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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.
“Sea”47 pages
## FLYING SAUCERS Page II
ui. We would have been between Uruti and Tahora at the time and flying at 3000 ft, east from New Plymouth. Visibility was excellent and there was no cloud. We all saw them at the same time, they looked so strange we could hardly believe our eyes. At that time of the day we are usually the only people flying. We first noticed three of the objects, they appeared to be hovering at about 7000 ft above us, but as we were flying at 135 m.p.h. it would be difficult to estimate accurately whether or not they were moving.
The objects were oval in shape and looked like giant disos. They seemed to be orange-red in colour with a reddish flame coming from them. We flew on in the same direction for another three minutes and we saw approx 12 more. They appeared to be flying in a single line formation. Suddenly they all climbed steeply and disappeared with altitude.
All are experienced pilots in first class physical condition and have been top-dressing for four years. The pilots further said: "We are quite certain that what we saw are not aircraft as we know them. We have all seen the most modern aircraft flying in New Zealand today and many flying overseas, and these were nothing like any of them.
President of C.S.I. wrote the pilots for all details, but to date there has been no reply. The pilots were members of Rural Aviation Ltd New Plymouth. One of the pilots was interviewed by the broadcasting people and his recorded account was broadcast in Auckland Tuesday 25th May as part of "Daily Diary" programme commencing 6.45 p.m. each evening (IZB). We are fortunate to have a copy of the recording for research purposes.
## -ment
The press published a state-made by C.S.I. President to this effect, May 26, "The report by three top-dressing pilots of Taranaki that they had seen a number of discs in the sky on Monday 24th, was very much like hundreds of reports from overseas. Most of the discs seen fly in line or V formation, (when in numbers) before demonstrating their characteristic swoop upwards with great acceleration to disappear from view. C.S.I. is expecting a number (greater omitted) of reports in June July and August. (it is most difficult to get the press to quote or interpret your statements accurately).
## Other reports of the 24th May
At 8.p.n. in Dunedin skies (same day pilots saw discs) Mr Ted MacDonald of Macandrew Bay Dunedin (railway engine driver) saw on this clear moonless night, a dark cigar-shaped object standing motionless, silhouetted against the brighter part of the milky way. The object appeared jet-black and suddenly moved off fast and smoothly in an easterly direction out to sea. This report was made to Mr Metcalf, President Dunedin Group C.S.I. before the published report of the Taranaki pilots appeared in the press.
Whenuapai Air Force Base: A senior N.C.O. reported to C.S.I. that he, his wife and family had watched two very peculiar coloured lights from their home at Hobsonville, through a pair of binoculars for approx $ \frac{3}{4} $ of an hour. When first seen the two strange lights appeared to be hovering over Whenuapai Base, and appeared to be $ \frac{1}{4} $ mile apart. The lights appeared to fluctuate alternatively with a mixture of gold, red, green and yellow. Through the glasses the lights took definite shape, but to the amazed observer, appeared to be constantly changing form. The strange lights suddenly "just faded out" as an Air Force aircraft approached the airport. A member of C.S.I. informed headquarters that something very similar and strange badly scared two men at Titirangi the same evening. The men it is reported, did not stop to wonder. Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. The text was read from the page images by an OCR model; expect the odd misread word. 445 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.