Executive Summary on UFOs

If the only strange things seen in the sky were a few oddly moving lights at night, or some specks glinting in the sun, there would be no UFO issue. But there have been many close range observations of these strange objects. Often by multiple witnesses and sometimes with radar confirmation.

US Navy pilot Graham Bethune describes the encounter with a huge 300ft discoid UFO in 1951 on the way back from a classified mission to Iceland: "We had 31 people on board and a psychiatrist, we all witnessed it":

Also the RB-47 R/V 1957 case or the Minot AFB B-52 1968 case (see documentaries page). Some with four-way confirmation: ground visual, ground radar, airborne visual and airborne radar -- as early as 1950s, watch LtCol Brown NPCC 2001 testimony (2min Youtube video) who worked in the US Air Force's Office of Special Investigations on project Grudge, the precursor to Project Bluebook.

In addition, physical traces of various kinds have been left behind, and witnesses have experienced physical and medical effects.

"The type of UFO reports that are most intriguing are close-range sightings of machine-like objects of unconventional nature and unconventional performance characteristics, seen at low altitudes, and sometimes even on the ground. The general public is entirely unaware of the large number of such reports that are coming from credible witnesses... When one starts searching for such cases, their number are quite astonishing. Also, such sightings appear to be occurring all over the globe."
-- Prof. James E. McDonald (past head of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Arizona), "Are UFOs Extraterrestrial Surveillance Craft?", talk given at AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), 1968.

Definition of UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects):

"A UFO is an object or light seen in the sky or on land, whose appearance, trajectory, motions, lights and colors do not have an obvious conventional or natural explanation, and which cannot be explained, not only by the original witness, but by scientists or technical experts who try to make a common sense identification after examining the evidence." -- Center for UFO Studies

In popular culture the terms UFO and "flying saucer" are used alternatively and are both synonymous with extra-terrestrial (alien) craft.

According to multiple surveys over the last several decades and from different countries: ~7% of people have seen a UFO. Over 150.000 UFO sightings have been documented in the last 60 years and recorded in various databases, but the total number of UFO sightings is estimated to be in the millions. There are several thousand sightings reported each year, yet surveys show that only a small percentage (~10%) of those who see a UFO report the sighting.

Of all of the reported sightings, a "core" between 5% and 25% (depending on the sample) remain unidentifiable to expert examination. These are the real UFOs i.e. inexplicable "high quality and strangeness" cases (the rest probably being misinterpreted astronomic or meteorological phenomena, optical illusions, balloons, aircraft, birds etc). Deliberate fraudulent reports / hoaxes are relatively few, under 5%.

Although the term "flying saucer" infers a disk-like craft (which is a common type seen near the ground, thought to be "earth excursion vehicles"), most UFOs observed in daylight, when the shape and details can be seen, are described as having simple symmetrical geometric shapes: disk/saucer, sphere/round, egg/oval/elliptical, cigar/cylinder, conical/ice-cream cone, triangular/pyramid, fireball/"orbs" and variety of sizes (more details in the "Technical Overview" page).

Dr. J. Allen Hynek (past Chairman of the Astronomy Department of Northwestern University) served as the scientific consultant to US Air Force's official (public?) UFO investigation Project "Blue Book". He did field-investigations and talked to claimed UFO eye-witnesses for 2 decades (between 1952-1969). Initially a skeptic who tried to "explain away" the phenomenon, later became convinced of the UFO reality and admitted that Project BlueBook had misled the public:

He also presented his views at the United Nations, on 27-Nov-1978:

"Mr. Chairman (of the United Nations), we are dealing here with an unexplained phenomenon which has been reported so far from 133 nations, and which has aroused the concern, and often the fear, of significant fractions of their population.
[snip]
Mr. Chairman, I have not always held the opinion that UFOs were worthy of serious scientific study. I began my work as Scientific Consultant to the U.S. Air Force as an open skeptic, in the firm belief that we were dealing with a mental aberration and a public nuisance. Only in the face of stubborn facts and data similar to those studied by the French commission... have I been forced to change my opinion.
[snip]
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, let me once again clearly state that it is my considered opinion, as a scientist who has devoted many years to its study, that the UFO phenomenon is real and not the creation of disturbed minds, and that it has both grave and important implications for science and for the political and social well-being of the peoples of this Earth." [full text of speech] -- Dr. J Allen Hynek

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