I was a USAF control tower operator in the 1950's
at Dobbins Air Force Base
near Atlanta Georgia.

This air base was one of five in the US
that was an authorized stop for top secret aircraft
and as such one had to have special security clearance
to work at the base.

Many strange aircraft such as Flying Wings,
the Black Bird, and others, visited our base.
They were usually parked under special guard -
some distance away on the tarmac.

We also had so many UFO sightings
that the tower was equipped with a special 3-D camera
(something very unusual in those days)
to take pictures of them -
and there was a special form maintained in the tower
that all operators on duty had to fill out -
when a sighting took place.

I will tell you about my own sighting experiences
at that tower and later at another one,
but first I wish to make mention of four other
prior acquaintances that I had with the subject.

I have told these following stories in lectures
to a number of astronomical societies
(usually with accompanying slides)
and have presented them to a number of UFO investigators.

In those days -
UFO sightings were a very hot subject,
and my native Kansas was a particularly active location,
perhaps fittingly,
because Wichita is called the Air Capitol of the World,
with its many aircraft design and manufacturing plants.

My first experience was when at age fifteen
I attended a lecture by a UFO abductee
(I have known a great many -
and will also tell you about some of them).
He attributed the UFOs to five apertures in the earth
and reported unusual capabilities of their operators
such as the ability to levitate.

About that time a Kansan reported
that he had been traveling down one of our empty Kansas highways
when he spotted some aliens on one side of the road
and a spacecraft on the other.
The aliens scurried back across the road to the spacecraft
and he tried to stop
but hit and killed one of them.
He took the body to the University of Kansas
where it was autopsied
and found to have human-like blood.
The body was about three feet tall
and appeared to be that of wizened old male
with pink skin.
It was dressed in a silk like garment.
The autopsy is well documented at the university.

Another report of the same time
came from a very reliable source.
This from a retired pharmacist and his wife
who were flying overseas
and he shot the pictures out the airliner's window.
There is no way that such a substantial
and reliable citizen would have faked the pictures
or had the technology to do so.
The film was developed at the Kodak laboratory
and it was then that the UFO was seen.
The pharmacist had not noticed it when taking the footage.
The film was shown to have been absolutely untampered with.

Finally, during my air traffic control training
I had to take training in radar.
There the instructors explained about an incidence
that had occurred with the same type of equipment
in the pacific.
These specialists have as much confidence in their equipment
as I do in my own eyes.

UFOs would appear on their screens
when there were no aircraft in the area.
These would sometimes stand stationary
and at other times move along courses at speeds
that were not possible for any known aircraft.
They would also make course changes at an angle -
and altitude changes that were impossible
for any known aircraft.
A great amount of effort was made investigating the phenomena
with numbers of top experts flown in from the states.

None of the above experiences were my own
but you can imagine my eagerness and interest
about the subject
especially with so many items appearing almost daily in the press
and given the hushed and excited talk
among my fellow operators in the tower
when they would come off duty
having had to have filled out a sighting form -
although they were forbidden to share the sighting details.

I bemoaned my deprivation -
and at that early age of eighteen
was already quite inclined to be given to speculation
about both scientific and mystical matters.
I had completed a couple of years of college
and was in my third year -
my Air Force duties being arranged
so that I could attend the University of Georgia full-time.

During one of my many metaphysical discourses
in the Base Operations
the chief dispatcher spoke up and said -

"Well, if you really want to see a UFO
there will be some here Saturday night."

"What? How can you know that?
They are totally unpredictable.
I don't believe it."

"Oh, yes - they will be here."

"How? Why? How? Why?", I insisted.

"Well, if you must know,
I am a Rosicrucian and I meditated -
and that is the message that I got."

We also brought watermelon
and much discussion between myself and the Rosicrucian.
(I suspect that you can imagine myself in such discussion -
now over 50 years ago.
One person later told me later that he hadn't even known
that it was possible to think thoughts like that.)

Dusk came and the mosquitoes came out.
I suggested that we take the discussion inside.
About an hour after total darkness
the squawk box from the tower blared -

"We have UFO's out here."

"Are there any planes in the area?"

"Yes, two JUGs (fighter trainers)
from the Naval Air Station."

"Well, send them after them!"
(Established SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)
at this tower.)

"Where?"
"There!"
"I see them."

"Yes, tower, I see them - will pursue".

"Turn on the GCA -
(the Ground Controlled Approach radar).

"It will take 30 minutes to warm it up".

"Go look at the weather radar".

There were three in view.
One larger and the other two smaller or further away.
They had the appearance of a bright orange light -
about the same as one sees on oil well flares -
if you are familiar with those.
One the diameter of a quarter - the other a nickel and a dime.

Their presence had been there for three or four minutes,
but now they began to fade
and from the pursuit plane we could hear -

"Tower- they have disappeared."

"R-roger. We don't see them any longer, either.
Return to your pattern."

Now, for a daytime sighting.
(These stories are usually accompanied by photos -
and I guess I could scan and put them here -
well, maybe someday -
but I feel guilty about taking so much time
to write this - as it is.)

This next event happened on an exceptionally beautiful
Saturday.
Usually, I worked the mid-night shift
so that I could attend school -
but I was also required to pull weekend day shifts.

The ANG (Air National Guard) pilots
had to get in so many flying hours each month
in order to maintain their ratings.
The weather being exceptionally beautiful -
this is the day they all decided to fly.
The field had never been so busy.

Three control tower operators on duty already -
and I was a spare -
with no position available at the console.
Sort of there on punishment
for not pulling regular shifts.
So I had to sit perched on the slanted ladder
(that went up to the roof)
behind the radio receivers.
Excellent view -
but borrrring.
No duty except to watch.

Down on the tarmac every old C-45 in the place
was cranking its engines.
(If I hadn't had to work -
I would have flown with one of them.
I have all sorts of stories about flights
in different kinds of planes,
crashes and other exciting events,
but I can always tell more than people can bear to hear.
That comes from being a raconteur.)

The old C-45s were OLD.
And their radios didn't work very well.

"Tawr ths 4#%euc"
"Say again aircraft."
"#%^ tAWR thiz AF 47.^**"
"Aircraft you are garbled -
wiggle your flaps and we will use the light gun."
"@#$@%%"

"Plane at base" (the last turn before final)
"Plane entering on downwind"

As I was watching I could see the plane
which was at too great a distance for me to make mention
but then it did something unusual -
it turned back away from the tower
and then back toward the power line
and I thought -

"Aha! the pilot has spotted something
that he is going to double check."

"Small plane entering on the downwind", I said.

Somehow, the plane was looking strange to me.
In varying light and at varying angles
one has to somehow to sometimes tilt their head
to identify the aircraft silhouette
and the type of aircraft they are observing.
I couldn't see any wings.

I leaned forward
and picked the binoculars off the radio console.
Put them to my eyes -
took them away -
put them to my eyes again -
and stood up on one rung of the ladder
leaning out by holding onto another rung
and pointing with the binoculars said,

"Get the camera -
(which was sitting on the window sill
beside the B operator position)
we have a UFO out here."

"Look - its a UFO!"

The operators now turned and looked at me -
rather than out the window.

"Where?"
"There!", pointing with the binoculars.

I had better luck the next time.
It was a midnight shift
and the shift chief was S/Sgt. Kelly.
There were only ever two people on the night shift -
myself and a shift chief.

Usually, I was the only one awake.
They all loved to work with me
because I would sit at the console doing my studies
all night long -
and they could sleep.

Kelly slept on the floor with his feet towards me -
so that I could tap them if I heard the OD
(Officer of the Day)
coming up the stairs.
Then he would just kind of sit up on the floor
like he was adjusting the radios in the console
that was between us and the stairway.

This night we had only one aircraft in the pattern -
a PBY (Patrol Boat Navy -
they can land on both land and water)
over from the Atlanta Naval Air Station
that was getting in a required number of TOL
(Take Offs and Landings)
(you want them to come out to an even matching number).
They say the PBY takes off at 75 mph -
flies at 75 mph -
and lands at 75 mph.
Not too terribly exciting
but we did have one pilot that had flown with Doolittle -
and we were always coaxing him to do a JATO -
(Jet Assisted Take Off)
in which the plane would fairly jump into the air.

Our base commander had made a ruling
much to the pilots' chagrin
that the planes had to fly the full length
of our ten thousand foot runway before turning out.
It made for a long time consuming flight for a PBY.
Another thing about the PBYs
was that the tower was supposed to visually check
that their gear was down -
because some of the Navy pilots would forget
that we were a land base.
Over on the land runway at the Naval Air Station
they had a great big bill board that said -
"WHEELS" -
but we didn't.

The PBY had lumbered into the air
and was flapping down the runway
and I was taking one last look around
before I returned to my studies -
when I noticed a light far off the end of the runway.
Hmmm. Strange.
Maybe the red light on the end of the Lockheed plant.
Nope. Over to my right the Lockheed light is still there.
Maybe something on the mountain.
Binoculars -
and scan down to the skyline.
Nope - it is above the skyline.
Big light - maybe Venus -
though that is not usually red -
and we are past midnight - way too late for Venus
and wrong direction and not early enough
for when it becomes the Morning Star.
Hmmm. Better study this.
Aircraft maybe.
Steady watch.
No motion.
No change in size - not approaching or retreating.
Possibly a helicopter standing steady -
but no aircraft advisories and highly unlikely.
Theodolite - but way too distance -
and again holding steady.
Besides no notification from weather that they were launching.
The PBY has now long turned out -
and is on downwind.

"Uh, Kelly,
we have something strange here -
I think you had better look at it."

"I don't know -
I want you to look at it."

"Well, I think it may be a UFO."

"Kelly, take a look at this,"
tapping his shoe with my boot.

"Kelly, look at this -"
accompanied with a really solid kick!!

"Look -" I say pointing with one hand -
with the other still holding the binoculars
to my eyes.
I have never taken them off the UFO
the whole time that I have been talking to Kelly.

"I don't know. A UFO."

"On the downwind.
Let me send it after it."

"A UFO -
lets send the PBY after it."

"A UFO."

"Tower, this is PBY on downwind -
gear down and locked,
request permission to land."

"Negative PBY, check at base."

"R-roger tower, will check base."

"Kelly, let me send him after it -
he will be glad to go
and he doesn't have anything else to do.
We are authorized to send pursuit planes."

"It is a UFO Kelly.
C'mon Kelly - lets check it out."

"Tower, this is PBY at base -
gear down and locked
request permission to land."

"Come on Kelly -"

"Tower, this is PBY at base -
gear down and locked
REQUEST permission to land."

"Negative, PBY.
Check at final."

"Roger tower."

"Come on Kelly -
when he turns final
he is going to be lined right up with it.
---
He can just go right ahead after it.
Let me send him after it Kelly."

"Tower this is PBY.
Turning on final -
Gear down and locked.
AM I cleared to land?"

"TOWER! This IS PBY.
On final - AM I cleared to land?"

"Roger, PBY, your are cleared to land."

"THANK YOU, tower." (Pure ice in the voice).

"Alright!"
I grab the mike.

"Arrrrgh."

Wait, wait, wait.
Watch UFO through the glasses.

Glance back at the PBY.
Wait, wait, wait.
Watch UFO through the glasses.
Glance back at the PBY.
This one must have figured out how to fly at 30 mph.

Finally, the PBY touches down.

"PBY - continue landing roll for immediate take off.
There is a UFO off the end of the runway -
we would like for you to take a look at it."

"Roger Tower - PBY continuing landing roll
for immediate take off."

"Tower - this is PBY
we are airborne -
where is the UFO."

"Directly ahead of you PBY."

"Tower, this is PBY -
we still do not see the UFO."

"It is directly ahead of you PBY."

"Tower, this is PBY -
we still do not see the UFO."

"Roger, PBY.
It has disappeared.
Check gear on downwind."

"Roger, Tower."

The next episode also occurred at night -
but this time it was in perpetual 24 hour night
in the Arctic.

Again, I was the only operator awake in the tower.
Suddenly, there would be a light flash
out of the corner of my eye.
I would jerk my head up from my studies,
or turn around if I was standing up.
Gone - nothing.
We had no light beacons in the subdued lighting
of this SAC base.
Sudden alerts would occur.
Doors at both ends of the hanger would roll up
the fighter would fire up in the hanger -
and be gone -
straight down the runway -
afterburner blazing as it hurled into the sky.

But usually nothing.
Just darkness and subdued lights about the base -
except -
except --
I know I saw a light.
Ask others -
do they ever see it.
Nope.

Almost a pattern, I decide.
Hours to sit in the darkened tower.
Trying to stare out into the darkness
with out blinking.
There it was.
Darkness.
And again.
Now I know the direction to look.

There.
Now.
Again.
And again, and again, again.
But then long periods in between.
Some strange phenomena.
But not the Northern Lights - we are too far north.
Days of study.
Finally, I know.

It is the water trucks,
turning first one curve and then another
up in the mountains
below the skyline
but their headlights faintly catch
many miles away
the snow cliffs on another mountain.

Light is phenomenal -
and there are natural explanations
for much of what we see.
The early autopsy at the University of Kansas
had a natural explanation.
The creature had human like blood
because it was a Rhesus monkey.
That is from where we get the term RH factor for blood.
The hoaxer had amputated its tail,
let it heal, shaved it,
dressed it in silk,
and killed it -
before going to the university with his story.

The retired pharmacist
was not a hoaxer.
He actually shot the amateur movies.
They weren't doctored.
It took many hours of flying an identical aircraft -
at different angles to the sun
while shooting an identical camera
from the seat in which he had been sitting -
to get the light reflections from off the tail
to again create a UFO on the film.

The military radar men
were straight arrow also.
They saw what they saw.
But what they saw,
it was shown after months of investigation -
was a radio signal set off by a special code
aircraft id-transmitter
sent at a very high frequency
by planes that were over the horizon
and completely out of range of their radar.
The signals somehow bounced off the ionosphere.

My Rosicrucian friend may also have been a jokester.
In any case, I learned to duplicate what we saw that night.
And have done it.
An aluminum pie pan like you get with a bakery pie.
Punch 20 one inch slits in the bottom of it with a sharp knife.
Take a dozen or so short birthday cake candles.
Light them and stick them about the pan.
Put the open end of a light plastic garment bag
from the dry cleaners
over the pie pan
and scotch tape it to the pan
so the pan sits evenly below the bag
and air can be drawn in through the slots in the bottom of the pan.
The bag will fill with the hot air.
Release into a dark moonless night
(in an area where it will not cause a fire when it descends -
I have had them come down on people's house tops -
THAT adds to the excitement!)

Now stand and point at the UFO.
You can't tell if its hundreds of yards away -
or miles away -
as it glows eerily in the night sky.

Took me years to understand my daytime observation.
Asked psychiatrists -
(I became a psychiatric social worker
and took graduate courses in psychoanalytic theory) -
if we could review the event through hypnosis,
but that is not possible -
because just as with reviewing past lives under hypnosis -
hypnosis IS suggestion -
one will "see" whatever it is that they are "supposed" to see.

Finally, I decided it was a delusion.
Not even an illusion -
because with illusions -
such as mirages or my lights in the Arctic,
there is some physical base to the phenomena.
However, I came to the conclusion
that if there had been something there -
with all those hundreds of people at the airstrip that day -
someone else would have seen something.
Sometimes you really cannot believe your own eyes.

Most of my space abductee friends
are also deluded.
Although, I have met two charlatans.
The fellow giving the lectures when I was about fifteen,
knew that he was lying.
Another charlatan of my acquaintance
may have been deluded at one time.
Met with him weekly at a space group luncheon.
His books sold many multiples of thousands.
Especially in Japan.
He would announce that he was going off
on another space trip -
and we wouldn't see him for a few weeks,
but then he would reappear with another book.

My Venusian friend is as honest
as the day is long.
Very deep insights into many things.
How many of you have Venusian friends?
You may not believe that he is from Venus -
and I may not -
but he does.
And he travels there quite regularly on occasion.
Lots of traffic to Venus.
I have a number of friends who have gone there.
They are completely schizophrenic
but it does not make the trip any less real for them.

Reality is often hard to determine.
In TRUTH - Reality is ALWAYS hard to determine.
It is nice to have someone share the experience with you -
as many did with myself and my Rosicrucian friend -
or as Kelly and I did that night in the tower -
(I still have no idea what THAT was about).
But, shared mass delusion is not as uncommon
as one might think.
In fact, I would go so far as to say -
that it is very common in almost all cultures.

I believe in flying saucers.
Just not sure that I have ever seen one.
I have seen the Roswell autopsy movie -
(Boy, THAT was good!)
but the evidence to me seems pretty certain
that it was a fake.

There are many mysteries that I have seen
in the pyramids and various places
that I have traveled about the earth -
that do seem to me to be significant evidence,
but I feel far too many of my friends
accept UFO ideas,
Chemtrail ideas,
Crop Circle ideas,
NEO asteroid and planet ideas,
and all sorts of CONSPIRACY ideas -
without really sufficient evidence.

Some cultural ideas
about resurrection, rapture, return -
are so embedded that you do not dare challenge them
with many individuals.

But I can tell you -
that in the fifty years since my UFO experiences
I have discovered
that there are MUCH GREATER MYSTERIES
and phenomena that YOU can come to understand
if you are willing to go beyond the
vague fancies and vain imaginings of most men.

Those are the TRUTHS that I seek to lead men into -
and it is for that reason alone -
that I take the time to write these long explanations.

Those that have already made up their minds
about these many subjects that I have mentioned -
will often just be angry that I appear to challenge
their beliefs.
But, I can always hope
that there will be some
who truly seek the Truth
and that will respond -

"Beach, if you can really point out the Path -
then I want to hear about it."

Peace and love,
Bruce
DawnSayer@webpal.org