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The Aircraft Flash Vol I, NO. 4, January, 1953 "Unidentified Aerial Objects" Receive Careful Analysis by Air Force Experts It is the responsibility of the United States Air Force to be aware of any-thing that does or can happen in the skies. The Ground Observer Corps shares this responsibility, since it is "the eyes and the ears of the Air Force." Therefore, every member of the GOC, whether he is aware of it or not, has a definite interest in the Air Force's "Project Blue Book," the reporting and analysis of unidentified flying objects. The organization directly charged with this project is the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Since January, 1952, ATIC has been collecting and analyzing information from every possible source concerning the sighting or detecting of these unidentified objects. Over 1,000 such reports have been received to date. It is the job of ATIC to attempt to answer the baffling question: "Just what are these objects that are reported?" The exhaustive analysis of the facts which ATIC makes in tackling the problem would do credit to the FBI or Scotland Yard. Through this painstaking process, over half of the reports have been found to be caused, possibly or probably, by identifiable objects or phenomenon. The rest are either unexplainable, unknown or insufficient information was available for accurate evaluation. The percentage breakdown for all reports received so far is as follows:
The sources of these reports have been categorized into the following groups:
Since the outset of "Operation Skywatch" in July, 1952, another special category, "GOC Observers," - has been added. To assure uniformity in reporting unidentified objects, the Air Defense Command has distributed ADC Regulation 55-31, entitled "Ground Observer Reporting of Unusual Aerial Activity," to all Ground Observer Detachments. These instructions are the result of much past experience on the part of ATIC in handling such reports. There is a significant reason for every little scrap of the information requested. Adherence to the system has been a major factor in assuring an excellent standard of reporting. Upon receipt of a report, ATIC begins preliminary screening in an attempt to explain the sighting in the light of known phenomenon. The first step is to enter the essential facts on a master file card. The report is then screened against all known data which possibly could have caused it. ATIC maintains a complete file of weather balloon launching locations and times, for example, which often gives an important clue to the nature of the sighting. Other comparisons are made between the report and known astronomical data (meteors, meteorites, etc.), as well as known data on aircraft in the area. Weather and winds aloft conditions present at the time and place of the sighting are also considered, as are the flight tracks of "Skyhook" type balloons (see illustration), migratory birds and anything else that could have been in the air at the time. In the majority of cases, the answer to what caused the sighting lies within the data compiled. In analyzing any report, the two most important factors are time and place of sighting. These must be exact and specific as the local time, Georef positions, altitudes, directions, etc., since they often represent the only undeniably factual information. This is not meant to imply that accurate, descriptive, visual impressions of the observer are not important. However, the fact remains that atmospheric and other conditions often fool the human eye, as they often fool electronic and mechanical devices. Let's consider a hypothetical case. At 0901, MST, at Georef position 150? a GOC observer reports an unidentified flying object to his filter center through an Aircraft Flash message. Almost simultaneously, a radar unit in the area obtains a target and vectors an interceptor aircraft toward it. The target is clearly visible to the pilot but he is unable to climb to the altitude of the target. However, he does make gun-camera runs on it. The sighting just described would be the equivalent of a jackpot on the dollar machine, since it contained ground-visual, ground-electronic and air-visual detection as well as camera coverage.
In addition to improving present reporting techniques and analytical methods, ATIC is considering proposals for an intensive instrumentation program. Plans call for increased camera coverage of the skies, new and improved triangulation devices, astronomical type telescopes and other mechanical devices which will increase the accuracy and validity of reports. Despite these new instruments, however, the bulk of reports will still come from individuals. GOC observers, whose job it is to keep their eyes on the skies, will continue to be a most important source of these individual sightings. Past experience has shown that the GOC has approached the situation with alertness, diligence and willing cooperation. Through the increasing quality of their reports, ground observers are performing another valuable service for their country. |
