The popular media have, over the past forty years, made the public aware of the existence of the UFO phenomenon; yet no serious attempt has been made by the media to present a coherent view of the basic nature of that phenomenon. That is not surprising since some of the esoteric aspects of the apparitions are outside the scope of orthodox research. You can't dump a UFO on a laboratory bench and measure its physical dimensions, and you can't make video-tapes of its activities to order. Most of the evidence for the existence of the phenomenon is what scientists call anecdotal – not fictitious, but consisting of reports of individual observers, unsupported by tangible evidence.

The era of the "flying saucer" (which represents only one form of the phenomenon, but the phrase caught the public imagination and is now part of the language) began in 1948, and with it began a spontaneous campaign of confusion. The journalists were confused; scientists were confused; witnesses became confused (if they weren't already) by silly questions and ridicule. Governments and other authorities were even more confused than usual; so I don't have to tell you of the mental state of the general public – yes, you got it: they were confused.

The only people in fact who weren't confused at that stage were a handful of level-headed, clear-sighted people throughout the world who recognized in the UFO phenomenon something completely outside the scope of "normal" scientific knowledge, which deserved serious investigation. Those people subscribed to the belief that the supernatural is simply the natural imperfectly understood, and they proceeded to investigate UFOs on that basis. Some, who were not adequately prepared by their backgrounds for the incredibly complex and often nebulous task, either gave up gracefully or, caught off balance by the explosion of bizarre facts and events which they uncovered, succumbed to a fantasy world and either quietly went round the bend or wrote books which made H.G. Wells and Isaac Asimov look tame.
 

Another category of people who were not confused (in their own opinions) were some scientists who set themselves up as UFO experts.

They explained away all the phenomena as temperature inversions, sun-dogs, planets, mirages, etc. without even questioning witnesses or checking actual conditions under which sightings were made.

A textbook example of this situation is quoted by John C. Fuller in his book "The Ghost of 29 Megacycles" (Grafton Books, 1987). He appeared on a TV show where a panel, which included Prof. Donald Menzel of Harvard, discussed a UFO incident at Exeter, Pa. where two patrolmen reported the UFO sighting, which Fuller had investigated.  He wrote:

We shall not get any solid answers from orthodox scientists because even when they are sincere, they are out of their depth. The dedicated, monodisciplinary scientist is notoriously naive when he steps outside his special field. Edison said the phonograph was not of any commercial value and that the use of alternating current was unjustified. Lord Kelvin said that X-rays would prove to be a hoax, that radio had no future, and that heavier-than-air craft were impossible. One Astronomer Royal (Prof. Richard Woolley) said that talk of space travel was utter bilge; another (Sir Harold Spencer Jones) that man would never set his foot on the moon.

Perhaps the worst interviewers in UFO investigation, unless they are UFO specialists, are journalists.

They have no idea of what questions to ask, nor how to handle and analyze the answers – and why should they? Their function is to publish a story, as dramatic and sensational as possible. That is why the public have for 40 years been the target, of uncounted thousands of stories of mysterious lights, of saucer-shaped objects seen moving in erratic paths across the sky, of landings of unknown craft and even the appearance of beings presumed to come from outer space. Those front-page stories never have any satisfactory follow-up, no final explanation (other than the fatuous theories of experts in some other field than the UFO phenomenon, usually in defiance of the reported facts) because that's not how the media work. Their function ends with the publication of the report, however incomplete.

Nor is it the function of the police to investigate UFO reports beyond a routine check for illegal actions, physical injuries or property damage if appropriate. Yet, for some reason, most of the more spectacular UFO reports were made in the first instance to the nearest police station. Surely they have enough headaches trying to catch criminals, find stolen vehicles and generally keeping the peace without being lumbered with reports of incidents which have taxed the efforts of specialists for decades.

What about the Air Forces? By definition, they are the organizations best suited to an investigation of Unidentified Flying Objects, and the term itself apparently originated with the USAF. To the Press and the public, the phenomena were flying saucers.

A UFO, officially, is any object in the sky (an aircraft, a balloon, a flock of birds or anything else) which has been seen, visually or on radar, but not positively identified. As soon as it is found to be an airliner or a weather balloon, it is no longer a UFO.

There are two main reasons for the interest of an Air Force in UFOs: they may be a danger to air navigation (e.g. a private plane off course), or they may be a threat to the national security (a bomber from a hostile neighbour trying on a provocative raid). The reason for having an Air Force is to deal with such situations if they exceed the scope of the civil authority.

Unfortunately an Air Force is a military organization, and as soon as anything enters the military sphere it becomes subject to "security" as a matter of course. Any information connected, however remotely, with military matters is automatically classified. So we have the ludicrous situation that because a flying saucer might – just might – be an emissary of Big Brother with a bomb-bay full of nuclear nasties, its very existence must be a military secret even if the UFO proves to be merely a spaceship from Mars full of little green men and no threat to anybody.

In fact the investigation by Charles Berlitz of the Roswell Incident (reported in his book of the same name, published by Granada) suggests that "men from Mars", of any colour, rate the highest security classification of all.

Commonsense would suggest that once the UFO was established to be not Big Brother in an expansionist or vindictive mood, the fact could be published to a relieved population with all details. Not so.

The late Frank Scully, who wrote one of the first books on flying saucers ever published ("Behind the Flying Saucers", Gollancz, 1950), summed up the situation with this quotation: "The military must always have a secret. It will give up this one when it gets a better one."

No one disputes the need for reasonable military secrecy even in peacetime. There is no justification for a "security" ban imposed on information which is non-military,  particularly when civilians are the subjects of the bans.
 

Investigation of several important South Australian incidents in my files has reached a dead end because witnesses were silenced by authorities. It does not require much pressure to scare the daylights out of a witness who is already quaking after being buzzed by a mysterious light or some such phenomenon, by warning him or her not to talk about the experience because "security is involved". This is of course one of those big lies which succeed when little white lies fail.

Those techniques worked successfully in the early days to take the heat off UFO reports which embarrassed officious authorities. Now however a more-subtle means is available to ensure that witnesses do not talk about something which authorities can't explain and don't understand.

In the case of the Knowles family, who reported a UFO incident near the West Australian border in January, 1988, they were silenced by the media. One of the TV stations put them under a contract, for a financial consideration, to give the station exclusive rights to the story. This meant that the witnesses could not talk to researchers or anyone else.
 

The witnesses were then set up in a row in front of TV cameras and interviewed, without eliciting any information of value to researchers. The reaction of the average viewer was to yawn, comment that it was all a lot of hooey, and switch to the nearest soapie. A more effective way of killing a story has not yet been invented.

It was even more effective than the traditional technique, also employed in the Knowles case, of asking "experts" to explain the phenomenon.

Competent researchers throughout the world who are experienced in interviewing people who report UFO sightings have built up an impressive body of facts and data which give an increasingly rounded picture of the phenomena. This is done by analyzing reports from eye-witnesses obtained without pressure, harassment or financial inducement – particularly the latter.
 

It is obvious that UFO phenomena do not respond to orthodox physical examination. Photographs have been studied; marks on the ground have been tested for radioactivity; soil samples have been analyzed; and so on. At best the results have been inconclusive. The conclusion is that the phenomena are not entirely confined to the physical plane, and do not obey physical laws as we understand them. They are extra-dimensional phenomena: that is, although they manifest, at least partly, on our physical plane of matter, they originate on another plane, dimension, or rate of vibration.

Some researchers have pursued this hypothesis from the earliest days. An outstanding exponent of the extra-dimensional theories was the late Dr. Meade Layne, who published a book entitled "The Ether Ship Mystery" (Borderland Sciences Research Assn., 1955).

Parallels between UFO phenomena and psychic phenomena have been noted and commented on for many years but those aspects were submerged by the "spaceship and alien" school of thought, on one hand, and the "atmospheric phenomena" school on the other.

In his book "They Rode in Space Ships", Gavin Gibbons sets out the hypothesis that "people" from other dimensions and their activities are what we call "spirits". Not only people, he says, but whole stars with their attendant planets either too heavy or too light to be perceptible by our senses or instruments can well exist all-over the Universe. Under certain conditions, these people and their activities could manifest on what we call the physical plane and be observed in our own physical space-time frame.

Our knowledge of such possibilities is in its infancy but in time our understanding must improve, and what is at present regarded as mysteries will become common knowledge.
 

After 38 years in meteorology I have strong views on the subject of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) which, as a name, is quite misleading, as most of them have been identified. Popular use has changed the meaning of the term to refer mainly to extra terrestrial visitations.

Some Ufologists – workers in the field of Ufology – started with the extra-terrestrial hypothesis (ETH) but became increasingly disenchanted with it. We now have a new breed of Ufologists who believe that UFOs are "metaphysical", "supernatural" or "interdimensional" instead of extra-terrestrial space craft.

Despite the large monetary rewards offered there have been no scientific demonstrations of the paranormal. This includes attempts in the fields of spoon-bending, pyramid power, levitation, psychic surgery, etc. There is disagreement amongst Ufologists and sometimes marked changes in their beliefs. Even the former guru of Ufology, Dr Hynek no longer believed in the extra-terrestrial. He said: "My biggest hope is that as the research progresses, I will be able to demonstrate that the E.T. hypothesis is untenable, that it just doesn't wash to a scientist". (Omni Magazine 1985 Feb.)
 

Most UFO evidence is of the eyewitness kind. Most people are not aware of the unreliable nature of such evidence. When a number of observers witness an unexpected, dramatic or startling event, there are usually considerable differences in their reports. The more time witnesses have to think over and talk about what they have seen, the less accurate their memories become. Sightings, like wine, improve with age. So it is important to get the details quickly.

Psychologists have shown that the reliability of witnesses is not dependent on socio-economic status or on the confidence of the observer. A university education, a respectable career or training as a pilot is no guarantee of reliability when observing a startling event. An observer is also less accurate in reporting when under stress.

As an instrument the eye is not foolproof. It is an imperfect optical system. Light waves pass through the lens and fluids of the eyeball neither of which allows perfect transmission. Then the light passes through a network of cells and blood vessels before being changed to messages for the brain. Many people have visual defects, but even with normal vision there are other influences which can affect the way objects appear:

1. The autokinetic effect – apparent movement of objects which are known to be stationary.

2. After images – a retinal image which persists after the retina has been exposed to a light which is no longer seen.

What the eye sees is also affected by what the brain tells you you ought to see. Members of the Loch Ness Investigation team who believed in the existence of the monster photographed what they thought were "humps Ploughing through the water". However, the developed photographs showed no humps but only a slight wake in the water.
 

Ufologists, whether ETH or paranormal believers, should bear in mind the unreliability of eye-witness testimony. They should have wide knowledge in a number of scientific disciplines so that natural phenomena and man-made objects can be eliminated in considering any particular case. This knowledge should include:

1. Radar – especially anomalous propagation and angels.
2. Astronomy – how the appearance of the moon, planets and meteors can deceive.
3. Meteorology – particularly meteorological optics.
4. Space Technology – particularly regarding re-entry into the atmosphere.
5. Psychology – why hoaxes are perpetrated.
6. Geology  piezoelectric effects with earth tremors in mineral or quartz rocks.
7. Ornithology – how flocks of birds have been called UFOs.
8. Entomology – the origin of Angel Hair and the types of insects which build circular nests.
9. Botany – growth of fungi in circles.
10. Veterinary Science – re mutilations and unusual marks on cattle. 

I have a list of over 100 different phenomena or man-made objects which have at some time over the last 30 years been called UFOs. The most common are:

1. Clouds

Lenticular clouds – grey, lens-shaped and sometimes laminar in appearance. They can remain stationary when other clouds are moving – which has confused some Ufologists.

Mother of pearl clouds – caused by the sun shining on fine ice clouds in the stratosphere up to a few hours after sunset.

Noctilucent clouds – the sun shining on meteoric dust high in the stratosphere, again up to a few hours after sunset. Their apparent rapid movement, as the sun sinks further below the horizon, is suggestive of space travel.

2. Electrical Phenomena

St Elmo's Fire – commonly forms on the leading edges of ships or aircraft as they move through an electric field. A Pillar of Fire is a form of St Elmo's Fire caused by dust particles in dry areas.

Lightning – Ball Lightning is a rare form of lightning which floats slowly as a small red or orange ball and leaves a burnt ring when it hits the ground.

3. Optical Phenomena

Haloes – refraction of light through ice crystal clouds. Small sections look silvery white.

Corona – diffraction through fine water droplets. Segments of these are called irridescent clouds. Again small sections look like UFOs.

Glory – coloured circles round the shadow of an object e.g. around the shadow of a plane on underlying clouds.

Scintillation – the apparent changes of size, shape, position and colour of objects caused by the refraction of light through air of differing densities.

Auroras – radiative emission from nitrogen and other molecules during magnetic storms. Auroras take on many dramatic forms such as curtains, searchlights, ladders and fireworks. The most easily confused is the auroral meteor.

Mirages – due to refraction light waves are bent upwards when steep lapse rates exist and bent downwards when marked inversions (temperature increases with height) exist. We are all familiar with the former type of mirage e.g. water on the road on a hot day. The latter type gives rise to objects on the, ground or over the horizon appearing to be in the sky. Surface inversions can occur on clear, calm, cold nights and can produce a variety of localised mirages e.g. trains, ships or semitrailers in the sky. A widespread inversion, such as the subsidence inversion in marked ridges of high pressure, can extend for hundreds and sometimes thousands of kilometres. When this occurs super-refraction enables light waves to be bent round the earth's surface for remarkable distances. Objects have been identified from sea level at distances of 1000km, even further from an aircraft, as the atmosphere acts as a magnifying lens at this time. The Flying Dutchman (a ghostly sailing ship) was this type of mirage.

The best Australian example of a night-time mirage would be the Min-Min lights of NW Queensland. These are caused by refraction of lights from motor vehicles which could be up to 150km away.

Other optical phenomena:
Parhelia, mock suns, sun dogs, sun pillars, the green flash and crepuscular rays.

4. Astronomical Phenomena

Under certain circumstances the planets and stars can take on unusual appearances. Even a scientifically trained naval officer who later became President of USA (Jimmy Carter) mistook Venus for a UFO. During World War 2, US gunners tried to shoot down Venus (thankfully without success).

Meteors, material bodies which enter earth's atmosphere from outer space, are called "shooting stars" when they are faint, but the brighter ones are bolides or fireballs. Bright meteors are spectacular when viewed from a plane. The pilot generally concludes that the meteor is very near or about to hit the aircraft when in fact it may be 150km away. Meteors sometimes move quite slowly (10km per sec) and on rare occasions have been observed for 2 or 3 minutes. They usually look like a grey wingless aircraft with green colouring.

5. Man-made Objects

Satellites – there are over 5200 man-made objects circling the earth. Their entry into the atmosphere is usually fiery with long smoke trails.

Balloons – the 6-hourly release of meteorological balloons from 50 sites in Australia provides a frequent cause for confusion. Larger research balloons (Hibal & Ghost Balloons for example) give rise to a spate of UFO reports as some are as tall as a 10 storey building. Winds in the upper air usually differ from the surface wind, a fact which often leads to confusion in identification as it appears that the light is being propelled against the wind.

6. Radar Observations

False echoes or 'angels' occur even with the most modern radar equipment. Radar waves are subject to the same refraction and reflection conditions as light waves and may be bent round the earth's surface to produce radar mirages. Sharp temperature and humidity discontinuities, typical of widespread subsidence inversions, set up what is known as radar ducting. For example, a cruiser using radar in the Mediterranean during World War 2 reported sinking a target that later proved to be a false image of Malta which at the time was well beyond normal radar range.

Single or multiple reflection of radar waves from other reflection surfaces can give rise to ghosting. For example, a plane approaching an airport can have a ghost image flying behind it, often at twice the speed, but the ghost disappears when the plane lands.

Ufologists often give the most weight to radar as evidence for the existence of UFOs, but they ignore the known limitations of radar. When there is no visual sighting to confirm the radar echo they claim the UFO is able to make itself invisible. When there is no radar echo to confirm a visual sighting, often the case with optical phenomena, they say the UFO has made itself invisible to radar.
 

Official UFO records were maintained in Australia by the RAAF for 12 years and in USA by the US Air Force for 22 years. 97% of cases were identified as natural or man-made phenomena. Of the remaining 3%, some were unidentifiable because of lack of data such as date or time. Some were hoaxes by people who like to spin tall tales, delight in fooling the news media, or who want to become instant celebrities. Both the RAAF and the US Air Force have discontinued their official surveys as they see no value in continuing them.

The conclusions of Project Blue Book (USA) were:

Often the photographer comments that "he didn't see anything unusual at the time" when saucer-like objects appear on the developed photograph. Processing defects can also occur; a drop of a chemical or a crease in the film can easily give rise to unexpected objects on a photograph. Unexpected luminous objects on a photograph are usually caused by a lens flare. These happen when a very bright light (the sun or a studio light) is reflected several times off the different elements inside the lens. You can see examples of lens flare on your TV screen.

It is easy to create fake UFO photographs and many have been identified as such. Of all the thousands of "genuine" UFO photographs there is not one that shows a clear, unambiguous, flying saucer. Most show only a blip, dot, blur or line.
 

1. By quoting only conclusion '1' of Project Blue Book the impression is given that the official view is "they are there but they are friendly".

2. Scientists have closed minds. The example often quoted is of the French Academy of Science disbelieving reports about stones falling from the sky. However, the French Academy reversed its decision within 30 years when stones from many areas were analysed, i.e. when hard evidence became available.

3. The unidentified 3% of cases is used as evidence for extra-terrestrial visitation.

4. The onus of proof is shifted to the negative side. It is well nigh impossible to scientifically prove that something does not exist.

5. Governments and officials are covering up. Of the 80,000 pages of UFO material released in the USA after the Freedom of Information law was passed only 176 pages (0.2%) are restricted. 176 pages from a Government Dept. in 30 years is a very insignificant amount if it dealt with earth shattering news like space men landing in USA. The truth is that this part of the material is restricted because it contains some agents' names.
 

Hundreds of people throughout the world have claimed to be abducted by UFOs. Most were in USA. A few claim to have been abducted up to 4 times. Not one has passed an independent polygraphic (lie detector) test. Not one of the US cases has reported their abduction to the FBI which has a penalty of $10,000 or 3 years gaol for false claims of this type. The reports are invariably given to the news media. Ufologists argue that the veracity of their claims is supported by hypnosis, yet psychiatrists say that people can lie under hypnosis and relive fantasies.

Note that hypnosis is not used in law courts for obtaining the truth!
 

1. The news media give publicity to sightings and little publicity to explanations.
2. The flood of UFO books. Very few of these have any scientific content and most are completely subjective. Explanatory books in libraries are scarce. In fact, they cannot be bought off the shelf but have to be ordered.
3. Lack of knowledge of the wonders of our atmosphere and their bizarre effects.
4. The prize monies offered by news media in USA.
5. TV and some films divorce people (especially children) from reality.
 

The evidence for the existence of UFOs as exterrestrial or paranormal spaceships is meagre. Let us examine the case for and against: