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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.
# Brilliant Object Seen In Whangarei Sky 4 MAY 1955 EARLY this morning Whangarei was brilliantly and briefly illuminated. The light came from an object which flashed across the sky from west to east at such terrific speed that it seemed to vanish almost as quickly as it was sighted. The phenomenon was reported by, longer view. The phenomenon was reported by Mr J. Coutts and Mr T. Fields. of Morningside Road, who were on their way home from their work at Portland. They had just crossed the bridge in Porowini Avenue when they heard a swishing noise accompanied by a brilliant light. Instinctively they ducked, so close did the noise appear. As they straightened again they saw an object, which Mr Coutts this morning described as being like a rugby football. The whole of the object was aglow and had a tail which emitted sparks. The whole of the object was aglow and had a tail which emitted sparks. So terrific was the speed that its appearance and disappearance over Mt Parahaki were practically simultaneous. If they had been walking in the opposite direction, Mr Coutts said, they might have had a better or Because of its speed, the object was over and past them without warning. They were conscious only of the light, noise and speed and the glimpse of the object itself. Mr Coutts was unable to estimate the height or size of the object. He could not say whether or not it might be a meteor as he had never seen one, but Mr Fields, who had seen a meteor, did not consider there was any resemblance. Mr Coutts said that, in his opinion, it would have been impossible for life, as known to the human race, to exist in such a glare and at such speed. He said he would not attempt to identify it, and had only reported it at the insistence of Mrs. Coutts, who considered that other people would be interested in the experience. Mr Coults had a final comment: Mr. Courts had a final comment. "No Russian was in it," he said. Flying Saucers and Commonsense, by Wavney Gibson (Frederick Muller, through Oswald Sealy, 10/6). Mr. Girvan, who has been closely associated with the literature of the flying saucer, examines the sceptic's case against this inter-planetary phenomenon, and decides that it is compounded of "prejudice, ignorance and faulty reasoning." He certainly keeps the flying saucer argument alive, and succeeds in bringing governments into the picture. There are illustrations of various "saucers." Sp. je, Gravity and the Flying Saucer, by Leonard G. Cramp (Werner Laurie, 10/6). Mr. Gramp believes in flying saucers and seeks to establish in this book a definite pattern from the saucer reports that will establish the saucers' means of flight. There are some intriguing original theories on space flight that may hold the attention of his readers even if they find the flying saucers rather much to swallow. "The Young Traveller in Space" is one to entertain and educate adults as well as young people in the facts and theories of space flight. There are illustrations, some in colour, to support the text. You are reminded here that man's conception of flight through space did not begin in the present age. Cyrano de Bergerac in 1656 had visions of such journeys, and Verne and Wells offered theirs. He covers the ground from these to modern experiments in the dispatch of animals into space by rocket and to the extension of man's knowledge of life on other planets. The author is former chairman of the British interplanetary Society. ## BRIGHT OBJECT IN SKY PROBABLY LARGE METEOR A bright object seen in the sky by a Johnsonville resident early on Sunday morning was probably a big meteor or fireball, Mr. L. L. Thomsen, director of the Carter Observatory, said yesterday. Writing to "The Dominion" the resident said he saw "a large, circular light of reddish-blue tinge" which flashed down in a northwesterly direction and disappeared at the back of Tawn Flat. The light, which was not accompanied by noise, was about the size of a full moon Mr. Thomson said he had received no other reports of the sighting of any such object. Meteors—known as fireballs when particularly brilliant—were by no means rare, however. There was an illusionary effect with them—they seemed quite close though they were many miles away, he addd. It was most likely that the meteor, if such it was, would have disintegrated in the atmosphere. Sometimes meteors did reach the earth but there were no reports of any landing in the Wellington area, at least for many years. # Strange Object Flashed Across Sky WHANGAREI, Today (PA) this morning Whangarei was antly and briefly illuminated. came from an object which across the sky from west to such terrific speed that it so vanish almost as quickly as sighted. The phenomenon ported by Mr. J. Coutts and Field, who were on their way from their work at Portland They had just crossed when they heard a swishing sound companied by a brilliant bark stinctively they ducked, so the noise appear. As they raned again they saw an object Mr. Coutts this morning demeaning like a Rugby football. The whole of the object and had a tail which emitted So terrific was the speed the pearance and disappearance was practically simultaneous. If they had been walking in the opposite direction, Mr. Coutts said, they might have had a better or longer view. Mr. Coutts was unable to estimate the height or size of the object. He could not say whether or not it might be a meteor as he had never seen one, but Mr. Fields, who had seen a meteor, did not consider there was any resemblance. Because of its speed, the object was over and past them without warning. They were conscious only of the light, noise, and speed, and the glimpse of the object itself. Mr. Coutts said that, in his opinion, it, would have been impossible for life, as known to the human race, to exist in such a glare and at such speed. He said he would not attempt to identify it, and had only reported it at the insistence of Mrs. Coutts, who considered that other people would be interested in the experience. Mr. Coutts had a final comment "No Russian was in it," he said. [Mr. I. L. Thomsen, director of the Carter Observatory, to whom the report was referred said he thought the object was probably a meteor. "I should say that this meteor, from its description and the noise it emitted was what we would call a fireball. I is usually very uncommon to hear.
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