Posted On: June 11, 2022

The year is 1947, the place, Mineral, Washington. A private pilot claimed to have witnessed a string of shiny, unidentified flying objects, soaring past a nearby mountain at unbelievable speeds. This was the first post-World War II sighting that gained nationwide attention, and is credited with being the first of modern UFO encounters. The man’s description of said objects has also led the press to coining the terms flying saucer and flying disc, expressions we still us to this day.

On June 24, 1947, pilot Kenneth Arnold was flying from Chehalis, Washington, to Yakima, Washington, in a CallAir A-2, for some kind of business trip. He decided to make a brief detour after learning about a $5,000 reward (equivalent to $61,000 today) offered for the discovery of a C-46 transport airplane that crashed near Mount Rainier. The skies were completely clear, and the wind was relatively calm. A few minutes before 3:00 PM, at roughly 9,200 feet in altitude near Mineral, Washington, Arnold gave up his search and started heading eastward towards Yakima.

Suddenly, he saw a bright flashing light, similar to the sun reflecting from a mirror. Concerned that he might be dangerously close to another aircraft, the pilot scanned the skies around him, but all he could see was a DC-4 to his left and behind him, roughly 15 miles away. 30 seconds past, and Arnold saw a series of brilliant flashes in the distance, north of Mount Rainier, which at that point was 20 to 25 miles away. He thought they might be reflections on his windows, but following a few quick tests, such as rocking his airplane from side to side and rolling down his side window, this was quickly ruled out.

These things flew in a long chain, and he briefly thought they were a flock of geese. But after considering the altitude, the bright glint, and very fast speed, this was also ruled out as a reasonable possibility. He then considered that it might be a new type of jet, and started looking for a tail, but was shocked that he couldn’t find any. They approached Rainier rapidly and then passed in front, usually appearing dark in appearance against the blankets of snow covering the mountains. The pilot claims they were still giving off bright lights as they flipped around erratically, and that they were so thin and flat that they were practically invisible.

The objects were grouped together, in a diagonally stepped-down, echelon formation, stretched out over a distance that he later calculated to be five miles. Despite the fact they were moving on a more or less level horizontal plane, Arnold says the objects weaved from side to side, like the tail of a Chinese kite, darting through the valleys and around the smaller mountain peaks. They would occasionally flip or bank on their edges in perfect unison as they turned and maneuvered, causing almost blindingly bright flashes of light. According to Arnold, they moved from Mount Rainier to Mount Adams before fading from view, at a speed of about 50 miles in a timeframe of one minute and forty-two seconds, according to the clock on his instrument panel.

Upon landing in Yakima, Arnold described what he had seen to some of his pilot friends, who suggested that he might have witnessed guided missiles or maybe even a new type of aircraft being secretly developed by the U.S. Military. When he later had time to do the math, he calculated the objects’ speed to be over 1,700 miles per hour, which was three times faster than any known aircraft at the time. To sum it up, the objects arrived from the direction of Mount Baker, then passed in front of Mount Rainier and Mount Adams in the space of one minute and forty-two seconds. The 47 mile distance, if measured from peak to peak, would suggest the objects’ speed to be 1,650 miles per hour, pretty close to Arnold estimate of 1,700. This far exceeded the record-holding P-80 jets of the time.

He was first interviewed by reporters the following day, June 25. The reporters were skeptical at first, but any doubts they had evaporated when Arnold kept adding more and more details to his incredible story. Welsh historian Mike Dash, who was attracted to this kind of drama, stated;

Arnold had the makings of a reliable witness. He was a respected businessman and experienced pilot and seemed to be neither exaggerating what he had seen, nor adding sensational details to his report. He also gave the impression of being a careful observer. These details impressed the newspapermen who interviewed him and lent credibility to his report.

When speaking to a reporter for the Associated Press, Arnold said:

"This whole thing has gotten out of hand. I want to talk to the FBI or someone. Half the people look at me as a combination of Einstein, Flash Gordon and screwball. I wonder what my wife back in Idaho thinks."

The first official investigation of the pilot’s claims was carried out by two air force officers from Hamilton Field in California, who questioned Arnold on July 12. The officers, considering the reliability and detail of his report, claimed Arnold, a man of integrity, wouldn’t cook up a story about flying, unknown object if he didn’t see them. There were those in the Air Force who weren’t as open-minded to his tale. First Lieutenant Hal L Eustace of the Army Air Corps, in a declassified report, said that Arnold “seems to be reasonable well balanced, although excitable”, describing Arnold’s report as a case of “silly episodes.” The Air Force’s formal public conclusion was that the objects of this sighting were due to a mirage. The first of many, it seems.

Starting June 26 and 27, newspapers began using the terms “flying saucer” and “flying disc” to describe these sighted objects, and Kenneth Arnold is credited with sparking life into these popular terms.

Keep in mind, all we really have on this case is one man’s word and credibility, not evidence. That makes it quite easy to dismiss his claims as fiction, but me, I’m not so sure. His story held an absurd amount of detail to it, including specific locations and mathematics, plus, what would his reason be for lying? He’s either crazy, wants to bring attention to himself, or he actually saw something that day. I’m certain of one thing though, this was no bloody mirage, as the Air Force would have us believe. In due time, the truth will be revealed.

Posted On: June 11, 2022

The year is 1947, the place, Mineral, Washington. A private pilot claimed to have witnessed a string of shiny, unidentified flying objects, soaring past a nearby mountain at unbelievable speeds. This was the first post-World War II sighting that gained nationwide attention, and is credited with being the first of modern UFO encounters. The man’s description of said objects has also led the press to coining the terms flying saucer and flying disc, expressions we still us to this day.

On June 24, 1947, pilot Kenneth Arnold was flying from Chehalis, Washington, to Yakima, Washington, in a CallAir A-2, for some kind of business trip. He decided to make a brief detour after learning about a $5,000 reward (equivalent to $61,000 today) offered for the discovery of a C-46 transport airplane that crashed near Mount Rainier. The skies were completely clear, and the wind was relatively calm. A few minutes before 3:00 PM, at roughly 9,200 feet in altitude near Mineral, Washington, Arnold gave up his search and started heading eastward towards Yakima.

Suddenly, he saw a bright flashing light, similar to the sun reflecting from a mirror. Concerned that he might be dangerously close to another aircraft, the pilot scanned the skies around him, but all he could see was a DC-4 to his left and behind him, roughly 15 miles away. 30 seconds past, and Arnold saw a series of brilliant flashes in the distance, north of Mount Rainier, which at that point was 20 to 25 miles away. He thought they might be reflections on his windows, but following a few quick tests, such as rocking his airplane from side to side and rolling down his side window, this was quickly ruled out.

These things flew in a long chain, and he briefly thought they were a flock of geese. But after considering the altitude, the bright glint, and very fast speed, this was also ruled out as a reasonable possibility. He then considered that it might be a new type of jet, and started looking for a tail, but was shocked that he couldn’t find any. They approached Rainier rapidly and then passed in front, usually appearing dark in appearance against the blankets of snow covering the mountains. The pilot claims they were still giving off bright lights as they flipped around erratically, and that they were so thin and flat that they were practically invisible.

The objects were grouped together, in a diagonally stepped-down, echelon formation, stretched out over a distance that he later calculated to be five miles. Despite the fact they were moving on a more or less level horizontal plane, Arnold says the objects weaved from side to side, like the tail of a Chinese kite, darting through the valleys and around the smaller mountain peaks. They would occasionally flip or bank on their edges in perfect unison as they turned and maneuvered, causing almost blindingly bright flashes of light. According to Arnold, they moved from Mount Rainier to Mount Adams before fading from view, at a speed of about 50 miles in a timeframe of one minute and forty-two seconds, according to the clock on his instrument panel.

Upon landing in Yakima, Arnold described what he had seen to some of his pilot friends, who suggested that he might have witnessed guided missiles or maybe even a new type of aircraft being secretly developed by the U.S. Military. When he later had time to do the math, he calculated the objects’ speed to be over 1,700 miles per hour, which was three times faster than any known aircraft at the time. To sum it up, the objects arrived from the direction of Mount Baker, then passed in front of Mount Rainier and Mount Adams in the space of one minute and forty-two seconds. The 47 mile distance, if measured from peak to peak, would suggest the objects’ speed to be 1,650 miles per hour, pretty close to Arnold estimate of 1,700. This far exceeded the record-holding P-80 jets of the time.

He was first interviewed by reporters the following day, June 25. The reporters were skeptical at first, but any doubts they had evaporated when Arnold kept adding more and more details to his incredible story. Welsh historian Mike Dash, who was attracted to this kind of drama, stated;

Arnold had the makings of a reliable witness. He was a respected businessman and experienced pilot and seemed to be neither exaggerating what he had seen, nor adding sensational details to his report. He also gave the impression of being a careful observer. These details impressed the newspapermen who interviewed him and lent credibility to his report.

When speaking to a reporter for the Associated Press, Arnold said:

"This whole thing has gotten out of hand. I want to talk to the FBI or someone. Half the people look at me as a combination of Einstein, Flash Gordon and screwball. I wonder what my wife back in Idaho thinks."

The first official investigation of the pilot’s claims was carried out by two air force officers from Hamilton Field in California, who questioned Arnold on July 12. The officers, considering the reliability and detail of his report, claimed Arnold, a man of integrity, wouldn’t cook up a story about flying, unknown object if he didn’t see them. There were those in the Air Force who weren’t as open-minded to his tale. First Lieutenant Hal L Eustace of the Army Air Corps, in a declassified report, said that Arnold “seems to be reasonable well balanced, although excitable”, describing Arnold’s report as a case of “silly episodes.” The Air Force’s formal public conclusion was that the objects of this sighting were due to a mirage. The first of many, it seems.

Starting June 26 and 27, newspapers began using the terms “flying saucer” and “flying disc” to describe these sighted objects, and Kenneth Arnold is credited with sparking life into these popular terms.

Keep in mind, all we really have on this case is one man’s word and credibility, not evidence. That makes it quite easy to dismiss his claims as fiction, but me, I’m not so sure. His story held an absurd amount of detail to it, including specific locations and mathematics, plus, what would his reason be for lying? He’s either crazy, wants to bring attention to himself, or he actually saw something that day. I’m certain of one thing though, this was no bloody mirage, as the Air Force would have us believe. In due time, the truth will be revealed.