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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.
## FLYING SAUCERS PAGE 19 There was scarcely a wisp of a cloud anywhere near heavens I thought "a. I seeing things" or was I being tentalized ??. Dazzling flashes continued in four or five different places to the left, but still I could pick out no planes. There out of some clouds to my right front I saw another of the same airships advancing. I fixed my gaze on it, determined not to look away for the fraction of a second. I'd see what happened to this one, if I had to chase it. It drew steadily closer until perhaps a mile away, when right under my gaze as it were it suddenly vanished. I was astonished. But it reappeared close to where it had vanished, I watched it angrily with fixed intentions. It drew closer; I could see the dull gloam of light on nose and back. It came on, but instead of increasing in size it diminished as it approached. When quite near, it suddenly became its own ghost. For one second I could see right through it, and the next instant, as quickly as a flame can vanish, it had vanished. A diminitive cloud formed perfectly to the shape of an airship and then to vanish or seemingly disolve. I turned to the flashes, those too had now vanished, I felt stranded in solitude; it was intolerable. 4 LETTER FROM MR CHICHESTER. Dated 23rd September 1953. ## Dear Mr Fulton Many thanks for your letter of the 15th August. Yes, I consider that I was one of the first people to see a Flying Saucer, or at any rate what people call a flying saucer. As my account of it was published in 1932 when nobody had thought of Flying Saucers I feel it must be regarded as absolutely authentic. The description appears in my book "Seaplane Solo", published by Faber & Faber (later published by George Allen & Unwin under the title " Alone over the Tasman Sea "starting on page 299 line 11. Please let me know if there is anymore information I can give you. Yours Sincerely Signed Francis Chichester. ## P. S. Francis Chichester now controls an Air Navigation School, in London. He is an Air Navigation Specialist and map publisher. We are most appreciative of Mr. Chichester's co-operation. Ed. ## XMAS GREETINGS To all Representatives Honorary Observers and readers of C.S.I. Review. May we wish you a most joyous Xmas, a view of Her Majesty The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and a prosperous New Year.
Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 445 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.