been seen by residents in other parts of Runanga. It was first sighted about 12.45 by a young woman whose attention was attracted by a noise she took to be that of an aeroplane. She said later that she then saw a white streak above the cloud over Mt Davey. She considered the noise was coming from this object, which seemed to be coming slowly down towards the hills. It bore the appearance, she said, of a jet plane, with a quite thin trail of white smoke. It moved slowly, but regularly downwards, before disappearing 'behind the eral runanga residents about the same time. In this case, however, the object was reported to be moving slowly downwards, almost hovering in the sky, before disappearing behind the south-east hills after some 10 minutes. One report said that the object was cylindrical in shape, as the February mid-afternoon visitation was reported to be, and left a long vapour trail. Another Kumara resident said that if the object had made its appearance at night, it would have lit up the whole sky. He could not judge the height of the -object. All were impressed with the roaring noise made by it Though some Greymouth residents have reported sighting the object, it was apparently seen particularly clearly at Kumara where, according to reports, a big proportion of the townspeople saw it. One resident was able to view it through field glasses, though it moved too quickly for any long clear view to be obtained. The February visitation was accompanied by an explosion which seemed to shake the earth being felt over a considerable distance. Today's object was reported to have spread across the sky accompanied by a loud roar like an aeroplane engine. ly similar object went out or view after following a similar Mr Hawke, a wartime pilot, said yesterday that he definitely saw with the other people two strange lights which were moving. They could be likened to pin points of searchlights on the clouds. He was not prepared to offer any opinion as to what they actually were. strange objects said he had no idea what they were but they definitely looked solid, something like an inverted saucer and they travelled fast and smoothly. There was only one object at the start and as it was nearing the northern horizon it was joined by the second object seen by Mr Hawke and customers in the store Air Force officer is also understood to have seen it.
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