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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
from low cloud, but not those seen on clear nights or by day. Some people, specially round about six p.m., see spots in front of their eyes, but it is unusual for ground crew, air crew and radar operators, plus a good sprinkling of civilian witnesses, all reporting independently, to see the same bright disc doing the same antics in the same place at the same time unless there is really something there. Yet this has happened. In the absense of absolute proof of the reality or otherwise of flying saucers, we should as Kickshaws suggests maintain an open mind on the subject. (The President of C.S.I. recently had the pleasure of visiting Mr. & Mrs Bonallack and spent two very pleasant evenings discussing the progress of flying saucer research among other things). Strange Object In Sky (Letter to Editor, Dominion, Wellington 25 Jan. Sir, Though one is lead by some authorities to disbeleive in the flying saucer theory I, for one, and probably many more, believe it to be correct. To help me believe further, while at Waitarere Beach on Dec 30 last, at 10.45 a.m.; my neighbour and his friend, sitting in a car looking out to sea, noticed an object like a plane coming in from the sea. When my attention was called to it, the object appeared to be changing course, not as a plane in a circular fashion, but approx in a vee course. As I watched it, it appeared to tilt and flash in the Sun as it changed course, and went out to sea in the same direction from which it had come or arrived. Ohakea, Nelson, N.A.A.C. and the overseas base was checked with, but no planes were reported in that area at that period. It could not have been a plane, as the wind was blowing in off the sea, and no sound of plane engines could be heard at any stage. A "met" balloon could not have acted in this way this object did, as when it reversed its direction it would have to have gone against the wing. Four people saw this object at the same time in the same area, and were not seeing spots before there eyes. If this was not a saucer what was it. (Many thanks Brian Maökrell for also sending in this report) Jan 28 1954 A Brilliant Meteor . Certainly a very bright meteor or meteors fell towards the south-east over the South Island leaving a very colourful display and must of been seen by hundreds that night. C.S.I. thanks all those who sent clippings in, it was extremely interesting to see how many reported the occurrence as due to Flying saucers. Some Astronomers say that every time a meteor falls up to 500 reports of saucers pour in. This we know as nonsense. From the large writeup this recent received in the main South Island Dailies there was only one mention of Flying Saucers. February 9 . The Auckland Star gave C.S.I.'s Statistical Release a front page write up . The contents of this release accompany (as a loose leaf) the Quarterly Review. February 12 Whangarei. STRANGE LIGHTS FLEW IN ARC OVER WHANGAREI. Two strange lights which could of been flying saucers were seen to fly in an arc over Whangarei last night. They were watched by two business men, Messrs T.H.Busck and R.E.A.Laery and two Auckland visitors who saw them Rust Lane at 10.50 P.M. Mr Busck who saw the objects first, had time to draw the at-tention of his friends to them and the quartet saw two fairly faint yellow lights describe an arc across the town and disappear to the south-east. Mr Busck said this morning that the two lights appeared from the general direction of Parahaki moving side by side in more or less parallel flight. There was no noise. They appeared to be at great altitude and a long way off. From their pace and distance covered they could of been outside the
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