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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
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In view of the fact that the fly- producer epidemic has now reached New Zealand, the following report con- dured in the "United States News," January 6, 1950, should be of inter- mer two years spent running down the rumours and reports of numerous flying saucers, the Air Force closed down its investigation last week with this conclusion: There is no such thing. The flying saucers that hundreds of people think they have seen are really: (1) Misinterpretation of various conventional objects; (2) a build form of mass hysteria; or (3) haxes. I am, etc., DUNEDIN, Today (PA).—A "flying saucer" was seen over the suburbs of Dunedin yesterday morning, flying at a height of approximately 5000 to 6000 feet, according to a man who stated this morning that he and his wife watched it for 20 minutes. The observer was Mr. J. P. Burke, an experienced pilot with eight years' flying to his credit, and a former club captain of the Otago Aero Club. He said he was awakened at 2.45am by ringing metallic noise, very similar to that made by a jet engine with a throttle back. The next minute, as he was wakening his eyes, he saw the "flying saucer" through his bedroom window. For fully two-three minutes it flew a straight level course under 6000 feet, but it became gradual climb, disarming. One sight when it reached the cloud, which he estimated to be at 10,000 The "flying saucer," he said, looked exactly like an inverted cymbal played by a dance-band drummer. It had raised portion on the upper centre portion, and directly underneath was an oblong part. The whole part, making a ringing noise, was filled with a greenish-blue phosphorus light, and was about the shape of Douglas Dakota aircraft. Think I Seen A Saucer' Two correspondents to "The Press report having seen objects on Saturday night which they consider may fall into the category of "flying saucers." The first correspondent says that at about 10.10am on Saturday while travelling from the city to London, he saw "two objects in the sky, rising at high speed. There was a strand sound and sparks were coming out from the back part. They were ovoid in shape, and one was flying above the other all the time. The 'saucers' were of two different colours—the highest was a bluish colour, and the lower one was greenish. They emitted a phosphorescence which was quite spectacular. "They circled at high speed and then parted. One flew on in a southerly direction, and the other seemed to fly off in a south-western direction." "I hope you will not think this absurd, but I think I have seen a flying saucer," reads the second letter. "At Plimmerton on Saturday night I saw a green, luminous object to the east, travelling south, at great speed towards Wellington. It was followed by a hissing noise, and had a burst of brighter dots around it which may have been windows. it was round like a ball. I think, definitely not the lights of a plane, with I at first thought, because it was going too fast, and was too light. ## Strange Objects In The Sky PALMERSTON NORTH, Today. Four reports of strange objects in the sky have been received. They are from independent witnesses, one at walking, one at Kelvin Grove, and two others at Palmerston North. They say they saw a strange phenomenon between 9.45 and 9.50 o'clock on Saturday night and at about 12.45 am on Sunday. A Feilding resident states that one of the objects was green in colour and travelling in a south-westerly direction towards Palmerston North. The "saucer" was egg-shape, and moving at a fairly high speed and accompanied by a faint hissin sound. While watching this green object approach Palmerston North, he saw a similar object, blue in colour, approaching from the Hawke's Bay direction. The blue seemed to be slightly above, he then and they then proceeded, together on a more or less southerly course, with the blue just above the Two other witnesses independently corroborate this account almost to the letter.
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