Project Sign Progress Report 1948

Departamento de Guerra (EE.UU.) · 1948 · Documento · Release 04

⚠ Texto extraído por OCR de la fuente oficial — puede contener errores de reconocimiento. El documento original es la autoridad.

Authority:

•

NND927545

HEADQUARTERS
AIR KATERI BL COWAND

MClA/JCB/amb
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

2DjytAPH 0i948

KCIA

SUBJECT,

Projeot "BIOi" •

TOs

Chief of Staft
United Statea ilr Poree
Waahington 26, D. Co
ATTN s Director ot Int-,lligenoe

l. Thie ie an initial report on unidentified flying objecta aa
direoted by Rq, USAY letter dated SO Deoember 1947, signed by General
L. C. Craigie, subjeot1 •r1~Jng Diaea~. Qtarterly reports will be
submitted beginning 1 July 1948.
2. Ae a reeult of thia letter, Pro~ot HT-304 was a.otiTated on
26 January 1948 and Technical Inatruotion 2185, dated 11 Pebruaiy 1948,
wns published. Present ti.lea on Projeot •s10~• represent a oonaolida
tion ot reports received directly by Hq, AMC and thoee forwa.rded by
the Direotor ot Intelli gence, USAF.

~. Schedules of activities of lighted night-flying adTertising
blimps have been secured a.nd crosa-oheoked at thi.a Headquarters to
consider them as a possible souroe ot incident nporta.
4. Inoloaure l represents a tabulation am breakdoWll of all
available reports through l February 1948.
5o The following ia a series of interesting observation• that
were noted when rev19Wing the many incident 0ase11

a. Rigll rate of olimb, aa well aa the apparent a.bi li ty to
remain mot1onleu or hover for a oonBiderable length of tiu o
bo The objeot was described aa being oval, d1ac or 1auoerehaped ~l times.

o. Assooiated sound was preae?It ll tim.H o
d.

Reported sizes have varied from that of a 26-oent pitoe
to 260 feet in diameter, and from the aise or a puraui t plane to tht
ePulk of six B-29 airpl.&nea.
,

NND 927545

•

..
AMC
Subject,

2 3 APir 1948

Project "SIG!i"
e.

»umber of objects per aighting,
Objects per sighting
Number of eightioga

l
77

2-6

6-10

over 10

t. Exhaust traile were reported 23 times.
g. Speed has been eetime.ted throughout the entire range from
very alow or hovering to supersonio.
6. Incloaures 2 and 5 are anlargementa of photographt taken of
Incident f40o Inoloaure 4 1s an evaluation of inolosure 2 by thie
Headquarters. Attention 1s iovi ted to the marked aimilari ty between
incloaurea 2 ands. and inoloaure 6. Similarity also exiata between
inclosures 2 and 3 and oonfigur&tiona illustre.ted in inolosure 6.
7. Representatives from tbie Headquartere visited Dr. Ining
Langmuir of the P~sea.rch Laboratories. General Electric Comp&ny.
Schenectady, N. Y. to discuss Project "SIGN". It was the opinion of
this acienti st that prosent a.vai l!I. ble data does not encompass suffi
ci ent information to enable a positive identific~tion to be ma.deo
Dr. :.a.n&muir was relucts.nt to consider the so-called "flying discsM
as a reality. However, it io be'lieved at this neadquarters that it
is possible to oonstruot a low aspeot ratio airoraft that would d~pli
oate many of the appearance and performance oharaoteriatics of reported
"flyint discs~. Experts have agreed that thie would be possible through
the intelligent application of boun:lary layer control.

FOR THE COMMANDING GENERAL:

~Me~

6 Inols

l.
2.
3.

4.
6.
6.

H. M. ticC~!1.
Co lone1. US&F
Chief ot Intelli gence

Tabulation
Photo
Photo
Eval of Incl 2
Horten Parabola
Biology of I'lying Se.ucor

NND 927545

;

•

CONFIDENTIAL

Incident
No.

Date

Hour

Location

g Jul 47

0930

g Jnl 47

N<>•

Obser,ed

Sighted

P'rom

Muroc ilT Field, M'uroc, Calif.

Ground

0930

Muroc,Air Field, Muroc, Cali£.

Ground

e Jul 47

0930

Muroc Air li'ield, li&uroc, Cali.f.

Ground

g Jul 47

09tl9

Muroc .lir Field, lluroc, Calif.

Ground

g Jul 47

1000

lmroc Air Field, Muroc, Calif.

Ground

g Jul 47

1000

Uuroc A.Lr Field, itiuroc, Calif.

Ground

g Jnl 47

1200

Muroc Air Field, Mu.roe, Call!.

Ground

7 Jul 47

1010

Iifuroc Air Field, Vuroc, Calif.

Ground

Jul 47

1150

Area 113, Rogers Dry Lake, Muroc
Air Field, Muroc, Calif.

Ground

4 Jul 47

1305

~ortland, Oregon

Ground

4 Jul 47

1305

1llli.lwaukee, Oregon

Grotmd

4 Jlll .47

1305

Portland, Oregon

Ground

1305

Portland, Uregon

Ground

1305

Portland, Oregon

2004

Roi se, Idaho

4 Jul 47
4 Jul 47
4 Jul 47
4 Jul 47

4 Jul 47

1305

Vancouver, Washington

4 Jul 47

1400

4 Jul 47

15
l.6

9
10

undetermined wt atated
5

Air

r.:.r ound

20-30

Ground

Portland, Oregon

Ground

16}0

Portland, Oregon

Ground

4 Jul 47

1700

Portland, Oregon

Ground

4 Jul 47

ll.00

Mount Jefferson near

Ground

11r

not stated Seattle, Xashington

Redmon, Oregon

2ll. Jun 47

l!S

not stated not stated Toronto, Canada

Ground

20 Oot 47

1320

Dayton, Ohio

Ground

20 Oct 47

1100

Xenia, Onio •

Ground

1500

14t. Rainier,

a.shington

CONFIDENTIAL
NND 927545

CO~FIDENTIAL e
Incident

No.

Observed

Sighted

From

not stated

No.

Date

dour

Location

29 Jun 47

1645

Des Moines, 1owa

21 Jwi 47

30 Jun 47

1745

Boise, Idaho

Ground

12 J\111 47

1&5

Weiser, Idaho

Ground

4 Jul 47

2345

Vfest Trenton, t~ . J.

Ground

10 Jul 47 not stated Harmon Field, Newfoundland

Ground

10 Jul 47

Ground

24 Jun 47 not stated Idaho

Ground

23 Jun 47 not stated Bakersfield., Calif.

Ground

7 Jan 4!

l ~ T Lockbourne AB, Co1umbus, Ohio

30a

7 Jan 4g

1925EST Lockbourne,!B, Columbus., Ohio

Oroum

30b

7 Jan 4a

1915EST Lockbourne AB, Columbus, Ohio

Ground

30c

7 Jan 4g

1940

Lockbourne il, Columbus, Ohio

Ground

mid-December early a.m.

Ground

llr

7 Jan 41! 133&.l'T,OO"' Oocbnan Field, Ky. (south of)

Ground

7 Jan~

l4000ST Godman Field, Ky.

Ground

7 Jan~

1320CS'J.' · 0odman Field, Ky.

33c

7 Jan 4g

J..420 CST 2100 from Oodman Field, Ky.

Ground

33d

7 Jan 4a

Gedman Field, Ky.

Ground

33e

7 Jan 4g J..430-1600

Godman Field, Ky.

Ground

331'

7 Jan~

Godman Field., Ky.

33g

7 Jan~ 11!54-19()6

lladi.eomi-1.le, Ky.

l ,l -

13 Oct 47

05}0

12 Nov 41

GQ'l.Jr a.m.

32
32

Ground

about noon Spokane, ·1ashingt,on

Hamon Field, bewfoundland

Northern Arizona

1946
not stated

after dark Columbus , Ohio

Ground

l4 mi1es north of Dauphin,
J.lanitoba, Canada

ticonderoga at sea (40 miles
south of Cape dlanco, 20 miles
o£f shore)

Ground

Boat

CONFIDENTIAL
NND 927545

DIOIDD'f

Is,

;w.

vu~FIDENTIAL
a...nect

lo.

r,ooat1cm

12111:.

SMaatfd

rra

Ground

Qro\md

Ground

Jot Stated lot Stated !oilt, Idaho

12 oot 47

10 Jun 47

9 Jlll 47

2,,0

Onnd Palla, levtoundland

OJ"ound

7 Jul 47

1600

Phoenix, Ar11ona

Oroun<S

•n

11 JUl 47

lot Stated lltndort J1eld, llatlta

Qro,md

12 lUl 47

04,0'L

BltndOl't J1eld, Alatll:a

Oroun4

29 Jun 47

1645

Clll"1on, Ion

Oro\lDd

"-5

28 Jun 47

1~,

Roekt1tld, W1■cou1n

7-10

Ground

7-10

Ql"0\1DC2

22 Jun 47

Ground

6 Jul 47 lot Stated 1a1rt1tld-6uilm Air S.le, 01111.

Oround

7 Jan 48 1920-1955 V1la1Jllton, Ohio

Ground

48a

7 Jan ,s

1925

Ground

481>

7 Jan 48

1910&ST V11111ngton, Ohio

Qrowu1

7 Jan~

19,0

Y1la1Dgton, Ob1o

Orcnmd

-84

7 Jan 48 1920-1950 111.111ngton, Ohio

ll'ound

9 Jan 48

2,00-2,15

J>aJffi 11e , ltntllolq

Qroimd

10 Jan Ji8

2200

11lcSVood, In Jei-■r,

Oa•• Creek, Ar1■ ona

1200

lot Stated !udape1t, Bung&J"1

28 .Jun 47 Afternoon n11no11

11,0

Ortent1eld, 1111,

111111.ngton, Ob1o

_,,,.,.•

One at tb11 Orouad
date, PNT1wa17 1 ..oh

27 Deo,, JUI
all at 2000 o 1oloek.

'Sept lf

1215

on.ao, oneon

,,.

29 Jul 47

1450

28 Jan IJ7

1515

16 Jan IJ7

2:, Jul 47

12-15

Ground

1181111 ton 11eld, Cal1torn1a

Oroad

29 1111 •n Atter 1200 llllilton Jield, ca11tarn1a

Ground

Lake Jllead, ore1on

Air

22:50

Jorth Sea (50 ail•• troa

Air

o,45Z

BIJ'llCffl Pield, ltvtoundland

Orolll\d

tbe Dutch coa,t)

IAo1c1ent

-CQ~F~DENTIAL

us.

15a.
6 Jul 47

20 lul 47

0015Z

Abou-c! the BUl'aeo (at sea

4 Aug 47

BYeJWII

14 Se»t 47

?fe,

Looat1on

lo.

simaa

Ob1enec!

D:99

1-10

Gi-oan4

Boat

Bethel, Alaska

Ail"

055ae1T

Reeter Ialand

ill'

10 Jul 47

1000

Oor4707, Canac!a

OPOUDCS

8 Sept 47

22:,0

Salt Lllce Cl tJ, Unb

Ground

8 Sept 47 22:S0~:S00

Salt Like Cit7, Utah

5 Sl'0'QP8

Ground

2945

one hr. troa 874ne7, Autft11a)

eaoh oan-

ta1D1Dg
:S5~0
01:tJecta.

6:s

29 JuJ. 47

1205

can,on 1em, llontana

19 Aug 47

2130

Tv1n Jalll, Idaho

2 Jun 47

lot stated Rehoboth Beaoh, Delevan

10 Aug 47

2100

llJ. Aug 47

1600

24 Jun 47

Ol'om:ad

A.pprox.

Ol'oun4

55.
1

Ground

811Yer 8pr1.ngt, Ohio

Ol'ound

Placemlle, lalitornia

Ground

Hot 1tattd

Cuoa4e lountaiJ:aa,
Pwtlan4, 01-egon

Ground

6 Aug 47 22,0-2245

Ph1l.a4elph1a, Pa.

Ol'Ound

6 iug 47

Ph1lt4elph1a, Pa.

Ol'oand

8 Oot 47 lot 1tatecl

Laa Vega■, leYa4a

Ol'Ound

lot atate4 Jot 1tatec1

Port R1obardl0J1, Alllb

Ol"oand

4 Aug 47

Boston (101111e1 n) •••·

A1r

24 .JW'l 47 App. 1500

•t. A~IU, ftlh!ngton

1, Aug 47

saote Rl•er aaix,on, Idabo

Ground

1:5 Aug 47 Jlornlng

Salaon Du, Ic!aho

Ornnd

:S 11117 47

1s,~

South BrookYille, Dine

Gl'O\IDl2

:,o Jun ~7

0910 JIST

Oran4 ClllQ'on, AP1aoaa

ill'

Apr 47

1100 ES!

R1oba0nd, V11"g1n.1a

1045

1600

1300

lot stated

Ground

1, other■ on Grcnmd

other ooou1ona

coNriBcNTIAL
lno1dent

em..

19,

Looat1op

Jo.

SUhtn

rrw

Ground

80
81

7 Jul 47

0900

Biokaa Jield, lava11

171117 47 2030-2100

0klahOllll CitJ, OklahOJII

9 hl 47

Bo1 ■t (Between Boise and
hr1d1&n) Idaho

z, 84

7 Jul 47 l:500•140<Bft Lakeland, Jlorida

1217

1200

°'8tl"Ytd

Ground

Cll'ound

Portland, oregon

Qromd

6 lulJ ~7 lot ■tated

Hollywood, Cal1tonia

Qro,md

lot ,tated •ot 1tated

HabMrbi1hopehiOJ1 {20 mile,
zx, r tb ) Go rm.any

Ground

S J.ug if

Atternoon

Baokenaaok, a. J.

Ground

6 Jul 47

lS45

lanaae City (100 miles west),

Air

Ke.neaa
90

29 Jun 47

1500-15:SO

Lae Cruoe ■, !low Mexico

Groun4

28 Jun 41

2120-2146

Maxwell Pield, Alabama

Ground

• 92

lg Jun 47

l2l5-1Sl6

Colorado Springe, Colorado

Grcrund

ll Jan 48

1650

Harttord, Coumot1cut

Air

!O Deo 47

l926PSf

Between Great l'alle, Montana
and Pairfield, Ca!1tornia

SO Dec 47

l926PSf

Rosedale, Oalitornia

A.ir

SO Deo 47

1926

Lov•look (30 m1lea weat), leTae1&

Ground

30 Dec 47

1926PST Between Medtord and •t. Chaata,
Oregon

A1r

l(oT 47

Daybreak Houston, Texas

Ground

Jan 46

lot stated Vasea, 11nland

Ground

lot 1tated

Ground

100

5 Jan 46

Pretaraa&rl, F1nla1'ld

•

Incident
No .

Occupation

Jo1aneuvers

Heatner

1st Lt, UJAF

1lone - horizontal fl1gnt

IiOt

:,/::,gt,

1"ot stated

.,ot stated

Uninown

t-:et stated

l1 ot stated

s/sgt, USAF

Not stated

~!ot stated

Pfc, USAF

Flying in tight circle

!fot stat'3d

~fot stated

Horizontal anrl tipht circles

!lot stated

:Uaj, USAF

Descended from an intennediate
altitude in an oscillating
fashion almost to the ground,
then started climbing again to
a very high altitude and moved
off slowly in the distance.

Not stated

liajor, USAF

Oscillating in a downward twirl-

Not stated

Capt, USAF

Patr olman, ?ortland Dippi nP, up and down in oscillat-- Not stated
Police Dept.
ing motion

Sgt, Oregon Police

Patr olman, Por tland Not stated
Police Dept., former
Air Force pilot

Clear with little
or no cloud forma
tion

Patrolman, Portland Str aight line formation; last
Police Dept. Pri
disc fluttered very rapidly in
vate pilot
side-way arc

Clear with little
or no cloud for.na
tion

Patrolman, Portland Strai~ht line fonnation ; last
Police Dept . ?ri
disc fluttered very rapidly in
vate pilot
side-way- are

Clear with little
or no cloud forma
tion

Capt., Harbot pilot

Not stated

Observer ' s

0::i,v'

stated

ing movement
Falling at three times the rate

?!ot stated

of a parachute

Following each otner

Discs wo'.lld oscillat e and SOl11131-'
times a full disc would be vis~
ibl e, then a half-moon shape,
t hen nothing at all

CUiqfiDE~~TIAL
NND 927545

Clear with little
or no cloud f orma
tion

Incident

•

•oo

ObaerTer' s
Ocoupad.on

Capt, United Airlines Straight-away horizontal flight

Coast Guard

Horizontal flight

Kot stated

Deputy Sheriff

Mot stated

Not stated

!lot stated

Not stated

Bot stated

Sot ste.ted

FUppi ng around

Mot stated

Jot stated

Not stated

Iot stated

Mot stated

Hot stated

Mot stated

Private pilot

Straight horizontal flight

Clear as crystal

llot stated

Horizontal fli ght

Clear

Farmer

Straight course - were flying
about a city block apart. one
behind the other

Cloudless and
sunny

lot stated

Straight course

lot stated

Single file

Rot stated

Wot stated

Flashing

Bot stated

!lot stated

Horizontal flight

•ot stated

lot stated

Shooting up and down

Clear

Not stated

Hori&ontal flight

Bright moonlight

llecba.nic

lot atated

Not stated

TWA Representative

llot stated

Clear

Lt Governor

lot stated

Kot stated

ffest Coe.st Pi lot.
7000 hrs.

Bot stated

lot stated

Ca.pt. USAF. Asst
Operations Officer

Climbing and descending vertioally

Solid overcast

30a

VHF/DJ' Operator

Hovering, made three 360

Weather

Ka.neunra

turns around one place. Moved
to another position and circled

more. Turns required 30-40 seo.
Diaaeter estimated at 2 miles.

lot stated

Overcast. 1000 ft.

- cor~FIDENTIAL
Incident
loo

Observer's
Occupation

SOb

Traffic Air Controller Bobbing up and down

Overcast

30o

lot a~ated

Climbing and de~oending

High overcast

Profe11or and Bead
or Aero Kn.gineering

Mone

Clear

Lt, USAP

Bone

Overcast

T/Sgt, USAF

Jone

1,it.,Lt, USAF

Bone

High acattered olouds
Visibility unlimited.
High scattered

PFC

lone

lfot stated

33c

Capt, USA1

Kay have been turning

High overcast
with BIS

33d

Capt, Us.Ar

None

33a

Maneuvers

Weather

High ecattered,
vi ei bi li ty unlimited

Col, Ky. State Police Kone

Clear

Capt, USAF (Plight

Not stated

.Not stated

:S3g

Unknown

Mot stated

Not stated

Judge

Bone

Clear

Second Officer.Wavy

Mone

!lot atated

CAA Official

Sot stated

Rot stated

Pilot

Kone

Clear ..,-.'!

Hungarian Peasants

Not stated

!lot stated

Constable

Not stated

3:Sf

Leader •a 869)

a.tVU.

Spiraled downward f'rom 5, 000
to 2,000 f't am then went

upward at a 450 angle

Cumulus clouds

41 (;J~iadJENTIAL

lg,

Obaenv'•
QoogtS,on

1'1

Colonel. USU

. lot atated

. .jor, USU

Jo\ atated

Bua Dl'"1"1"

lone

lot 1tated

lone

Jot ltated

IJ5

lot 1tated

Jot atated

Wot 1tat.d

lone

Cloud Nnb.

Captain, usu

lolled frOII 11a. to lid•

Jot ttate4

KaJor, USAJ

uoerMlillg 1na deNen41na

lot atawd

48a

!/Bgt

Up and down and 114• w lid•

Cpl.

.lao•Ddtnc and 4eaoendbll

Ine14ent

•entuur•

leeendina and deaoendiag ••'17
np'idl7

Cold and eleu Wi'll

t .. 11attffff 1101141.
r.t&bt aoattezaed

oloudl 1'11:la bait
tOIIU'dl S/1.

Clear nth onr•

eut 1Jl S/1.

48d

lot stated

lone

lot lbttd

En.1.ttlng deatan.er

Approaohil!a llhON traa Ooean then
Pile and tall 1lovly.

lot stated

Jot 1tated

lot stated

lot 1tawd

Capt, USU, ASS'!. Bon.aonal lett to ri&ht, ri&ht to
Opentiona ottieu 1•tt l i b • cuard 1n an a1Pplane
~

52•

laoendlng' and deaeendine

CltlP

inawuotor Pilot fOl'Mtian.

lit Lt. 1n Air

SSll1lar to a ti&hter aiNNtta
aueu.•r• llben u e ~
heaT1.eP 1h1p1.

lot stated

lit Lt, UW, Pilot Boruoul ftJl7 elon tCll'Mtim

lot 1tated

Moaquito Pilot

lot 1tat1d

G<JTernaent Bllplo1•• A)rupt 4atl

Bieh toattered
oond1\1on Tie1\111'7
15 a.ilea.

Il•••ne• t01:1Mr
B-29 Pilot

'rNTel1ng in a detillt't1t are.

CONFIDENTIAL
NND 927545

lot 1tated

Incident

110.

Ol>aeryer's
Opomtion

Bridge Corustruct1on Bot stated

Clear and dark.

Chiet Pilot-

Not atated

lfot auted

IM!¥I8 £1

Yt•Hitr

Plying 1er-,1oe

Pilot

Hone

Rot stated

Storek:eepel"

lot Stated

Clear at duak

Kot stated

lfone

Wot stated

lot stated

Not stated

Cloudy

Hot stated

BOYel"ing and fluttering, 1'1S1ng
and deecendtng.

Scattered aull
olouda,

Executive Direct-

Hor11onal

OnNalt

P1lot

lfot stated

Not 1tated

Lt. Col, QSC
Sc1ent1t1c
Branch Research
Group.

Horizonal Pl1.g?\t

lfot 1tated

Insurance Adjuster None

Clear

Prospector

Banking

Cleu

Not stated

Hot stated

Not 1tated

Insurance Agent

Not stated

Clear

Capt. AC Reser-,es

Not stated

Clear

A1!S1 0tf1ce1'

Not stated

Cloud to1'118t1on
1oattered abOYe
10000 tt.

lavigator

Not stated

5/l.O acattered
cuaulus vith

or ot Housing
Authority.

(Conatellat1on
type ail"cNft)

tops at 10000,
Y111b111ty 10

a11H.

Prospector

Standi.nc on edge and banking
1n the clouda.

Mot 1tated

Trout Parm Oper.

Rode up and dovn oyer the hills
and hollow ot the canyon tloor.

Mot stated

County COlllliaaioner Hot stated

NND 927545

Rot stated

In.ctdent

Ob ■erTer'•

Ko,

Qo9upgt109

Manemrp

J!eather

Astronomer

Not stated

lot stated

Lt, USI (P80 Pilot

lot 1t1ted

lot ■ tated

Weather r-,o7tff

Rot 1t1ted

Clear

Lt. Col. USAP

Jot ltated

Scattered clouds
Y111b111t7 10-12 ailea.

C1T11 Service

A1oendtng slowly

P1eld Bngtn,er

Bot stated

lot stated

Pilot

Slow roll or barrel

S<ae clouds

Sign Painter

Cl1Jlb1ng

Clear ...cattered cloud•

Pl'1Tate Pilot

lot stated

Hot 1tated

'l'm"ned a corner and seemed
to roll.

Clear

U. S. Army

Descended slowly and then
dropped in a spiral motion,

~ot stated

Not stated

Not s tated

Major, USAF

dot stated

Administrative Asst, Not at~ted
Rocket Sonde Section

Captain

Trave ling in zig-zag course

Clear

Railroad Employees

Climbing, diving and reversal
of direction whioh happened
enry few aeoonds.

Cle ar alld 1unny

Capt, USAP

Shooting toward, the eaat at
45° angle

Not stated

L~ Col, Hq, EPlf

Descending vertically - aeaned
to slow down on nearing the
earth

•ot 1tated

C-47 orew

Not sta.ted

Not stated

Bot stated

Not stated

Airplane crew

Not

stated

tiot &tnted

Immigration Service

Not stated
lfot stated

Appeared to be spinning in
its descent
Bot atated
?lot stated

bplo,ee

10 0

Clear

NND 927545

lot stated
lot stated
Not ata.ted

•

Incident

Sound

llo.

Color

Shape

Size

Silnr,-

Not stated

Not

S11Tery

Saucer shaped

lot stated

■om

Retleoted the •un' •
raya

Diac

llot stated

ltot atated

Silvery

Diec

•ot stated

None

Ahai.num colored
1urface

Thin metallic ob-

stated

Mot atated

la
lb

Puraui t eh1p

Mot stated

jeot, unconventi on al
ah11pe

Ye llowiab-llfhite

Spherical

lihi'te aluminum

Dietinct oftl out- 50 tt.
J.1m; ta> projectiona on upper sur-

5 - 10 t't, dtaaeter

lot 1tated

face which llight
han been thick

fine or nob1. Tne,e
croaaed each other
at intervals, 1ug
ge1ting either ro
tation or oaci lla•
tion ot alow type
5

lot 1tated

Round

.Not 1tated

.llom

1'h1 ti ah-brown

Diac

Jllot atated

Jllom

J.lumima

Di1e

Mot determined

lone

White

Dile

Out ol light be

!tone

fore det&iled ob
Hrfttion •d•

1'hite

Diec

Out of 11 ght be
ror• detailed ob
aen-at1on made

Mone

Like s hiny ohro
aium hub cap

Di,o

Mot 1tated

!lot stated

.bot 1tated

Thin a.nd a.ooth

Not stated

Jot etated

on bottoa, rough
appea.rinc on top

NND 927545

II~·

,DENTIAL

Inoident
llo.

Color

Shape

She

Sound

ffbi t e

Saucer

Jlot stated

~t stated

mot atated

Like tlock ot
geese

•ot stated

Low hmmdng
aound

Resembled •tallic

llot 1tated

lot 1tated

l ot atated

Lin a new di••

Like a nn dime

Like .. run, di•

lot etated

Sil•er

lilot atated

lot atated

llot stated

Not stated

stated

lfot auted

ltirror bri t ht

Diameter equal to
di atan ce between
outboard enginea
of DC 4:

lot atated

llot s t ated

Not stated

Not

Approximately

circular. no tail

Jellow

Reflected the 1un
brilliantly

Like ci ga.ra 11uch longer than
wide

Jlot atated

Mom

Silnr

Round

About 12 inches in

Mone

diameter

Dirty 1'hite

Betwe.n circle
••rt•d aa.uc er

175-2 50 t't. dia:aeter Like electric
12 ft. t hiok
motor or dy
nmo

Shiny d l nry

Slim body

Quite large

Bri ght and sil•ery

Ral t-circle

Not atated

Not stat ed

Gli&tened in av.n

Too far away to
dotenune ahe.pe

Too far away to

dete nain. ahape

lone

Plying saucer -

lot atated

nnd on.l - in
22

24
25
25

Luminous

26
27

tai l

lot 1tated

lilot etated

Jiot sta'ted

lot atated

Silvery

Citoular in shape
like a wagon whee l

Same apan •• C-54
at 10. 000 rt.

Wot stated

'
28

Not etated

·eomet-11ke

Not stated

!lot stated

Almo1t round

lot stated

White (.light)

dot stated

lot atated

!lone

NND 927545

vbV~r IDENTIAL
lnoident
No.

Color

Sha.pc

Size

Sound

30&

Amber

Round or oval

C-47 airplane

Jliono

!Ob

Bright white to amber Cone-shaped. blunt Rnonnou•
on top and taper
ing orr toward
bottom

30c

White lligbt)

RoWlld

Comparable 'to run-

Bone

way light

White

Not stated

lot stated

ltone

Amber

Mot stated

tiot stated

!lone

Sun flashes on metal Roughly circular
or metallic

At the distance and lone
altitude the object
appeared ~o be the
size of a11Ter dollar

ffll.1 te or luminous.
·rurnod to be more

Unknown - altitude
a.na distance too

Round teudi og to

be conical

great

red aa the aun aet

:53e

Iona

~ot auted

Cone. topped with Jot stated
red

Si lver with shadow

Raindrop

Unlcnown - believed

lone
lJnJcnoa

to be lar~
53d

1'h1. te

Round at time• -

Uneert&in because

cone ~haped

of distance

lone

53e

lfhi. te

Round

l/4: she full moon

33.f

l(atallio

Bot stated

Tremendous

SSg

"lfot stated

Cone

100 ft. high.
43 .rt. acrose

!lone

Redish tinge

Round

Large gre.pef'rui t

Ion•

Fire oolor

Ball

liot stated

llot atatecl

)lot stated

Bot stated

Mot at&.ted

Bot stated

S ft. from point of

lone

Reddish with blue
lot stated
background.. Black
with white baokground
SilTer
Ball

NND 927545

view
.Not ate.ted

Mot stated

GONfHltJ'TiAL
Incident

lo,

001or

Shape

Soupd

Phosphoru1

Ba-shaped diaoa

lot 1tated

lot atate4

Gray

El11pt1cal

20-,0 tt.

Ho11e like Jet
airoratt prior
to 1ts appell" ~

.. No

audible sound
beai-d 11h11e

object va1 1n
Yiev.
"1

Aluaim"-

Round

3 tt. diameter

lot atate4

OH.yilh

Balloon

10 tt diaeter

lot 1tate4

1'-3

Dirty 1'lite

Between a o1.role IJ1d
an oval (ln-.erted

12 tt thiolc and
175-250 tt diameter

llectJ"ie Jlotor
ordynaao

sa~er)

lfot atat.d

Jlyina Saueers
(not actually desoribed as being
this shape)

Wot 1tated

none

lJ-5

Hot stated

Rot stated

Hot stated

Bot stated

Silvery vh1te Round

Small

lot stated

Bo detim.te shape
No detin1te
oolor top
ai(!e l"etleoted 11ght.

C -51'. airplane

lot deterained
due to the noise
ot airplane.

lf.8

Red

Wot stated

Rot stated

IJ.8a

Bright light

48b

Red - ldltn

PllUli.ng Red cone

Ve17 lai-ge cOlll)U'ed Hone
CirculU'-like a •tU'
1n tbe ak7 only luga. to an aeroplane 11,;bt.
ohangi.ne to
red then to
White OI" J"•llow
Hot detel'llintd

Jot 1tated

Red men IIO"fin8 lot atated
then grean and
black to red.

Kot 1tated

lot ■tated

48d

Yellow or tlame Rot 1tated
colored.

lot stated

lot 1tated

Not atated

!lot ■ tated

lot stated

Cone

descending

Pencil shaped ob3eot

cot~FIDENTIAL
Incident
10.

color

Shape

Stated aa
queer 11.&ht.

Referred to aa aauoer
Kot stated
but not stated as being
ot thie detinite shape.

Jfot atated

11lver

Bomd

Not stated

•ot •tated

llhite. ah1Dy

Circular like a ball
en the bott011 but not
completely round.

15-25 tt Diameter

!lot atated

521

■ilk mite

Bot atated

•ot stated

lone

Whit.

C1roular

36 inches diameter

Rot stated

Rot atated

Not etated

Rot eta,ed

Not stated

RecUab

lot stated

Bot atated

None

Dia glow ot
light

Round

2 :tt. d1aaeter

Hone

lfot stated

Kot atated

Larger than C~4

Not stated

57
58

Blaok

Incandescent

sound

Si•e

Saucer (not det1n1tel7
1tated •• being tbia
shape)

airplane

Hot stated

Not atated

Hot stated

Diec shaped (the 11'ter
glow •de 1t look like

Barrel Bead, dinner

Wot stated

a oone)

ot a plane tl71,ng
hi&h.

11Cht without

appreciable
blue and no
redd1eh tinae.

Plame oolor

plate am the aise

White ancS
111Ullinated

Bot stated

Sue ot Pigeons

lfot 1tated

YelloV1ah
vhite

Bot stated

811811

Mot stated

Gleuaed and
Shialered

D1so (not actuall7
stated aa being ot
this shape)

, rt. a1aaeter and
ot no great th1ok•

lot stated

neaa.

Color 111111ar Kot stated
to eiectr1c 11.&ht.

lot stated

Hot stated

lot ltated

Bot stated

15 1nohea diaaeter

lot stated

Bright onnge

lot stated

lot atated

Hot stated

Jllutal col01"

top 1urtaoe al1ghtly

IJ.-6 tt 1n le~h
4
:~e :O-l 1nchea

ll'ot stated

h1ghl7 po111h- ournd-larger 1n front
ed chi-Ollium.
than 1n the rear .
NND 927545

liOMflDENTIAL

flDENllAL e

•

Incident

Col OJ'

Shape

UU.

sounc1

Hot stated

D1eo - appeare~ to have
a tail.

30 tt d1aaeter

lone

White

lot 1tated

Not stated

Bussing sound.

Not stated

Giant til'e cracker

Kot stated

Bu11DI aound

not aa loud
aa a rocket
Ship.

Rot 1t1ted

Hot 1t1ted

lot atated

Not stated

Silver

Sphere( nt not like
1auoer or diac.

2·3 tt diameter

Rot 1tated

Deep Gold

1111pt1oal

15 tt long 2·3 tt

lot atated

1n length.

Bot stated

Tapered lbarpely to a
point in the tront end.

,o tt. diaaettr

Hone

Slq blue

Oblong like a broad rill
hat with a low crown.

20 tt. lona am
10 t,. thiolr.

Kade a

Jot 1tated

Hot stated

Not stated

av1shiq sound.

Lite the eoho

ot • aotor.
Only oonerete evidence

50•100 tt lfide.

Loud roar

Light gray

e1rou1ar

8 tt. diueter

Bot ■ tated

S1lftl'

Bot atated

Lu•er than a

Not atated

Light colored

78
79

or tora appeared on the
lett tangent ot the group.

Pibal balloon When
obaened through a

theodolite.
80

Retleoted vh1te
light.

"Blob 11

S11Yer

Large Balloon With silver Large
d11c below it, no attaebing
cables vere noticed.

'
82

Proa t7 ltbi te

Round and tlat

SMll ail"plane

Equal to b\11.k ot

6 eaob, B-29 air·

Hone

lot etated

A 1l1gbt
mahing.

planes td th dia ..

•t•r to tluomeas
ratio ot 10-1.

Black

Round

'tVtnt,-.f'ive cent
piece.

lot atated

, .DENTIAL e
Incident

110,

color

Ship,

Sb1Jm7

Road

lot ltated

lore~ le11

Bot 1tated

Reseabled the D5U•l.

Jot 1tated

lot 1tated

Not 1tated

lot atate(!

IOt ltated

lot stated

Jot S1t&ted

Bot stated

lot ata.ted

lot atated

lot stated

1lying di ec (not ao
tual ly deaoribed aa
being ot thi• aha.pe)

)lot 1t1.ted

lot atated

Ro\lDd di,o ahaped object

50-60 rt. diameter

bot at&ted

Unitonn with no protu

Hot atatad

Bot 1tt.t1d

Refleote4
light

SbJ-111.

berano•• euoh •• wing•
of an airplane

Light

lot atated

Not stated

looe

Silver

lot ,tated

S-11

lloli ata.ted

Bluish center Appeared to be a di10
·. rl th rod on
its edgH

Reaembled ~ shooting Not etated
at~r; however. obaervera not oertain

!ot atatad

lot 1tated

Not stated

Not ,tated

Not stated

Kot stated

Bot stated

Not st:i.ted

Hot etated

Not stated

Not atated

Flaah of

Kot atat••

Hot stated

Hot atated

light
98

Bright light

Ahaoat round or perhaps
oval or aauoer-ahaped

2ti-30 miles diametor

lot etated

Shining

Brightly ehining object

lot atated

Bot atated

lot atated

!lot stated

100

with long td 1

Wot ,tated

NND 927545

Incident
No.

Exhaust

-COt~f\DENTlAL:-

Heading

Altitude Ft.

Speed

lffect on Cloud•

t:one

320°

1000-sooo rt.

~00 mph

lot at&ted

Not stated

liorthwest

7500-8000

ft.

~50-400 mph

Hot stated

f.ot stated

northwest

7000-8000 f't.

300-400 mph

tlot atatod

tlot

stated

tiorthwest

6000 rt.

300-400 mph

~ot stated

tot stated

Not at&ted

From very near
the ground to
vory high

Not ste.tod

llot atated

Not ata.ted

frost to east

10000- 12000 rt.

200- 225 mph

)lo-r; stated

Not stated

North of due
east

Under 20000 ft .

Slower than Hot stated
lllAXimUDl speed
or P- 80

Bot stated

Two flying
aoutb - S
flying ea,t

Bo'\ stated.d

Great speed lot atated

Not stated

llorthweater ly Undetermined

None

Southweat

Trail

la.

50000 fto

Terrifie

lot stat.d

Terrific faster than
any object
ever seen

lot stat.cl

by him
8

Rone-

South

40000 tt .

Terrific

lot atated

Jlone

South

40000 rt.

?errifio

Not ,tated

Not atated

S01..-th

High over
Globe Mille

Terrific

lot stated

!Jone

Northwest

llot stated

Cruised for

Not atated

46 min. at
oonventional
airline apeed

(180 mph) then
rapidly disappeared

Not stated

OTer north end lot stated
ot Lake 1'o.shington

CG."f,DENTIAL
NND 927545

llot stated

.ttoi;

a ta. ted

Bo.

E:xhauat
Trail

Wot atated

Incident

•
Bee.ding

.lltitude Ft.

Spoed

Effect on Cloud.a

Hot stated

Not atated

lot • ~ d

Hot at&t.<l

Tranlini BO

llot ,te.ted

3 west to
Did not appear
l north Tery high

lot atated

F1DENTIAl

lot atated

eaat.

taat they
•ere out ot
eight in eaat
in 2-4 aeoonda

lot atated

JloT1ng slowly

llot atat.d

onr aandy
dletr1ct
15

Iot 1te.ted

l beaded

High

Sot atated

lot atat.d

lot 1tatad

!tot atate4

llot atated

Not 1tated

lot 1tated

Not stated

Hot stated

Very taat

Bot stated

s outhea1t.
2 headed
north1a1t

lfot 1tated

.lot atated

lot ete.ted

north to IOUth 9500 rt.
about 17<i'

Trail atreaa- aeenronr
1ng out beweatend
him like
of Toronto
vapor trail
'beh1m airplane on
misty day

Lim alight

Jiot atated

eat to east One 11.ile high

trace ot steam.
Disappeared

1m::nediat•ly.
20

Not atated

Southwest

About 1500 rt.

Faat

llot stated

Rot stated

~.N.W.

1200 ft.

About SOO

lot atated

mph

S.W. ot S.

Bot stated

7000 tt.

Slower than lot atated
two-motored
U1lY plane

Not stated

!lot stated

5000 tt.

lfot ate.ted

lot stated

Cloud-lie

8outheut

Very high

Very tut

Mot atat.d

n.por - retained shape
a.nd persiated

tor onr an
hour

NND 927545

Ho.

B.xhaust
Trail

Wot stated

Incident

•

CONFIDENTIAL e

Heading

Altitude Ft.

Speed

Effect on Clouds

Bast

High

Fast

Not stated

Bluish-black Not sta.ted

Bot stated

llot stated

Cut a clear path
throup cloud•

Bluish-black Not stated
15 mi. long

10000 ft.

Fast

Seemed to out
0loud1 open

Not stated

Did not

Bot stated

Not stated

moveo

Seemed to
go below
horizon
with rotation
of earth

High
10 flying
north; on
reverse course
there were only 7

Not stated

None (apWest
peared to
ha.ve bluish
streaks out
t'rom aides
Five times
length ot

..'

3000

300-400 mph

Bot ate.ted

Slow

Bot stated

Prom .,ery near
500 mph
g?'Ound to 1000 rt. a,tter 1 t

1200

Jlot stated

atartecl
to le&"ff

object

n.e1n1ty

S0b

bceeding

Small streak 8.8.Wo
trailing object

Bot ate.ted.

600 aph

di!teNn.~ al•
titudea ;

Jfotionlesa

20000-50000 ft.

600-~00 mph Bot 1ta1;ecl • •

Stationary

3000 tt.

Stat1anary

lone

lone visible

Unknolm

nom n.aible Ione

Jfone

210° from

Extremely high

Stationary

!lone

Not stated

Bot sta:t;ed

300

Wot stated

Kot atated

White., heavy West to eut

lone

33a

lot stated

~-~------

"lone

Godman Field

None

Not stated

NND 927545

COhFIDENTIAL
..

Ino14ent

Ezhautt

uutud• rt,

Jo.

Trf1l

lta4w

''°

)lot • ••n

Apptlll'ed to be Very h11b.

''d

?lont

,,.

lone

,,r

lot atated

,,s

Not ■tated

llcmo

81.N• ot

■ tat1onaJ7 .

Sptfd

lf(n\ op Cln4f

Appeued lont
to 1M
1tat1ozw-y.

GodMn Jld.

Uncei-tain••PJ higb.

Stationary.Could be seen
throuab oi.ffU

210• t'Poa

25000 tt.

Stationary.lone

15000 tt.

500 IIPh

lot atate4

~ aile•

lOJll)h

lot atated

, Vest to nat

lot stated

Speed ot a lcmt
aeteor ar
tallinC a tar.

IOJ"tbwaterl7

Rot atated

700-900 IIPh lot atated

lot atated

lortbeaat

Jot atated

lot atated Jot atated

lot 1tated

lortheut

aooo-10000 tt.

350111'h

lot 1tated

lfa,t stated

JIOt stated

lot ■ tated lot 1t1t.d

Ion•

Bait

,0000 tt.

V0'7 ta1t lot 1tated

Kot 1tated

Appeared troa
nOJ'tbeaat.

5000 tt.

~0-600 aph lot 1tated

Jot atated

South

lot 1tated

Great

lot 1tated

lot ,tated

Borihweat

1500

lOOaph

lot 1tated

11rat group
S S/£, 8HOnd

1200

,oo mph

Jot 1tat14

lot 1tate4

210• t'Poa

Oodllan Pld .

Approx. 210•
frt• Oodllan Jld.
Southw■ t

tire.

lot ■ tated

group 1/V.

lot 1tated

South

lot 1tat1d

hat

Jot stated

lot stated

lot stat•d

lot atat•d lot 1tatecS

Jot stated

lortbwta tff1,1

1000

, ••tel"

lot 1tated

than an air•

plane.
IJ7

Jot etated

80'1thfllterl7

10000

J'uter 11ml lot 1tate4
•ftT aiNratt
h• ba4 rnr

•••n.

Mot stated
Ga1eous green 5/V llhtn 1t
lett the
a11t.
'f'101D.1 t7 • NND 927545

60111 1uENTIAL

Gained an~ lot stated
101t alt1t•
udt at a
te1"1"1t1o nte.

NTIAL

?no1dent

Exhauat

10,

n:,11

4aa

ver, tatnt

Att1\Jde Pt.

leaflN

S/1 llhen 1t lett lot 1tate4
emaut trail the Y1t1n1tJ.

llben 1IO'fing.

Gl'eenlah

111st 1hen
deaoending.

lot 1tatect

Spefd

Btteot on ClOlldl

Lett

Jfot stated

T10in1t)'

at nr,
h1gb 1peed.

S/W ldlen it lttt lot 1tated
the TlO 1n1 ty.

lot stated Not stated

210 degree, lllben 15000-20000
1 t lett the Tic -

lot stated Hot stated

1.nity.
~d

lone

Approxblately
1l'011 4000 to
due nat lalen 1t Ter1 hi&b.
lett the T1o1n1ty.

Slow

Lon, trail

Vest

Very hi&h

lot atated lot stated

Kot stated

Shor•wrd

Rot atated but Slov until Bot stated
OTer land
•aid to be
quite close.
then higher
speed lfbile

ot Doke.

Not stated

leaving.

Hot atated

lot 1tated

High

Bone

Soutbnrd

8000-10000

Hot stated l ot stated
JCade a P-80 Hot stated

look llke 1t
wu motionleH 1n the
air.
;

52&

Wot stated

120•

6000

Approxiaate- Not stated

lT 150 aph.

Bot stated

Bot 1tatecS

120•

6000

285 aph.

Not stated

Borth Sea to

22000

Equal to

Not stated

or greater

lortolk

than • Brit1ab Mosquito .

lot 1tated

10000

Rip yel•

Not ■ tated

oc1t7• 1tated

to be taster

than conyent1onal airplane.

•ot lt&ted

Soutb saat

2000 tt

CONF1DENTIAL
NND 927545

500-600 mph.Mot atated

•

»ioldent Bxbauat

lo,

m11

lo\ 1tated

CO~rlDENTIAL
ltt1s\ on 212'94•

il\1'1\4• ,t.

lltfflPI
DZ <,o• I ot

,o• ott the

llor1son at
true IOJ'th on
bor1.Sonal plane. an ••t1111ted
1,A 1111• rap.

Jli,tl .el.. lot 1tated
001t7, 1tawd toM

taatu t:bUl
• tnoer
\,ullet.

lot 1tattd

1/W

1000

510 apb.

lot 1tattd

lot attted

,50- later
ohaJll•d to

9500-10000

1000 lmota

lot atat.4

1or.

Liabt tlae JPrca 1/1 beadoolor.
1DI Eutwrd.

lot 1tated

lorthern

2000-,000

raster than 1'0t 1tated
,ua,.

Jot atattd

lot atated

&e-nral
thOUlud tt.

Jl1&b rate

lot 1tattd

lortheaaterly

3000

TrandOUI
Speed.

Jot stated

Jot 1tated

lortbeaaterly

lot atated

terr1tlo

Jot 1tattc1

lot atattd

Weit to la1t

1000

1000•120011>h lot stated

Lone atl'a - lorth to South
tsht '4\itt
1treak 11.llilar to th•
1treak left
by• traoer
bullet.

Low

Required ,-4 lot 1tattd

White bail lot 1tattd

500-1000

Tnr1tlo

lot 1tated

Wot 1tated

6000

lot 1tated

lot 1tattd

Thin 1treaJc South

lot 1tateO

Vff"f t11t.

lot stated

1000-,000

a.oo,oo

1ot 1tated

wot atated

7ooteoo

lot stated

6000

lot 1tated

of 1peed.

1econd1 to
tnffl 70•

an.

of l■Okt.

Southea1terl1

of gl"e7ill\

color.
70

Bitber 1aokt 1B to SV
or conden-

eat1on laatSAI 2 1eoonda.

Jilt)' hav•
been IIIOkt

Southeaat then

or npor

net.

t\ll"Jled and vnt

t r • 1nttnae
■i,eed

aiaoet wit•.

NND 927545

Incident

lo.

llxhauat

r~eE·~flAl:
i

~hr
iiUuii i

•

ffiil

Bgd1ng

41t1t1»4e Pt,

Sp••4

Vtftt op Qlouf•

Iona

South

Below 10000

'flteaendou

Jot 1tated

lone

Ba1terl7
7000
approxillatel1
110• -,netio.

175 IIPh

Rot 1tated

lot stated

•ot 1tated

Jlot ■ tated

Oreata
thd&ft7•
thm, n•r
Witneaaed.

lone

Baat to wet

lot ,tated

loi atated

lot stated

Bot 1tated

4000-6000

lot atated

Jot stated

lot stated

Jfortihwat(Trut) •ot stated

600-1200

lot •ta'-4

lot stated

8va1&ht down.

Deorna1Jlg tr•

Inaono~nblt lot stated

approi111atelJ
25000.

Jot atated

Batt to lfe1t

LIii

t.ban 15000 Jot atated

Jone

southeast

Lesa than 500

Kot 1tated

CCIIIPUttd at lot atawd
·1:550 IIPh,
hOWffJI IP•

pelNd to
aOTe "1th
tbt speed
ot • Jet

11.Jlcntt.

lot stated

• ortlnreat

6000

lot stated

Bot stated

lone

,5t•

10000-18000

Tbree t1M1 lot 1tated
that ot a

Jet atrontt.

8:5

lot 1tated

lot atated

11000

lot stated

lot atated

lot atate4

lortbeaat

7500

lot atahd

lot 1tated

Bot atated

Borth

8500

35011Ph

lot atated

Jfot etated

IOJ1thard

lot stated

lot 1tated

Rot atated

lot stated

Not etated

trom 6000

lot stated

lot atated

lot stated

lot 1tated

200 yards

110vhig ra,?idly

liot stated

llot etated

Eaet

11000

210 mph

JIJot stated

NND 927545

CONFIDENTIAL

11JcnTIAl
Incident
lo.
90

Bxh&uat
Trail
One w1tneH
thought be

Beading

lltitude Ft.

Speed

Ureot on Cloud•

lor'therly

8000-10000

lot atated

Diaappear ed
in the aoutb-

Great height

High rate

lot atated

eaw Tapor
traile

lot stated

ot apeed

weat
Jlot stated

W.at

Abon 1000

Oreat a pffd

lot • tated

Dropped troa
sight on north
aide of •t.
Tom near
Holyoke. MaH.

Iot atated

Ver, high

lot atatecl

Telooity

Green and
Deaoending Ter- Prom lSOOO
blue tleaea tioally

'fery high

Se..-eral color•
ot r1..... -

Very high

Saatwa.rd

rate or

red and green

liot atated

rate ot
apeed
Jlot

atated

apeed

predomin ating
96

lot stated

Bot stated

1200-1500

lot atated

Hot atatecl

Wot stated

1'ot atated

Mot stated

!lot etated

Mot atated

lot stated

Jlot atated

lot at&ted

lot a tated

lot stated

Mot atated

lreat to eaat

tilot stated

lot stated

llot atated

100

Grey streaks Borth to aouth
were left in
eky

lot atated

.llot stated

lot atated

.
NND 927545

lfOtE:

Inc1dent f 18
It has now been d•tini t•ly determined that both tho photograph
and story were t. hou:, perpetrated tor publioity e.nd aooey.

Incident #8•
The peraon malting t he report on thil 1nc1deat was detsrainod to
be &n excitable person, ••r/ talkt.tive, and poaseaaing a.n ex
a ggerated.. iugination and 1nol1ned to iJlpreaa people with his
continuous uhatter.

NND 927545

CONFIDENTIAL
REPORTED DIRECTIOIS OF PLIGHT

2Z
34

Circling 16
Straight down 5
Directi on Indefinite 64
Direction lot Stated 61

• 1'he re an undetermined number ot ob
jecta ware reported the minimum number
of object& are pl ottedo Same object
reported by di !'teren t p,ople only
shown oncto

NND 927545

CONFIDENTIAL

NND 927545

eCONFIDENTIAL

•

Identit1c&tlon ot Subjeot llatter (a, per ••Pl•)
IIOU

11CIT

19 Feb 48

l. Reterenoe 1a ade to th• £11&1 tann b7 llr. Rhoad•• (In.oident f,40) which
••re tonrarded tor exuination. Tb• tollcnriq data ••r• dtri·Hd. froa a atucly ot
the 1peciaen1

a. It ia oonoludecl that th• me• ii of tne pbotogn.phio m.ture, and
1• not due to 1~rteotion1 in th• nul.S.011. or lack o1 deTel opaent in the ■ to
tion in quHtion. Th• im.c• •xhibit1 a "tt.11" indicating th• pn,per t)'~ ot
di1to·rtion due to the tne ot 1hutter u1ed, tht apt.cl of the o'bj•ot and tht
fixed •peed. of the abutter. Thll trailing ott oontona, to th• g.ntral intor••
tS.oD gi T~ 1n th• report.

•••n

l>. Th• nport 1tatH th• objeot na
a.1- approxiat•ly 2000 t••t
at tho t i • ot expoaure. !he obaerHl" allO report, bein& abl• to Ht oltarl1
t. oanow of •nolo1v•. !h• Tiaual aoui ty ot an aTerag• perao!lf'woulcl allow tor
thi• peroeptioa, bu't oH•te:l Illy not auoh t'\ll'ther •• 'the 1ubjeot Md low fl nal
ooutraat, being cn.y againat a C!'&T •~• It•• ou e1tabl1ah the 41,teoe troe
o&aora ~o 1ubjeot, •• Will h&Te quntlty ,fl. !he report 1tate1 tha.t a 820 oaatrt.
n.1 u,.ct, in4ioat1ng Hnn.l po111Mlli1••• ti.not tht 620 ia ooa111cle.tur• for the
•pe>oli~ a.114 width ot the til.a •• aay h&Ye mptiT•I 2t' X 2t", 2f X ~ a.n4
2-t x 4f'. The aaapl• aubaitte4 ha.cl been out and it wa1 not po11ible to Ht&blilh
the 1xaot traat dse. !be 2t x 2f' Iii• waa rul•d out, 1-anrc 2¼ x st" a.nd
i¼ x ~ . It 1 t ftre th• ro,...r, them. the tooal leqtii ot the 101 would be •••
an4 uelisg 2000 teet ... the approid.u.te aubj•ot diatanoe and the lagt dH at
1/M•, .. ban an app,onaat• ••se ot '4 t••• a, the cllagonal of the objeot.
low 1t wa ohoo ■• the latter n.lue ot a• tor t.,eal length, •• h&Te an approxi•
•te T&lue ot' &&• tor th• cliagon&l. Poln-t:1 ot meaauNaent are 1ndioated troa .

x to x on lxhibit ••••

CONFIDENTIAL
NND 927545

•

" NND 927545

•

NND 927545

THE AEROPLAtlE

18S

FEBRUARY 13, 194&

The Biolo!

of the Flying Saf cer- I

The Story of Low Aspect Ratio Aircraft
By A. R. Weyl, A.F.R.Ae.S.

the

o ther hand. the U.S. Air Force considered the matter seriQU\

tained, indeed. tha t they had seen ,quadron\ of , uch mysterious
ob{"ccts; others described vividly how these celestial saucers v.ere
ab e 10 descend vertically. All agreed on the \aucer-hl.e , hapc.
Sceptics considered that, for non-aerona utical people ltv1ng
far from the former playaround s o f V . I. V.2, a nd all the rest
of H itler's "civilizator y • practices. flying saucer<; might indeed
constitute phenomena of threatening aspect, from their experi
ence of domestic disagreemen ts. Doctors, however. hastened to
assure the World that saucer-shap ed or lenticular objects could
well be nothing more than specks in the lenses of the eyes of the
observers- the so-called m11sae 1·0/ames associated with high
blood pressure. Teetotallers blamed the sorry consequence.. o f
imbibing intoxicating liquors for the observation s. On the

In the meantime. the occurrence of Flying Saucer\ ha..
to be new\. P resuma bly. the~ have all landed. [A new crop
wa<; reported in Tur AER0PLANF for J anuary 16 la~t under the
heading •• Tuppence Coloured." -Eo.]
Aerooaudc-al Aotlquities and lniquititt
As a matter of fact. saucer-\hap ed aeropla ne.. are not quite
as new as some people have tried to mal.e out. (Fig. I.) Quite
a number of a1rernft have been constructed and nown with
wi11gs of the ring or disc type which could well have been mis
ta ken for saucers. hat-brims. ~pades, doughnut~. diamonds.
Greek letter,. pancal.e\, nat fhh. geometrical symbols. d inner
plates, and other entirely non-aeronau tical commoditie s.
Moreover. it is qu ite true. .and not even a minor secret, that,
at present. aeronautica l engineers are paying increased a ttention
to s uch queer wing shapes: disc wings. for instance. permit
ceriain disadvantag es of conventiona l wing\ to be overcome. It
1s even thought that such shares have been neglected too long
1 he blame for rheir neglect can be ascribed to the doctrine
o f the induced drng. When the Lanche..ter-Pranc.ltJ aerofoil
theory became recoi,1nized nearly 30 }ears ago, and \\hen the
!>a1lplane movement proved that slender wings were a necessity
fo r soaring. designe r, began striving a fter .. good .. aspect ratios.
The theory blinded their eye~ agains, the poss1bili11es of other
than convenriona l wings. T hi~. hO\\Cver. was not the fault C"f
the theory.,\\ Prandtl soon sho\\ ed its restrictions.
We have now come 10 reconsider the matter of wing shape
in an objective way. as it is quite possible that aircraft design
is approaching a cul-de-sac ~o long as it retains it~ bias in

EVERAL MONTHS AGO peo ple o n both side.. of
enough to warrant inve..tigation s into the incidenis which had
S
Atlantic rushed into print wnh claims of having ob~erved
been reported.
queer saucer-shap ed aircraft which new very fast . Some main
ceased

- - 6 - - - -~

==~
Apttro.l

L .I__ _ __ _,_ ' _'°'_°'_1_ _ ____, - r . : - - i , (b
--

c 6)

OCl5S • stCTIO!'I

Fig. 1.-" Turbine flying machine" (project) of the Munich
engineer Gustave Koch, 189311894. Tailless monoplane of
low aspect ratio. propelled by a ducted fan. A SO h.p.
steim engine wu deemed sufficient for th is flying motor
car. The design of the duct shows intelligent anticipation.

Fig. 2 (Right).- Definitlon of the aspect ratio of an aerofoil.
The arrows signify the direction of the air flow against the
wing. The terms pteroid (feather-like) and apterold have
been introduced by F. W . Lanchester.

NND 927545

,pa"

chor4

)(•-,lod a,u

SquHC'

...~
L

...._______.

I- b , __j

ttt

AR • 0-1

l t t

THE AEROPLANE

186

C..HlUr of the "well-tried " convention,
.. normal " wings.
For the c reasons. a study of. the hi\lory of the u'IC of low
asp,.-ct. rat,o) m wing de:.11n will be of interest.
Sp1ruually, the fathers of uch acronauucal exhibits were
Ens!"hmen. 1 hey were people of good reputation ttnd by
no _me.ins suspect o( aerodynamic perversion.
F. W. Lanchcstcr was undoubtedlf the first acrodynamici ,t
to g,~e thought to aeroplane winis ot circular or squ.irc ,hapc.
lo ht) bool.. publl\hcd m 1907, he referred c'<prcssivcly 10 ~uch
"aptcrold" wmii hnpc~ {F1a. 2) i,nd advanced the view tha t
Nc11.ton's law wa, valid for these. 1he correctncs; of th i~
vie\\ wa~ c~pcrimentally proved 30 ~cars later.
In a prev1ou\ article on " Stalling Characteristic s of Taille-.s
Aeropl.rne~ •• ( lttE AFROl'LANI:. for August IS. 1947), tl,e early
mtcrc-.t tal..cn by F. <i:iow Sir Frederick) Handley Pa~e m the
stalling quahucs of wmgs of low aspect rauo was mentioned.
He showed, 10 a pap~r read an April. 1911. that marginal vortices
and pressurc-equa lmng flow a round the tips were respon~iblc
for the delay of flow separation which h.id been obmved at
high incidence).
He stated. in this connection:-•· . .. With planes of high
aspect ratio _(I.e.. with slender wings of normal span chord
rnllo), \here " not the same facility for the " feedmg m " of
f_rcsh air at the plane sides (i.e .. nt the wing tips) 10 act as a
l~nk between the plane and the live stream. and therefore the
live stream leaves the plane's b11ck at .in earlier st11i;e than in
the ca,e of the plane of lower aspect ratio. . . ." He then
sho11.,ed_ some experimental evidence for the delay of flow
separauon with decrease of the aspect ratio and for the greater
maximum lift of such wing~.
. When Lanches.t cr published his bool.., man was ju~t begin
nma to_spre~d his wmgs. and in order 10 fly with a minimum
ellpend1ture m power, wini:s of fair aspect ratio were a neccs
s11y. Neverthele\s, there were a few early aeroplanes. notably
the little :· Demo1~lle •• monoplane o f Santos Dumont (190919 !0l, which had an aspect ratio of only 2 and proved to be
qu Ile \Ucces,ful.
One o( the earlie~t attempts at a genuine •· apteroid" 11cro
plane was an experiment by a German architect, Flick-Remig
( 1910). It had a span of 7 j ft .. and performed in hops only.
Annular Aerodynamks
A ,1mple experiment with ~ome paper and a pair of sci,sor;
shows that the ~inl..ing speed of a circular disc loaded with a
paper clip is decreased when a hole of suff1e1ent d iameter is cut
out in the centre (Fig. 3). This justifies the development from
the circular d1-.c wmt; to the annular aerofoil. The theory of
the phenomenon i~ still somewhat obscure.
(Having tried thl\ experime01. we can confirm that the char
acteristics of an annular aerofoil are certainly very d ifferent
from those of the plain d1-.c aerofoil. Our own experiment,
11.cre admittedly somewhat lim1ted in scope and we were unable
!O form more than an imprc~10n of the relauve sinking ,peed,:
II did, howev~r. arpcar to be le,~ with the annular aerofoil. Our
mam conclu\lon, w•!re that cutting a 2.25-in. diameter hole in
a .5 37S-in. diameter disc. resulted in a much flatt.e r glide; the
,tall 11.,1, not ,o abrupt. and the stability in the glide wa,
1mpm,cd. We were so fascinated with the e>tperiment th.it we
hope to repeat u ,U a later date on a more ..c:1entific levcl.- Eo.)
fhe conven11onal aeroplJne " constituted of two ba\ic aero
frnh: a "ing (,, h1ch ,uppl1e~ the lift) and ri tail (,, hich balances
and ~tabilize~ the wing). We I.now that \Uch a n arrangement
o.f the 111.0 aerofoil compnnenh i, by no mean, the only pos
\tblc one. The balancing .ind st11b1lmng aerofoil (tailplane)
need not to be aft of the lifting wing a, a tail. It can be
arranged anywhere 1n relation to the wing. e.g .. above It, belo11.
it. o r in front of it.
If the balancing aerofoil i, in front o f the main win~. the aero
plane i~ of the tail-first type. and if it i, attached to the

Fig. S. Kitchen's doughnut of 1911 .

FEBRUARY 13, 1948

Fig. 3.-A simple experiment In annular .ierofolls.

Fig. 4.-Prlnclple or th• Huth annular-biplane system.

main wing. the tailless aeroplane is created. For all these
arrangements. the condition is that, in the case of a wina com
pmed of normal (unstable) aerofoil ~lions. the stabilizin&
aerofoil exens a certain leverage in relation to the centre of
gravity of the aircraft.
Another possibility is to combine two lifting winas so that
they will stabilize and balance each other. For this purpose, all
that is required is that the front wing shall possess, at all inci
dence, of.flight, a greater effective incidence than the rear wiog.
In other words. the centre of gravity must be nearer to the
le.iding wing than to the traili9g wing, and the whole arrange
ment must be balanced accordmgly. In this way, we arrive at
the conception of a stable tandem aeroplane.
If we now take such a tandem arrangement and sweep the
leading wing back and the trailing wina correspondingly forward
so that the tips of both wings merge into each other, we obtain
an annular or ring-shaped wing system. Aerodynamica lly, it is
of minor importance if the shape is actually circular or oval,
or 1f triangular or quadrangular sha pes con,titute the wing. For
,implicity's ..ake, in all such cases considered here, the term
.. annular" 1, appl ied.
As mentioned, the aerodynamics of such shapes cannot yet
be considered as fully established. But it i, proved that longi
tudinally stable wing systems can be obtnined with such shapes.
Some type~ relying on such wings have shown quite remarkable
llying qualiue~. It is also pos,ible that, with annular wings. the
induced drai; i, less than with conventional wings of equiva
lent aspect ratio.
In common with circular wing,. annular wings have the
remarl..able property that the lift force ,teadily increases with
incidence up to fairly high values without a stall. For all
I.no" n arrangements the maximum lift seem, 10 occur at
incidences exceeding 30 degree,. A, ,uch h igh angle~ of
incidence are not likely 10 be reached an flight unintentionall y.
It 1s obv1ou, "hy annular wings have become renowned for
their good-natured flying charac1eri,1il:,.
Another property of annular wings (first establi,hed by
Tilghman Richard,) i, that the centre of pre,sure of ,uch wing
,y,tcm, i, nearly stationary in flight , or that a travel o f the
centre of pre,wre can be obtained which i, po,itively stable
unul incidences o f the order of 18 degree are reached. In
fact. no case of longitudmal in,tabihty ha, ever been reponcd
w11h an annular wing. although the centre of gravity has often
been located d:ingerou,ly far back.
The fi~t annular-wing aeroplane dates bacl.. 10 1908. It
h,1d little succe\\. Two type, 11.ere con~tructed m ,ucces\ion
tu the de,1gns of a capable German aeronautical engineer, Fritz
Huth. who "as by profe\\1on a teacher at a technical ,;chool
( f-tg,. 4 and 61. The ,econd type. which had a less elaborate
a1r,crcw drive. flew in May. 1910: it wa,. however. ,o devoid
of performance. in spite of a SO b.h.p. engine. that it was soon
,1f1erv.ards d1..carded as a hopeless proposition.

Britain'~ Fir..1 Doughnut
The Bri11,h concepuon of the idea has been for more
,ucccs,ful. A, it i, cun,1i1u1ed, until now. the best tried
reprc,cntativc. it~ hi,1ory may be given somewhat more
c,1cn,1vcly.
Ihe ori~mal idea for an annular-wing aeroplane came from
(,. A K itchen. m about 1910; he con,tructed a b1pl.1ne with
rini:-,haped wmg,, but made no progrcs, "ith it. The stable
NND 927545

FEBRUARY 13, 1948

187

THE AEROPLANE

flight of K itchen's models. however. convinced Cedric Lee
that an aeroplane of such de~ign would be a succes,. 11nd late
in 1910 he acquired the patents. At the same time, G. Tilghman
Richards, who was a qualifii:d aeron:iutical engineer, became ,
~uffic1ently interested in the mailer to give up a budding
engineering bureau in order to join Cedric Lee and 10 devote
hib energy 10 tbe idea of a ·• safety " aeroplane.
__.._
Tilghman Richards began with systemat ic experiment, on
models and on large gJiders. Later, careful wind-tunnel test~
-:'x:
(including the o bservation of the pressure distribution) were
- -'made by him in a :!-ft. tunnel he had constructed at East London
College and al~o in tunnels-of tile National Physical Laboratory.
The preparation of the design was, therefore, uncommonly
~-ardul for this early period of 1911 - 1914.
In o rder to ap(>reciate the intention~ for the development, the
following quota11on from a paper read by Tilghman Richards
in about 1912 is illuminating: ... . . 1 he ve ry fnct of high lift occurring at small angles
rreans the provision of large area for l•nding speed resulting
in an inefficient altitude of the plane at high speed: and the
inherent instability of curved aerofoils means a continual
dependence on extraneou, controls carried at some distance
f_rom the wing by heavy and redundant Structure. . . . High
Fig. 6.-Huth annular biplane of 1909.
lift at small angles il> u~eles~. likewise h igh lift/ drag ratio at
,mall an,les, and what is required is the reversal of the normal
type of hft c urve i:iving little lift •lit small angles with low value and Gordon Bell. Finally it came to i;ricf when flown by
of the lift/ drag ratio for landini. . . ."
Lee himself without previous training. After a good
Seen from our pre.sent state of knowledge and development, Cedric
fliaht he managed to put it into a river.
a nd facing the burning problems of personal aircraft for the
Another incident happened with a subsequent annular
man in the street. it wo uld seem that this opinion is a very
i;o~ argument for further experimentation along the lines monoplane: the elevator jammed anct broke in flight. The
aeroplane merely pancaked to the ground, again preserving
indicated.
_The. experience with _powered aeroplanes was at first beset the health of i~ pilot, E. C. Gordon England.
These types in their final form had lateral control effected
with disappointment~. Famine P_oint, Heysham, was apparently
no t a spot from which aeronauucal experimenters could derive by differential deflection of the elevators. It was realized that
this elevon control was not very effective for lateral manceuvres.
any comfort.
The original Kitchen biplane with a 50 b.h.p. rotary engine yet the lateral stability of the wing proved so great that the
was wrecked by a gale, during I 9 I I. before flight tests could provision of ailerons seemed superfluo us. The loneitudinal
b~ m~de. After recort~truction some flight~ were performed stability was always satisfactory, once the centre of gravity was
wtth 11 at Sho!eham <!~ring 1911- 12: yet it never gave any properly located. Because of the great inherent · fore-and-aft
pr~~f of superior q~ah11es. The biplane had ailerons o f the stability, a separate elevator was, at o ne time, located on top
or1gmal Farman variety between the wings. Very soon the of the vertical fin and permitted the fitting of special ailerons.
biplane arrangement w!1s given up in favour of the monoplane. For directional control a vertical rudder was attached to the
A subs~quent experimental monoplane was nicknamed the stern of the fuselage at the trailing edge of the wing. A form
" Sccret-C1rct1: Plane ". ~r "Doughnut,'' the experiments being of tricycle undercarriage was employed.
shrouded agamst pubhclly (much against the interests of the - In respect of perfo rmance, the wind-tunnel tests indicated
dev~lopmen!), This annular-wing aeroplane (Fig. 7) was that a better lift/ drag' ratio could be expected than with a
equipped with an 80 b.h.p. rotary and test-flown by Gordon comparable conventionaf aeroplane., However, no co nclusive
England on November 23, 1912. at Shoreham. The flight evidence for this has, as,yet, been presented.
The third British monoplane of this type also had an 80 b.h.p.
was _remarkable and luck>; for the pilot, but. unlucky for the
precious craft. After havmg flown a large circuit on the first rotary engine. but this time it was located aft and. further, drove
attempt. the pilot noticed, when coming in to land that the the airscrew by means of an extension shaft. Unlike its pre
d~cssors, ~~ dihedral was provided. and because of this the
aeroplane was exceedingly tail-heavy and getting out ~f control
the elevator. bei!Jg insufficient. At about 150 ft. above th~ flying qualities were found to have been greatly improved.
ground the inevttable stall took place: but the pilot managed From early in 1914 until the outbreak of the 1914-18 War
~~mehow to drop his mount upside down on to telegraph this unco nventional aeroplane was frequently flown (mostly
by Gordon Bell): it was demonstrated before Winston
wire~ and escaped without personal injury.
Wtth the reconstructed and improved monoplane many Churchill in the hope of securing orders from the Admiralty.
Altogether, 11,000 miles were flown in about 128 hours, a nd
s\iccessful flights were made by G o rdon England, N. S. Percival
eve~ people not previously trained as pilots were able to
fly 11. In Ma y, 1914. two such aeroplanes were being designed
for parlicipation in the Gordon-Bennett Race of 1915. When
the 1914-19 18 War terminated the work. it had clearly grown
far beyond the stage of an untried project and could have
well been termed a successful experiment with every prospect
of becoming a practical proposition.
In l?l~-10 Tilghman Richards succeeded in persuading the
Air Mm1stry 10 place a n order for a further experiRlental
aeroplane. But a week after communica1ing this decision
Major-General Bagnall-Wild, the promoter of the idea, retired,
and red tape killed an intelligent intention.
It is only fair to record that aeronautical progress has suffered
fr~m the failure to have this develop'ment continued. As
Tilghman Richards stated many years ago:.. There i~ no!hing myMerious about th~ annular plane.
It affords high ltft at large angles, ha~ no >urble point and
has ~ good lift/ drag . rati_o for wings with a body. ' The
!Tiachm~ was very fast in p,ght. for its day, and extremely slow
m lan~mg: and there bei!)g three dislinct regions of lift, one
a ptero1d and two pterygo1d on each half-wing. the movement
of the centre of pressure was a resultant of three distinct
regional movements; ,tnd with slight modifications could be
made 10 move in any desired manner witho ut affecting the
general efficiency of 1he plane."
As _mentio ned. th«: c!rcular shape for the wing is not in itself
~ dec1s1ve cha".\c1enst1c. ?reviously. in 1908, A. H. Edwards
invented the ring-type wing with rhomboidal or triangular
An
shape_ (Brit. Pat. Spec. No. 4519 of February, 1908).
experimental aeroplane of this type, "The Rhomboidal,'' was
constructed and tested at Brooklands. It wa~ not s uccessful.
Fig 7.-Cedric Lee Monoplane No. 1 of TIighman Richards, 1912.
(To ~ conlit1u~d.)
NND 927545

·JUI·

tl?,!i m

.. ,.

MARCH S, 1948

279

THE AEROPLANE

The Biology of the Flying Saucer- II
By A. R. Weyl, A.F.R.Ae.S.
In this series of articles the history of low-aspect-ratio aircraft is recounted and
technical aspects of their design discussed. leading up to their use for supersonic flight.
(Continued from J>Olt 185, February 13 /rut.)
HE SECR ET-CIRCLE "CONSPIRACY;• mentioned pre
viously in connection with circu)ar-aerofoil aeroplanes. did
not lack congenially inventive spirits. Early in 1913 an engineer
in D ijon. M. Bou rgoin. made experiments with an annular
wing aeroplane. The tests were unsatisfactory. One feature
of this design was the provision made for varying the wing
incidence in flight.
More recently, a similar idea was suggested by N. H. Warren
and Th. R. Young (Fig. 8).
In 1937 they secured a p atent
( Brit. Pat. Spec. No. 508,022 of December, 1937) for a non
stallable monoplane of rhomboidal shape (i.e., leading wing
swept back and trailing wing swept forwards with the wing lips
merged together). This was provided with a conventional tai l
at 1he stern of a long fuselage and a number o f advantage~

qualified aeronautical engineer (Fig. 10). The Willoughb}
Delta Co. of London had taken up the development of th,.,
idea in 1931 and sufficient means were available to make rather
extensive tests.
The principle is best described as a tandem monoplane with
two aerofoil-shaped parts connecting the leading wing with the
trailing wing near the tips. The "side wings" had aerofoil
shape not only in their longit ud inal cross-section (i.e., in the
direction of flight). but also laterally. This was considered a
characteristic feature and subject to patents. It was claimed
tha t the vortex distribu1ion induced by such shape gave an
unusually h igh aerodynamic efficiency in spite of the small span
of the aeroplane. In addition. it was pointed out that the
maximum lift was shifted to very high incidences. Moreover.
the "side wings" should reduce the drag of engine nacelle,
filled underneath them.
All this was said to be proved by extensive wind-tunnel
experimentation here and abroad. Designs of passenger trans
po n aircraft reaching weights o f 40,000 lb. were prepared on the
basis of model tests made at the National Physical Laboratory
a nd elsewhere. T he results must have been so encouraging
that a n experimental monoplane with two 125 b.h.p. Menasco
e ngines and weighing 2,540 lb. was constructed late in 1938
(Fig. 11). This aeroplane flew indeed and was even publicl~
demonstraled (including one-engine flight) a1 a Garden Party
in May, 1939. Shortly afterwards the experimenter was killed
in an uneitplained c rash during a flight test.
From pressure plots over the "side planes" which have been
published, apparently trim changes could be eitpected at various
aocidences. These components were thus capable of producing
long itudinal inslability a nd it is not improbable that this and
poor control efficiency may have contributed to the accident.
There was a lso evidence of a stall at normal incidences.
although of a very mild character and with little apparent
decrease in the lift c~fficient (which. however, would not
exclude the presence of fl uctuating lift forces).
11

Fis. 8.-Project by W arren and Young for a liJht twln

en1lned two-seater of 90 h.p. (1937). The elevator is
fitted between fin and fuselage. There Is no tailplane.
were claimed. lo 1943 a model for a two-seater fighter with
tail turret show~ the separate tail omitt~d; special emphasis
was laid oo the triangu lar shape o f each wing and the effect of
sweep was relied upon. N othing more bas become_ known
since however b ut it is worth noting that the proJect had
been'based oa ;ound aerodynamic considerations.
lo 1933 the annula r wing of the German sculptor Antes
created a mild s~nsation bc<:ause ?f the good performance oC
models made to th is coocepuon (Fig. 9).
Some.what pecul iar was the aerodynamic ~onceP.tion of the
rhomboidal annular aerop lane of P. Nesbitt W11loughby, a

Fis, 9.--Model of the "annular wing " ~f Ant es. 1933.

Fig. 10.-frinciple or the W illoughby Delta design.

Another suggestion for an annular wing was made by L.
This. however. was concerned less with the
Peel, in 1944.
aerodynamic p roperties of such wing systems than with the
arrangement of two engines facing each other with their air
screws. in order to overcome the torque reacuon.
A phenomenon of which aerodynamic experimenters were
alwa)ls well aware. but which aircraft designers failed 10
u1ilizc, was that wind-tunnel tests clearly proved good-natured
stalling p_roperties of wings having very small aspect ratios.
Yet even m the very e_arly days when centres of gravity were far
too far back on the old box-kites, the square shape of tailplanes.
then unaccountably in vogue, ma y have saved the pilot's bacon
more than once by its refusal to stall under eittreme provocation.
Later on science came and proved that a tailplane of "good"
aspect ratio was more eflkient. It was, but it made the stall
worse when the centre of gravity happened to be rather aft.
The interesting thing is that aerofoils of circular or square
shape were tested in the early days at incidences up to 90
degrees, while o n normal aerofoils tests were restricted to rather
small incidences onl y. generally ucluding the range o f stall.

NND 927545

280

THE AEROPLANE

I I

\,'

Fig. 11.-Willoughby's "Delta 8" experimental

monoplane of 1938.
Thus, an observant student of laboratory tests could have
noticed the extraordinary capacity of circular or square shapes
10 give a very gradual, innocent stall, an~ that at v!!rY high
incidences. Yet, a part from a few broad-minded experimenters,
no designer drew the conclusion that wmgs of such shapes
promised safety in flight, t~oug_h it w~s known f~om ..~rly
practical experience that fly1Dg 10 the second regime, 1.e.,
at the stall, was positively dangerous.
It is true that spinn ing- Pa rker's "Spiral D ive "-was
attributed. in those days, to high i~cideoces, and that most _of
the lightly loaded rectangular wmgs used at that period
Howeve_r, :iccidental
rendered the stall relatively. in nocuo us.
~tailing was then, as now. the cause of the maJonty of all
crashes. And the nose dive following inadvertent stalls was well
.
known to be o f the most serious consequences.
Eiffel, Riabouchinsky, D ines, . Prandtl, etc., began the_1r
laboratory experiments on aerofoils of very small aspect rauo
and the results were generously published (how closely secret
they would be kept to-day!). Eiffe l showed that the ratio of
the resultant forces reached maxima for small aspect ratios _an~
that slender wings gave the greatest drag at ~ degrees 10c1. <lence, whilst disc wings had then t_he leas) res\stanc_e of _all.
Riabouchinsky proved that the maximum 11ft with d15:C Wl1'!8S
wa~ reached at incidences of the order of 40 degrees. whilst with
normal aspect ratios (exceed ing a value of 4) the maximum lift
Beyond
took place at incidences of 12 to 14 degrees only.
their critical incidence disc wings gave a gradual decrease of
the lift force whereas wings o f normal aspect ratio gave a
very abrupt ; nd unsteady one. 1 he tests by Dines on flat
plates in natural wind confirmed this info_rmauon and that the
observation applied 10 cambered aerofoils as well was also
proved (by Riabouchiosky). 0. Foeppl s_howed frof!l system
atic wind-tunnel tests that a square aerofoil behaves, ID respect
of its lift curve in a remarkably d ifferent manner from one
having an aspec't ratio of 1.5, although wall interference and
Reynolds Number may have somewhat affected the results of
the tests.
.
Later, Pra ndtl was eager to point o~t that his aer~fo1l theory
did not hold for very small aspect ratios, and that, ID fact, the
induced drag of disc wings was less than the theory suggested.
In sP.ite of this, however, nobody seems to have he~ded the
possibilities implied and the " ~attle of the Aspect Ratios" was
decided in favour of slende r wings.
.
To be fair, it must be pointed out that there was one senou~
I

Fig. 12.-Experimental Hayden glider, 1925. Span, 19.7 rt. :
length, 13·85 rt.; wing area, 173 sq. rt. All-up_ weight,
310 lb. No lateral control.

MARCH S, 1948

argument against disc wings. The best aerofoil sections in use
prio r 10 about 1925 had a plain camber which implies travel of
the centre of pressure when the incidence varies; the length of
such travel is linked up with the wing chord. Hence the change
in trim o r stabiluy is. with such aerofoil sections, greater with
large-chord wings. On this consideration of fore-and-aft
stability and control, designers bad some justification for thcir
Yet quite
decision against experimenting with disc wings.
useful aerofoil secuons had a lready been used in flight which
had practically no travel of the centre of pressure and hence
d id not suffer from thi~ disadvantage of the disc wing.
The whole argument, however, lost its importance imme
diately M. M. Munk proved that very efficient aerofoil sections
could be designed with a completely (or nearly so) stationary
centre of pressure. It is. therefore, right to say that from that
time all conditions existed for a practical evolution of d isc-wing
aeroplanes.
F. Handley Page converted an aerofoil, leaving an aspect
ratio of 6.25, into six square-aerofoil po rtions by five slots.
each parallel to the chord of the wing. By so doing he hoped
to have the low drag of a oormal wing combined with the high
Although a very
stalling angle of the d isc-type wmg.
slight improvement was claim~d , the principle was that of
eating the cake and having it too: the induced drag is respon
sible for the stalling properties of the d isc wing and you cannot
have the benefits of the high drag without suffering its disad
vantages. Moreover, in o rder to have the effect of the disc
Marginal
wing, the provision of mere slots is insufficient.
vortices need room to deploy.
On the whole, however, the idea proves that at least one
practical aircraft designer had realized that there was some
thing in wings of abnormally small aspect ratio.
There were other. although not quue as well thought out,
antecedents of the disc-wing aeroplane.
In the tint soaring
flight competitio n on the Rhocn ( 1920), Friedrich Richter, a
burly naval pilot o f 20 stone or so, performed on a triplane
glider with wings having an individual aspect ratio of far kss
than three. H. Hayden secured, in 1922, a patent for a rhom
boidal wing with an aspect ratio of nearly unity, claiming for
such a shape high lift and good flying qualities.
In 192S he constructed a glider with a win, having an aspect
ratio of only 2.25. The wing was nearly tnangular in shape,
with its apex leading, and a pronounced wash-out towards the
tips (Fig. 12); no lateral controls were fitted. The tailplane
with the elevator was fitted underneath the trailing edge at the

==---=--

Fig. 13.-A French project of G. Abrial, 1929.
stern of a f11selage. Flyinf experiments in Styria were said 10
have proved satisfactory flying qualities.
Some early tailless aero planes, such as certain experimental
types of Rene Arnoux, had rather stub wings a nd heavily
reflexed (i.e., positively stable) aerofoil sections. A 19?9 design
of G . Ab rial showed an aspect ratio of 2.88, with, however,
substantial tip discs (which have the effect of increasing the
aerodynamic aspect ratio) a nd wind-tunnel experiments indi
cated a creditable performance (Fig. 13). Russian attempts,
in particular the parabola type of Tscheranowsky, too, were
experiments with aspect ratios of three and even less (Figs. 14
a nd IS). Their resemblance in shape to the latest designs of
super-sonic aeroplanes is remarkable.
.
A Modttn Pioneer
Further intcre~t in the aerodynamics o f disc wings was
displayed by research workers with th.e arrival of Juan de la
Cicrv:i's Autogiro. This was indeed s<>mcthing like a circular
wing, a nd performance estimates were based on the properties
of such wings. Yet the question of stalling stability did not
a rise, bccau~e of the rotor properties.
The real pioneer of the disc wing was a very able American
research engineer of the National Advisory Committee for
Aeronautics (N.A.C.A.), who proved capable of following
independent lines of development. In about 1930 Charles
H. Zimmermann subjected the properties of disc wings to

NND 927545

MARCH S, 1948

281

...

- --

Fig. _14.-A Russian • puabola' glider of 1924.

extensive wind-tunnel investigation and the publbhed reports
\till form the ba,is of prc~ent development. In places.
the re,ults confirm, qual1tat1vel)', the experiments made '.!O year~
before. But, as mentioned earlier, these experiments had been
praet1C111ly forgotten.
Zimmermann' s target has been the development of a really
fool-proof aeroplane for amateur pilots. It is no u<,c hiding
the fact that in n.:arly all accidents in which blame is attributed
to an .. error of /'udgment" on the part of the p1lo1, th.:
aeroplane is :ietual y at fault. The moq common causes arc
the consequences of inadvertent ~tailing.
Once this 1~
completely remedied, the overwhelming majority of accident
will become mere incidents or just fun, and instead of coroners
and hospitals. aircr.1ft manufacturer) and repair shop) will
have the benefit
On such very sound lines (which seem to be generally
acknowled$ed , but still far too often ignored), Zimrrcrmann
directed his main attention to the stall ing problem.
He
;>roved that small variations in the aspect ratio made profound
differences and that the shape of the wing tips also had a great
influence.

At the same time he confirmed that the induced drag of
circular or square wings is by no means as proh1b111ve as the
simple theory of the " horseshoe " vo rtex line would indicate.
He also proved that it was simply the induced drag due to the
predominant influence of the marginal vortices which brou~ht
about the behaviour at high incidence~: the idea that the
provision of oblique slots might help in this connection proved,
h owever, abortive.
An advantaae which Z1mmermann' s research brought to
liaht was that disc wings gave less profile drag at small
incidences (high-speed flight). because of the reducti on of the
relative thickness of the aerofoil sections. 1 h is drag reduction
has indeed become one of the rr.ain reasons for di.c wings
being adopted for aeroplanes capable of flying at ~reeds at
which the compressibility of the air needs to be considered .
Fo r supersonic flight disc wings seem, at P.rcscnt, to be a
necessity. Alternatively, for a given aerofoil thickness ratio,
!he height avail_able f<?r st,:ucture _and stora1te (J?Ower plant_sl
1s greatest within a disc wmg; this ma.,es for light and sutr

,
Fie, 15.-A ' puabola ' aircraft by B. I. Tschennowsky.

THE AEROPLANf

wing , tructures as well as for the pos\lbility of housing every·
thing w11hm a wing.
Hence 1hc1e a re very real design reasons for the preference
of disc wings, quite a pan from the ea~cd accommoda11on of
short-span aeroplanes.
Some R ernurkable Results
Zimmermann establ.shed that the optimum a~pcct rauo "'"~
found bet,..een the values o f 0.75 and 1.5. l he,c value,
include both ,quare and ctrcubr wmg ,hapes. For a g1Hn
win g sccu on (Clark Y) the latter gave the h1gh~t hft coefficient.
1.85 at 45 degrees incidence, compared "uh a value of t.:!4
at 14 degree, mc1dencc for an aspect ratio o f six.
Funhcrmore. an important result "'•'\ evidence that at ~,n
a,pect ra110 of unity hquare or elhpllcal .... ,ng,), and :11 an
a,pect rauo of 0.9 (" mg "11h faired ups), no tendcnc)' 111
autorotauon could be found. A circular " mg (:1,ix-ct raw,
of 1.27) ind c.llcd the po\\1hili1y of ~1urnrntation (1.e., ,rinningl
at incidence\ below that of maximum lif1. 1 he 1nm1biht)' of
,pinning before the actual ,tall is reached is. indeed, e,tra·
ordinary. All these rcwh, r.:fer to te,t• "ith the ( lar~ ,
aerofoil section.
Less establi,hed "as the contenuon th:11 d1..c wing would
11ive improved la11:ral and longuudmal ,1.1h1htv at low incidence,
1 hi, ..ecm, ,11II 10 be a moot point of the Flyin!l Saucer.
In Fig. 16, Fig. 17. and Fig. 18 some charactcri,tic result, ,,f

II
I I

:;.,
't

...~

0-,

••

CIA°', IIC,,O,.
-1....____..._

.,,.

JO'

Fl&, 16. -N .A.C.A. tests by C. H. Zimmermann which prove
the extraordinuy sull1ng qual1t1es of disc wines,
Zimmem1ann·~ _wind-tunnel experiments of 1932 are given. It
1~ seen from F,,. 18 that the difference between the mc1deoce
of ma,umum hft and the gliding angle at m:i1t1mum hft
("ma'< •a ma'<) rem:im'I fairly independent o f aspect ratt,,, and
of the o rder of 9 to 13 degree,. 1 h1~ would me:in th.11
the attitude of the . disc-type aeroplane, when flattening out,
would not greatly d iffer from that of convcnuonal aeroplane,
In particular, there "'ould be no need 10 provide h1g_h under·
cama;ies for disc aeroplane, a .. their gliding path 1s steer
Thi, 1s an important difference from "''"IJS w11h lead1ng-cd~~
,lots.
. In P!'3Ctice, however: the landing of disc-wing aeroplane,
~•vcs rise to undercarriage problem,. As the induced dra~
mcrcascs rapidly "ith the reduction of !tying ~recd, when the
aeropla ne flattens o ut prior to touchina·do" n, the ihdtnti angle
.iecpens abruptly. This 1s particularly true of ta1llc..s de"gn,.
and the result •~. a strong tendency to pancake 10 the ground
a, so~n as the p1lo_t fl:\ltcn, out. Thu~ to avoid the nccc\,il)
of litt1!)2 _undercamal\cs able to sta nd the strain of abnormally
high sink mg ~pecds, 1t has been found practical to land "Jtll
powe r on.
For a ta11le~s aeroplane " ith an aspect ratio of three,
M. B. Morgan found that. without flaps, the trimmed l\liding
angle at 160 m.p.h . was th ree degree,: it increased to 17 degree,
at 126 m.p.h .. while the \tailing speed was I IS m.p.h. Thi,
pronounced , teepcn ing of the g)idintt anttle makes a mer~er
hct""ce~. the aeroplane and the helicopter an attrac11ve
propos111on .
. Another occulia_rity o f . !he di~ wing cstahlished b~
Zimmermann wns us scns111v11y to the , hape of the wing•ur,,

NND 927545

282

THE AEROPLANE

•

MARCH 5, 1948

and _pseudo-circular and pseudo-square wings thus exhibit
c:,_
~ignificam d.fferences... 1 his also applies to the ground eff.:ct,
1.e., tbe tand.ng <juahues. 1 he prov1s.on 01 ob11que nozzle
shaped slots at the lips yielded no useful r.:sults. In any case,
squo1re-cut tips Vvere found to be a disadvantage, w11h respect
10
to drag, as well as to other qualities.
Later N.A.C.A. research by F. E. Weick and Robert Saundefs
referred to aspect ratios of the order of 3 1n conncct,on w11h
slotted auxiliary Vevions flaps for the trim of tailless aeroplanes.
This constituted the first investigation o f what has b.x:ome
known to-day as the .. Delta Wing.'' i.e., the combination of
sweep-back with low aspect ratio. Such shapes are of special
interest for aeroplanes capable of flying through the trans-sonic
g
region.
•
:
Pancakes Ii la Zimmermann
10
0
The results of Zimmermann's research were so ~onvincing
Cl ARK I AEAO FOtl SECTION
"0"'<
that a number of otherwise quite respectable designers were
(i-v-CA ZIMME~MANN,
tempted into experimentation with disc-wing aeroplanes. In
~l P No ()1)
:;
accordance with Zimmermann's views, all these designs were
intended to be of the safety-first type of privately owned
aircraft. This distinguishes the early phase from the more
recent interest in Flying Saucers.
In '1934 Farman was stimulated into experimenting with a
wing with an aspect ratio of only 1.9. 1 his was seen in his
o ' - - - - ~ - - - L - - - J L _ ._ _..L._ _...L._......:~,
F-1020 monoplane which otherwise had a long fuselage with
a conventional tail. It was said to have proved very stable
.,
ASPEC T AATIO
in flight. but was noc further heard of.
An experimental
parasol monoplane with a completely circular win$, a camber
18. -Furthcr results from Zimmermann's tesu shown here
flap in the trailing edge and severely skewed ailerons Wl?.$
also indicate the advantages to be gained from disc wings.
tested in the U.S.A. (in 1934), with indifferent results. It was
shown in flight in news reels.
At about the same time Raoul J. Hoffmann. of St. Peters·
seem to. contradict the experience referred to above and it
burgh, Florida, an eminent aeronautical engineer of Austrian
w~s aunbuted. to. a ground effect arising from the rak~ of the
origin (known as the first to prove-in 1913-that the r:itio
wing-tips. It 1s indeed rea:.onable to e)(pcct that the presence
C '/C 9 governs optimum climb and glide with minimum of t_he ground would affect the formation of the marginal
L
D
vort1c~s to an ex\ent which may markedly influence the
sinking speed, took up development of the disc-wing aeroplane.
beh~v1our of disc wings during take-off and landing. Hoffmann
H offmann's Flying Saucer was a tailless aircraft with an
proJected a ousher and a twin-engined version but these types
aspect ratio of slightly over 2. The fi rst type was an ultra·
did not materialize.
•
li$ht single-seater with 36 b.h.p. Later a side-by-side two-seater
A further development was the Arup monoplane of
with an 85 b.h.p. Cirrus engine was constructed and flew well;
the wing tips served as ailerons and the elevators formed part
R: J. Hoffmann and C._L: Snyder at South Bend, Indiana. The
of the trailing edre. The aerofoil sectir,ns employed were
w!ng _shape ~as v~ry s1m1lar. I~ resembled a semi-circle flying
N.A.C.A. M.6 basically. with N.A.C.A. M.1 at the tips. Both
w11h 11s straight side a_s the_leading edge; to this wing, ailerons
are sections designed by. M. M. Munk. The former is a reflexed
were added as special ups. 1 he aspect ratio practically
camber section with a practically stationarY, centre of pressure; corres~onded to. that of the previous Hoffmann types. Again,
aerofoils wtth little centre-of-pressure travel were used.
the latter is symmetrical
The central structure of the wing, the fuselage and the fin
1 he latest type ~ad it~ _tailplane and elevator separately
This
was of welded-steel tube; the wing had three spars.
locate~ over the wing tr:11lmg edge (similar to the .. Elytro·
little two-seater }"as stated to fly well and to exhibit ve_ry go(!d
plane o f De Rouge!). It seems that the longitudinal control
stability.
It seems, however. that the controllab1hty, m
at certain incidences was not satisfactory. 1 he ailerons which
particular directionally, was not satisf~ctory. 1 he visi(?n fr(?m
formed part of the wing shape and reduced the aspecl ratio
the cockpit must have been very restncted--a moot point wllh • to a value ~f I:15 had a triangular shape and were greatly
all these designs. A speed range from 28 m.p.h. to 13S m.p.h.
s_kewed (taking_ into account the obliqui: flow over the wing
was claimed. The empty weight was given as 900 lb •• and the
tips). The engine was a 70 b.h.p. Le Blond radial; a tricycle
wing loading was 5.5 lb. / sq. ft.
undercarriage was fitted.
One remarkable characteristic observed during the flying
With the oilot alone, a gliding speed of 23.S m.p.h. was
tests of Hotrmann's aircraft was that, when comin(! in to land.
r~o_rded (lhe wing loading was about 3.3 lb./sq. ft.) and a
the approach was steep: yet prior to the fl lltening out and
gliding angle of 21 degrees was mea~ured, with a sinking speed
just before touching down, the glide flattened. 1 his would
of 12.3 ft. ocr si:cond. wh.ch ~an be accommopated by a sturdy
undercarriage witho ut nattening out of the glide. 1 he maxi·
mum speed was 86 m.p.h .. and the take-off was stated to require
C
l MAJ(
C
S secs. in zero wind.
l MA.(
0 MIN
r
0 MIN
Several more Arup types seem to have been constructed
,001----.U---4---1-- -4-- --4-- - - - + - - -~
an_d _flown during 1935. 1 h~ flying qualities were pr.iised
ghding angle~ or I : 2.6 bemg quoted- and the published
performance figures sounded extremely good. Yet, for reasons
never disclosed, the production stage was not reached and the
CI..Akl( T AUl,OfOtL SfCTl()N
development ceased abruplly. It is worth noting that Charles
C,.ACA • IP No u,)
Zimmermann himself has taken no part in this development,
b1;11 he was an interested spectator at demonstration flights
..,z
.,,.
wnh an Arup monoplane at Langley Field.
~ ~ 60
::,., l5
An Italian "Tortelllno "
•
r"
<
"It
At the time .of the Arup development (1934). F. Piana
fl"
"'
Canova. an Italian, began to embark on a development for a
z
~ •>
tajlless aeroplane with a low aspect ratio. In May, 1935, he
It
~
"It• 0
ti
secured patents for a rhomboidal wing, one diagonal of which
11f 2
10
z
coincided with the direction of flight. 1 he ailerons were to
c!, "
6
~
be located at the lateral apices. elevator and rudder at the
i;
rear apex. while the airscrew was in front of the leading apex.
Another patent related to bi-convex aerofoils with ducts and
AA
o·
control valve~ for the pilot, enabling the latter to neutralize
ASP(C f U flO ( •' 1J
the negative oressure on the forward ventral surface when at
negative incidences. The latter patent was, apparently, never
submitted to flight experiments.
Fig. 117.-These resulu from Zlmmermann's wind-tunnel
tests on disc; wings (1932) clearly show the character!stits
(To ~ confin~d.)
of low aspect ratio aerofoils.
NND 927545

--..

;•f

" ..

•

MARCH 19, 1948

337

THE AEROPLANE

The Biology of the Flying Saucer- III
By A. R. Wcyl, A.F.R.Ac.S.
Previous articles In this series appeared In " The Aeroplane" for February 13 and Morch 5
l· L I F-••n S w.:rc made in I unn and at Rnme
WofI of0five-·11h1,UNC:anovo1
project\ {de-.cnbcd m the prcvtom tn\1,11ar1de). It " in1erc,11ng 10 note that 1he Canov.1

"'!Cnl

d1-.c-wmg lype, d id not mal.e u,e of rellc'<ed~ambcr aerofoil,.
S1abili1y ,ind mm could . 1hercforc. be -..:cured only by an
upward, dcllec1iu11 of enlarged eleva1or,.
F.arly in 1935. :in ·open ghdl!r of 1he " Zoegling" t} pc wo1~
con,1ructed by a ,~ ilan firm and M. A. Garbell made fairly
~ucce,,ful l11ghh w11h 11. He reported that the longitudinal
stability (w11h the enlarged eleva1or) wa~ good and 1hat
par.i.chute-lil.e landing, could be performed.
rhc lateral
stability ch.i.racteri\lic. however, proved deficient. ~ince a
•• Dutch-roll " motion was experienced: turn, were of quc,tion·
able steadine,,. In this rc,pcct, in~uffidcnt damping 1n foll
and yaw a_re mentionr.d. Wi1h winch-launching, thi~ glider
reached altitude~ of 600 fl.
On 1he ba"' of thi, dc,ign, a ligh1 aeroplane wa\ developed
and the Italian Government financed the conMruction of two
l~~gcr e,-perimental aeroplane~. includmg one with 130 b.h.p.
Gip,y engine. A faial accident de~ribcd as "not necessarily
retlccti~f? on 1he 1echnical _merit5 of the design," cau,cd the
authorities to change 1hc1r minds and 10 terminate this
development.
1
A Return to Child ish Things
Aeroplane, with a long, deep tail affi'<Cd to a smalhpan
wing form a development of lhe low•tl'pect wing in another
direclion. Although the overall a~pect ratio is low wi1h such
a n arr.rngemcnt. the wing system i, not tha1 of a di-.c. It is
more akin to primitive kites or. belier, to the paper dart of
our school day~ which. a, we may be able to remember wi1h
some mental effort, exhibited quite remarkable nying quali1ie,
and made better use <>four schoolbooh than we ever expt-ctcd.
A rcpresent:11ive of 1his aboriginal 1ype is shown in Fig. 19.
It crashed during the first tests (which would not seem very
surprising in view of the; arrangement of engine, and air;crew,).
Ano1her Je,s eccentric arrangement was the French Payen
single-seat racer of 1935. This was a daring experimental
type with a 400 b.h.p. radia l engine. A n improved type, this
time more reasonable--a 70 b.h.p. light aeroplane- was
constructed in 1936. To a very small. conventionally tapered
wing, a large triangu lar tail was fitted: the wing alone had
d ihed ral. and the overall aspect ra1io was about 1.76. No
flights have bc.:n reported of one of these Payen aeroplanes.
but take-off attempts with the ~econd type seem to have
sugges1cd that with 1he small span the 1orque reaction of the
air,;crcw ca nnot be adequa1ely dealt with.

Fig. 19.-An American "Flying Flapjack" w ith two engines.
It crashed while under test (1938).

A third de,ign tin 1938) 1hc "Flcchair" \tngle-,cat fil!hlcr
rroiect. therefore. incorporalcd two co.1xial coun1cr•rot.11mg
~tf'>Crcws driven by two 100 b.h.p. engines mounted in 1andem
m the long fuselage. 1 he pilot's cockpit was located at the
root of lhe fin, and a single·lrack undercarriage w.is adopted.
1 here were. however, far too m.iny untried feature in th"
unusual design 10 make ii a ~rious proposi1ion. Nothing
more has been heard of Payen's cffoA~.
l he ll)Odern ph:ll!e of .1he Flying Saucer aeroplane i,
charactcn1ed by two d1,ttncl development~.
One is the
hclicop1er-aeroplane, 1he other is the tranb•\onic or buper,on1c
aeroplane.
Hoth have bccome:-unforiunately--cs<;entially
military dcvcl_opment~; the proJ_!re~~ is ~cnce bhroudcd in the
u~ua I pretcnuou~ \ecrccy Iwhich implies that the potential
enemy knows everything) v. hile the work is gravely hampered
by elabora1c securi1y precautions.
The helicopter-aeroplane is not a novel idea. Many }Cars
ago, for in,iance, Nicola T e~la (famous for his elccirical
experiment~ wi1h high-frequency phenomena) bccured a pa1en1
for a taille,~ aeroplane equipped with a large lifting air~rcw
pcrmi11ing a vertical ascent.
In 192 1 Claud Dornier ~ecured a pa1ent for a eonvcnlmnal

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ASPECT RATIO

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Fuente: archivo UAP oficial del gobierno de EE.UU. (dominio público) · war.gov/ufo ↗ · ver en el archivo de Nodriza

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Notional Map Western United States Event Transmission of CIA Scientific Advisory Panel Rept 1953 USNavy Report of Flying Discs 1948 US AirForce Analysis of Flying Objects in the US 1 100 DoW UAP D083 Narrative 5 Western US Event Mission Report Mediterranean Sea NA