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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.
“Open Minds”13 pages
# 15 November 1955. ## NEW PLYMOUTH. ## Dear I attach a report from the Director of the Carter Observatory on the facts set out in your letter to me about your experience on November 5th. You will notice that in dropping two degrees toward the horizon the planet moves two degrees to the South. If there was a substantial degree of refraction and you continued to see the planet after it had dipped below the horizon the apparent movement would be even more marked. Your report is of considerable value in that it confirms that Venus presented a spectacular sight at the time and in the position of the object reported by Captain Rainbow. It seems remarkable to say the least if the object he observed was not Venus as well, especially in the later stages of his observation when the objects would have been well separated. The conclusion seems inescapable that he allowed his aircraft to veer off course thus giving the effect of relative movement of the planet. Thank you very much for your letter and your careful observations. Yours sincerely, （T. P. SHAND）
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