65 HS1-834228961 62-HQ-83894 SUB A

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3. The -r~darCreen ha-s picked· up· -birp.•$ 1~-.:o~e case a-:iflock of ducks. Flight int.erc.ept);ons·· p_rove·d thes_e 1>henomena.
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An explanation· 6f known types of visual sightings are as . ..
f9llows: _ . . . .. . . ._.,
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1. Present-day jet aircraft, flying at great speeds and high
altitudes, a1'e often .mis,~aken for. unknown objects by• t.he untrained
observer. Sun;t.ight r?flecfions· f'.ronr the pol.ished surf~ces of air- .
craf.t can be· seen pla.inly .ey!:!p,_:wpen the -airc.r_a.ft , itself is too dis
tant ·to· -~e ·visiple, _The_exhaust: bf j~~ aircraft .emits~, a t.rail. and
often this is seen rather than the aircraft itself. ·
2. Weather balloons ac.-count fo:r; . a substantial number of. ; s.ight..:'
ings. • These balloons, sen·t· .t"6' altitudes. of 40,000 feet•> and . high'er,
are launghed from virtually every airfield in the coun,try. They q.re
made of rubber or polyethylene, s:t--1e,ll a.~,·they gain . altitude, have
very good ref'lective qualities, ·carry small :p~ghts. when -launched
after dark, and can be seen at very hig~_ altitudes,
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3. In additio~·.eo the ordinari weather ~all6on, hug~ 90-foot
balloon~, which. sometimes dr~ft from coast to coast, .a~e used for
upper air research. · These bal loons also have a highly reflective
surface .and. are visible at ext-:ireme altitudes. • •
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4. Frequently, unusually bright meteors and planets will cause
a flurry of reports,.. sometimes from relatively experienced observers.
At certain times of the year, V~n~s, for instance, is low on the
horizon and will appear to change color and move erratically due to
hazy atmospheric conditions. Since the .sta~s are char·ted. ar,id most
of their characterist~ci known, many cases are traced · to. the-m.
Meteors on the ot_her ·hand are ·of rapid single-direction movemen-t· and.
are· only visible for a Tew seconds. Meteor activity is more' common ·
at certain times of the year than others, and reports of UFO's have
shown a tendency to increase during ·these periods. • •. ,
5. Some cases arise which, on the ha.sis of information recei'vec;. · :
are of a weird and peculiar natur~. The obj~cts display erratic ,
movements .and phenomenal speeds. Since maneuvers and .speeds · of this •
kind cannot ,be traced directly to. aircraft, ball0ons, or ,kncwn astro.~
nomical sources, it: is b~lieved ' that they are reflections from ob•
jects rather · than being ·objects .themselves. Fr;>r example: suppose··
we would hold a mirror in hand under a light, causing a r e flection
on the ·c~iling. Only a slight, quick movement of. the hand would
result in erratic movements and phe!'lomena~ speeds of the -reflected
beam. Refl~ct1ons may be projected to clouds and haze both from the
ground and air ~ Many things whiq~ are common to the sky have highly
reflec tive qualitie s, such ·as balloons, aircraft, and clouds. Accu-
rate speeds are also difficult tq determine due to the ~nability
of the r eportf;r. .to judge d1stanc~, ·angles, and time.
6, Brilliant 'flashing lights that sometimes appear r~d a nd
wh1 te in. col or 'have been report ed_ by observers. This type has been·
traced to a .new lightin g system of commercial a irlines· and military
aircraft , Atop the tail s ection of these aircraft highly reflective
red and white flasher type lights have been installed and are many
times misinterpreted by the ground obse rver.
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