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by Charles Lear, author of “The Flying Saucer Investigators.”

In part 1 of this blog, we looked at a 1993 case from Southern England that has become known as “The Cosford Incident.” It involved a series of UFO sightings reports, many from police, on March 30 and 31, 1993. British UFO researcher Nick Pope was manning the UFO desk in Sec(AS)2a of the Ministry of Defense at the time and described himself on an episode of NEWS 7 Spotlight as being “broadly skeptical” when it came to UFOs and that his investigation of this case was “the turning point.” The case became a British classic due in part to Pope’s description of it in his 1996 book, Open Skies, Closed Minds. However, other researchers, such as Jenny Randles of the British UFO Research Association, suspected that some of the sightings were of a satellite rocket booster from Cosmos 2235 (sent up by the Commonwealth of Independent States) re-entering the atmosphere. One report from RAF Shawbury that was highlighted by Pope was later reconsidered by the witness as also having a prosaic explanation. Because the file (Part 1, Part 2) on the case was released to the public by the MoD, details can be examined by anyone with an interest. Read more →

by Charles Lear, author of “The Flying Saucer Investigators.”

Recently, on August 24, Calvin Parker passed on at the age of 68. In 1973, he, along with Charles Hickson, reported being abducted by strange creatures in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Afterwards, he spent decades hiding from public attention, moving repeatedly, and changing his name. As the 50^th anniversary of the incident was approaching, with the encouragement of his wife, Waynett, Calvin began to publicly acknowledge who he was and what he reportedly experienced. He spent the last decade of his life making friends among the UFO community while speaking about his experience on podcasts, radio shows, and conventions after writing a book, Pascagoula – The Closest Encounter: My Story, that was published in 2018. Martin and Podcast UFO played a large part in Calvin’s re-entry into the public arena and also provided a vehicle for a happy reunion with an estranged family member. Read more →

by Charles Lear, author of “The Flying Saucer Investigators.”

On March 30, and 31, 1993, reports of a UFO over Southern England came in to the Ministry of Defense. Nick Pope was manning the “UFO desk” at the time, and he described that “the phones were ringing off the hook.” He posted a description of the most dramatic reports on February 20, 2007, on the Physics Forum website. He appeared in a 2009 7 News Spotlight (an Australian program) segment presented by Russ Coulthart and described himself as “broadly skeptical” and his investigation of this series of reports as “the turning point.” Pope described the case in his 1996 book, “Open Skies, Closed Minds,” which helped to make it a classic, but Jenny Randles of the British UFO Research Association suspected that some of the sightings were of a satellite rocket booster from Cosmos 2235 (sent up by the Commonwealth of Independent States) re-entering the atmosphere. One report from RAF Shawbury that was described by Pope was later reconsidered by the witness as also having a prosaic explanation. Because the file (Part 1, Part 2) on the case was released to the public by the MoD, the details of the case can be examined by anyone with an interest.

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by Charles Lear, author of “The Flying Saucer Investigators.”

This is the third part in a series looking at two separate encounters in Winchester, England, with UFOs and humanoids reported by two friends, 42-year-old Joyce Bowles and 58-year-old Ted Pratt. They reported that as Bowles was driving with Pratt in the passenger seat prior to their first encounter, Bowles’s Cooper Mini Clubman travelled diagonally as if it was floating after the steering wheel locked, and the car came to a rest on a strip of grass (known as a “verge” in England) next to the road. They said they then saw a craft hovering 18 inches above the ground with 3 humanoids behind a window or windows sitting lined up as if they were on a bus. A creature left the craft, possibly by walking through it, came up to the car, and seemed to have put its hand on the roof as it looked in Bowles’s window. It was said to have been wearing what looked like a silver “boiler suit” and to have had long hair that curled up in the back, sideburns that came down to a pointed beard, and brilliant red eyes with no pupils or irises. They said that during their second encounter, they found themselves standing next to Bowles’s car inside what they assumed was a spaceship. The creatures spoke with them, said they weren’t there to invade and that they’d be back. Their case got the interest of researchers from various organizations and there is one article examining it in the March/April 1977 BUFORA Journal and FOUR articles in the February 1977, Vol. 22, No. 5 Flying Saucer Review. In the course of the investigation, it came out that there were after-effects and that Bowles had a history of reported paranormal experiences and well as healing and psychic abilities. One of the researchers, Lionel Beer, reported in his article in the BUFORA Journal that Bowles’s history made him dubious, but he and the others didn’t discount her claims, possibly due to the influence the ideas of John Keel and Jacques Vallée were having on researchers at the time. Leslie Harris makes a reference to Vallée’s 1969 book “Passport to Magonia” in his article covering the case in Flying Saucer Review. Read more →

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by Charles Lear, author of “The Flying Saucer Investigators.”

On November 15, 1976, 42-year-old Joyce Bowles, and her 58-year-old friend, Ted Pratt, appeared on the BBC television program South Today.  They were interviewed about their reported encounters with UFOs and humanoids the night before. Their case got the interest of researchers from various organizations and there are FOUR articles examining it in the February 1977, Vol. 22, No. 5 Flying Saucer Review: an article by Bournemouth Unexplained Phenomena Research Group Investigator Leslie Harris headlined “UFO & Silver-Suited Entity Seen Near Winchester,” an article by British UFO Research Association Investigator Richard Nash that consists mostly of a transcription of a tape recorded interview with Bowles and Pratt conducted by Nash, “Questions and Comments on the Nash Interview” by BUFORA Research Coordinator Jenny Randles, and an article by BUFORA Investigator Frank J. Wood based on two reports prepared by him headlined “Alleged CE-III at Winchester: Vehicle Examination,” with the subheading “Together with a few other matters of interest.” There is also an article by Lionel Beer in the March/April BUFORA Journal headlined “The Winchester Encounters. There are several sensational claims in this case, and while it is based on the testimony of two witnesses, Mrs. Bowles had a history of reporting other paranormal encounters, which caused some doubt among researchers. However, Jacques Vallée’s 1969 book, Passport to Magonia, had an impact on the thinking of researchers at that time, as did the work of John Keel, an FSR contributor, and an increasing number were considering the idea that UFOs might be more paranormal in nature than physical craft being piloted by extraterrestrials.

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