UFOs and Extraterrestrials -Dominican Sightings and Experiences

UFOs and Extraterrestrials -Dominican Sightings and Experiences

Source: Diario Libre (Dominican Republic)

Date: 08.29.2015

An article by Bienvenido Pérez García

There is an undeniable correspondence between the dawn of the aviation era in the early 20th century and the proliferation of sightings of strange craft and objects in the sky. Similarly, the monsters and creatures sighted across North and South America, Europe, and Asia for centuries were—starting in the first third of the 20th century—transformed by the collective imagination into extraterrestrial beings, albeit ones characterized by strange clothing and devices. Far from discrediting the entire body of UFO experiences and alien encounters—which were shaped by shifting perceptions and paradigms following the advent of the airplane and the search for life on other worlds (marking our transition from the magical-religious to the scientific)—this correspondence actually lends greater weight and credibility to verifiable evidence amidst the many false alarms and cases of mistaken identity involving animals or atmospheric phenomena. The availability of ubiquitous digital recording devices—such as cell phones, iPods, and tablets, many offering high-definition clarity—has helped expand the body of evidence suggesting that, barring widespread insanity or stupidity, we do indeed have visitors—and perhaps residents?—from places, times, or dimensions other than our own.

There is an undeniable correspondence between the dawn of the aviation era in the early 20th century and the proliferation of sightings of strange craft and objects in the sky. Similarly, the monsters and creatures sighted across North and South America, Europe, and Asia for centuries were—starting in the first third of the 20th century—transformed by the collective imagination into extraterrestrial beings, albeit ones characterized by strange clothing and devices. Far from discrediting the entire body of UFO experiences and alien encounters—which were shaped by shifting perceptions and paradigms following the advent of the airplane and the search for life on other worlds (marking our transition from the magical-religious to the scientific)—this correspondence actually lends greater weight and credibility to verifiable evidence amidst the many false alarms and cases of mistaken identity involving animals or atmospheric phenomena. The availability of ubiquitous digital recording devices—such as cell phones, iPods, and tablets, many offering high-definition clarity—has helped expand the body of evidence suggesting that, barring widespread insanity or stupidity, we do indeed have visitors—and perhaps residents?—from places, times, or dimensions other than our own.

Investigative journalist and current diplomat Víctor Grimaldi, after living abroad for several years, finally returned to his home country, settling near the La Caleta area, not far from Las Américas Airport. It was 1974 when, one night, he spotted an object—very different from an airplane—crossing the sky at a low altitude; he noticed it descending further in the distance, as if coming in for a landing. Driven by curiosity and accompanied by a neighbor with whom he had become friends, he ventured into the undergrowth, heading toward the spot where they suspected the object might have landed. Caught in the eternal human struggle between the fear of the unknown and the urge to understand it, they moved stealthily through the tall grass, shrubs, and vines until, some distance away, they made out a faint glow. Approaching in silence and keeping low, they peered through the bushes into a clearing where a medium-sized saucer—perhaps five meters in diameter—was parked. If the sight itself was startling, they were even more alarmed to see two small, human-like beings crouching down, occupied with what appeared to be repairs to their vehicle—or perhaps an energy recharge—as they used an object held in their hands to discharge something that emitted light and faint sparks from beneath the craft. Filled with astonishment yet driven by persistence, they watched the beings at work for an estimated thirty minutes before—fearing discovery—they retreated just as stealthily as they had arrived. Two days later, Grimaldi returned—during the day, of course—to the site of the incredible scene; in the clearing, he found the round outline of the saucer, where the vegetation had been flattened and partially scorched. Mr. Grimaldi gave this account years later, under solemn oath to a close friend, as he did not want his experience to go unknown. One incident I mention respectfully—though the details were never fully clarified—occurred after the disappearance of the well-known broadcaster Freddy Miller, an event attributed to a crime, presumably committed by the State. In September 1972, an insurance agent—whom I will identify only by the initial "R."—was traveling through Palenque, in San Cristóbal province, to visit a potential client. By the side of the road, he encountered an unknown figure who stopped him and said, "Hello, I am Freddy Miller; I am here, and I want people to know that I am not dead." Speaking perfect Spanish and dressed in some sort of uniform, the man explained that he had once been just as human as R. but had been rescued by extraterrestrials years earlier while on the verge of drowning during a fishing trip. "In fact, I am accompanying these people who are not from Earth," he said, pointing to two other humanoids dressed like himself—figures with light greenish skin who were watching from a short distance away. "They were the ones who invited me, and I have been with them ever since. We are here now because they are studying and trying to fix a fault deep within the Earth. Look, over on that hill—do you see it?—that’s the ship." In the distance, R. managed to glimpse an ovoid object, partially hidden against the hillside; it was unlike any building or vehicle he had ever seen. The man said goodbye, shook R.’s hand, and said, "I have to go now."

Due to the clandestine nature of their operations, there has been little documentation or publicity regarding sightings reported by illegal travelers on their way to Puerto Rico. During the 1990s, several such travelers—some of whom were detained and repatriated—shared accounts of seeing luminous flying objects at night. These objects performed aerial maneuvers and dizzying movements impossible for conventional airplanes or aircraft—such as instantaneous 90-degree turns or diving straight or diagonally into the water—feats that remain technologically unachievable. An anonymous account from one of the unscrupulous boat captains revealed that on one occasion, while he was crossing the channel in the dark, a saucer-like object emerged from the depths; it violently rocked the boat before shooting up into the sky at incredible speed.

Perhaps not all the strange beings sighted are mere visitors; some may actually be residents. In July 1989—amidst the long daily blackouts in Santo Domingo that forced people to alter their nighttime routines—a woman very close to my family was sitting and resting on the second-floor balcony of her home (located at the corner of Virgilio Díaz Ordóñez and Max Henríquez Ureña streets) after finishing her household chores. She was quietly enjoying the cool night air in the darkness when she heard footsteps on the lawn; someone was trying to cut across the unfenced, open property, heading west from Virgilio Díaz toward Max Henríquez. That in itself would not have been unusual. She noticed the gait of a young man—judging by his appearance from the balcony, he was about nineteen or twenty—until she saw his eyes. Seized by terror, she slid down in her seat to avoid being seen, while the youthful figure—physically normal in every respect except for his eyes, which emitted a reddish glow—continued walking at a steady pace until he disappeared from view down the street. Trembling, she got up, securely bolted the doors, and found it very difficult to fall asleep.

An honorable Christian family, the Buenos, who lived in the Ensanche Ozama neighborhood, had a vivid and unsettling experience involving their teenage sister, Rosa*.

On the night of July 7, 1974, the heat was so unbearable that even fans offered no relief. The eldest brother, Amable—an aspiring engineer—got up, sweating, to get a drink of water in the kitchen. Suddenly, he felt his arm being gripped tightly from behind. He spun around instinctively and violently—what a scare!—only to find his sister Bethania* She had her index finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet, and immediately asked him to follow her to Rosa’s room. In the darkness, as soon as Amable crossed the threshold of his little sister’s room, he noticed—slipping through the slats of the aluminum blinds—not two, but three incredibly fine beams of light. They looked solid enough to touch and ran parallel to one another in a triangular formation, stretching about three meters to the forehead of Rosita, who was fast asleep. Astonished by the three threads of light—one red, the others green and violet—he cautiously crouched down toward the blinds and closed them without waking her, thereby "cutting off" the luminous strands. Rosita slept on, but her siblings found it very hard to close their eyes again that night.

It was late July—perhaps the 29th—when Amable, while asleep, felt an urgent need to wake up. With eyes open and mind alert, she sensed a strange, ominous silence—as if imposed—that stifled all the familiar little noises and sounds of the night. She rose carefully and made her way to the living room; to her surprise, she found her sister Bethania already up, who whispered, "Rosita isn't in her bed."

Seeing that the front door was closed and bolted, they headed toward the back of the house, discovering—even before entering the kitchen—that the door to the patio had been opened. In silence and with apprehension, the siblings slowly approached the doorway until they could peek inside and witness something inexplicable—then and now.

“...We saw it with perfect clarity: Bethania and I stepped through the doorway, and there, about three meters away from us, was Rosita—but... she wasn't on the ground; she was... in mid-air! We witnessed what we later realized was the second half of a 180-degree turn Rosita was performing with her entire body—eyes closed, initially suspended upside down—as she returned to an upright position and settled gently onto the floor right before our eyes.”

Amable recounted this to us years later: “How can I explain what I felt in that moment? Fear, astonishment, a sense of helplessness in the face of something beyond my grasp—something that was happening to my own dear little sister. Bethania just stared at me in silence, her eyes wide with shock, while Rosita, her feet back on the ground, remained asleep. I don’t know how many seconds passed—perhaps a minute or more. When we finally shook off our paralysis, we carefully began to wake her. Rosita seemed incredibly drowsy, as if she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. We explained that we had found her in the courtyard and told her what had happened—including her defiance of gravity. She listened in silence. When we asked what she had been dreaming about, she confessed that it hadn't felt like a dream; she was receiving lessons—teachings—from other beings, non-human ones.”

“What were they teaching you?” “Well, I remembered them then, but I don’t recall them now,” was her reply.

Unfamiliar or inexplicable as these phenomena may be—seeming to defy physics, common sense, and widely held beliefs—let us continue our existential journey, balancing the necessary routines of daily life while keeping a watchful eye out for  the things we do not yet understand.

(Cr: Diaro Libre, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with thanks to Bienvenido Pérez García)

Dominican Republic: Unknown Object Identified as Research Balloon

 Source: Dario Hoy / El Pais (Dominican Republic)

Date: 12.04.2025

Dominican Republic: Unknown Object Identified as Research Balloon

The strange object visible from various parts of the Dominican Republic over the past few hours proved to be a stratospheric balloon from Raven Aerostar’s Thunderhead program.

Meteorological analyst Jean Suriel explained this on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) account.

“This type of balloon is at an altitude of approximately 64,300 feet, making it clearly visible from some areas of the country,” he added.

Suriel further noted that, according to data from the Caribbean Astronomy Society (SAC), the balloon bears the designation HBAL787 / N253TH and is regularly used for (military) intelligence or scientific studies.

(Photo: Diario Hoy)

Angel Carretero: A "Spectacular Light" in Huelva, Spain (1932)

 Angel Carretero: A "Spectacular Light" in Huelva, Spain (1932)
[Abstracted from Andalucía Misteriosa]

YEAR 1932

Reference 19321208 Arroyomolinos de León (Huelva)

OBSERVATION OF A SPECTACULAR LIGHT PHENOMENON AROUND MIDNIGHT ON DECEMBER 8, 1932, IN ARROYOMOLINOS DE LEÓN (HUELVA)

(The event is transcribed exactly as recorded by researcher Ignacio Darnaude)

LOCATION: The site is the town of Arroyomolinos de León, in the province of Huelva, situated on the border with Badajoz; it lies on the road from Seville to Fregenal de la Sierra, approximately 100 kilometers from La Giralda. The mindset and speech of the locals (*arroyencos*) are far more characteristic of Extremadura than of Andalusia. It is a quiet, pleasant agricultural and livestock-farming area surrounded by beautiful *dehesas* (pasturelands) where the Iberian pig is raised—a hardy animal that, following the traditional slaughter, provides us with excellent hams and cured meats. The beautiful, elongated town—which at the time had a population of around 5,000—is nestled in an attractive landscape of hills and valleys dotted with holm oak groves, at an elevation of 700 meters.

CHRONOLOGY: These strange events took place between December 8 and 9, 1932—the holy day of the Immaculate Conception—right around midnight (between 11:30 PM and 12:00 AM). The sky was overcast and a persistent rain was falling, though there was not the slightest sign of thunder or a storm. The downpour continued after the strange phenomena had occurred. THE WITNESSES: Three people have been identified who definitely saw the "burning melon"—which terrified the residents of Arroyomolinos—high in the sky: Ms. Regina Santos Núñez, residing at 110 Primo de Rivera Street, just below the National Schools (the road running the length of the village); and Josefa González Vázquez (along with her sister Esperanza), living in the Church Square.

THE SIGHTING: During the calm, damp midnight of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a spectacular light suddenly appeared, caused by a mass shaped like a "fire melon" (literally) that was plummeting from the sky directly over the village, though it seemingly did not crash into the ground. As the incandescent body descended to a certain altitude, the spindle-shaped object broke apart or fragmented, triggering a deafening explosion—distinct from the familiar rumble that follows lightning. We have not determined the apparent size of the illuminated ellipsoid, its speed and descent trajectory, nor the altitude at which it disintegrated.

PUBLIC REACTION: These were the turbulent times of the Second Republic. Two months earlier, on October 6, 1932—amidst a tense General Strike—disturbances had erupted in Arroyomolinos, leaving four Civil Guards injured. Social unrest in the village was acute; fear and hatred hung heavy in the air. About twenty detainees were crammed into the jail on Grande Street (where Florencio Darnaude Campos, an Army legal officer, had been held for a time).

When the alleged meteorite thundered across the sky, the locals believed it was a high-powered bomb planted by political extremists, and widespread alarm ensued. Those who were already asleep woke up with a start, and the townspeople rushed into the street in a state of high agitation, asking what had happened. Inside the Civil Guard barracks, more than twenty officers—stationed there since the October uprising—were on alert; upon hearing the loud crash, they took up defensive positions inside the building, rifles at the ready, fearing a terrorist attack against the security forces.

A worker employed by contractor Cristóbal Luque (a native of Valencina, Seville)—who was working on the construction of the Arroyomolinos-Cañaveral de León road—had been fast asleep in his room at the Fonda de Parente (an inn facing the road to Fregenal). He found himself suddenly standing in the middle of the street, fully dressed and wearing his boots, yet holding his socks in his hand, with no memory of how he had gotten there.

THE BLACKOUT: Immediately following the massive crash, the electric lights across the town went out for about two seconds before coming back on normally. Antonio Darnaude Campos, the entrepreneur who operated the producer-gas-powered alternator supplying the electricity, stated that he could find no explanation for the power interruption, as the engine, the dynamo, and the wiring network had suffered no damage whatsoever.

At the time, the facilities were under the supervision of electrician Guillermo Silva Ballesteros. He stated that nothing unusual had occurred at the "Electro-Harinera-Panificadora San Fernando" plant that would account for the momentary voltage drop in the power lines. The engine unit and the alternator continued to operate without interruption, and Guillermo did not touch any switches or rheostats during those few seconds.

ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE: At the residence of Antonio Darnaude [Narciso’s bachelor brother, father of the man recounting these events], a man gifted with a reliable memory for past occurrences—residing at 33 Primo de Rivera Street—saw the electrical wiring on the upper floor catch fire immediately following the atmospheric blast. An employee named Martín Rodríguez Garrido (better known as “Martín, Tío Peregrino’s son”), who was staying on that same floor with his wife Hipólita (the family’s domestic worker) in Antonio’s house, ran upstairs and managed to extinguish the flames consuming the copper wiring. Downstairs, the glass bulb of an electric light—which had been switched off when the detonation occurred—was pulverized into tiny fragments.

A pair of wires connected to a radio receiver ran from the building at number 33 across the road to the “casino” (tavern) on the opposite sidewalk; there, connected to a loudspeaker, they allowed radio broadcasts—picked up across the street by the device belonging to the owner of the flour, bread, and electricity factory—to be transmitted to the patrons. These patrons sat at *camilla* tables, warming themselves with charcoal braziers placed beneath the table skirts. Both conducting wires snapped at the exact moment of the explosion.

Of the only three radio receivers in Arroyomolinos at the time, two were damaged by the sonic event and ceased to function. The fixed capacitor at the antenna input of Antonio Darnaude’s receiver burned out. Dr. Diego Vélez Escassi’s radio had been turned off, yet the following day it produced no sound whatsoever. The third unit belonged to Cornelio Fernández, who kept it on at his home on the corner of San Roque and Primo de Rivera Streets; no disturbances were noted there at the critical moment.

ADDITIONAL EFFECTS: A crack opened in the plasterwork of one of the interior walls of the parish church. At the Fonda de Parente (29 Primo de Rivera Street), a partition wall separating two guest rooms collapsed, causing great consternation for Domingo Parente, the town’s burly innkeeper.

Inside the aforementioned small electric plant, within the engine hall, there was a covered, dry pit—measuring approximately 1.50 meters wide, 2 meters long, and 2.50 meters deep—that housed the engine's exhaust pipe. The engine ran on low-grade gas produced by a large generator located in an adjoining room and fueled by rockrose wood; a pipe also ran through the pit, carrying water from an outdoor well. The bottom of this hole consisted of solid, remarkably hard bedrock. The following morning, it was discovered with astonishment that the floor of the pit had been churned up and was covered in loose stones—"a load of rock fragments"—torn from the hard subsoil by an unknown force of tremendous power. Some of these rocks weighed over ten kilograms.

The shockwave—or whatever it was, for the cause of so many anomalies remains entirely unclear—had been so formidable, yet so selectively localized, that it shattered three square meters of solid stone flooring to a depth of several centimeters, all within the confines of a narrow shaft situated below ground level.

A significant detail: at the power plant, the inn, and the parish church—locations where physical damage was observed inside the premises—neither the roofs nor the walls sustained the slightest harm. The same occurred at the home of Antonio Darnaude, where a kitchen sideboard collapsed with a loud crash, smashing the household crockery, and two panes of glass in the window connecting the kitchen to the patio were shattered. In the adjacent building at 31 Primo de Rivera Street—home to a fascinating "general store" owned by Francisco Marín Carneiro (incidentally, the brother-in-law of the central figure, Josefa González Vázquez), an unforgettable, cluttered establishment that sold any item its bustling clientele might request, and which stood next to the inn run by Domingo Parente—a deep trench (caused by what pressure or thrust?) appeared in the earthen floor of the corral, measuring 2.00 x 1.50 x 0.50 meters. The topsoil and clay had been excavated and lay scattered around the newly formed hollow.

A LOCAL MINI-ORTHOTENY?: It is a curious fact that the locations where the unidentified ellipsoidal light caused damage lie roughly along a straight line (reflecting the theory of Aimé Michel, who posited that the points of certain UFO sightings sometimes align on a straight line), or rather within a relatively narrow longitudinal strip. The church and the power plant are separated by a distance of one kilometer. The inn, the social club, Marín’s grocery store, and Antonio Darnaude’s large house all belong, broadly speaking, to this same alignment we expanded it to some extent.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: No other anomalous collateral phenomena were reported to us. Nor were there any accounts of craters, sinkholes, or potential fragments of the blazing fireball being found on the ground. Likewise, no details were provided regarding the crucial data of the speed at which the "flaming melon" was plummeting toward Earth, nor whether its descent was vertical or involved slanted or horizontal movements (in the latter case, an object that slowly bears down on a location and/or zigzags could never be a conventional meteorite).

At that time, the Mayor of Arroyo was Domingo Darnaude Campos, and the Justice of the Peace was Cipriano Corona. The parish priest might have been either Antonio Montero Gordillo or Valentín González—a detail that remains unconfirmed. Healthcare services were overseen by two physicians: Diego Vélez Escassi and Nicolás Martín Rocha. Commanding the local Civil Guard detachment was Lieutenant Fernández Palomo, a native of Málaga. The corporal was Manuel Millán, born in Ubrique; he would later go on to head the security detail for General Gonzalo Queipo de Llano, the liberator of Seville during the Civil War.

One of the officers was named Poveda, an expert marksman who had served in King Alfonso XIII’s guard. Other guards whose names are remembered include Benito Cebrián Ruiz, Casildo Ortega, and Mr. Masero. As a curious aside—though unrelated to the unusual 1932 event—around the summer of 1952 (?), following a violent storm, the streets of Arroyomolinos were found covered in countless tiny frogs; their origin—a rather far-fetched explanation—was attributed to the Abismo stream that runs through the town.

 DETAILS OF THE SIGHTING BY JOSEFA GONZÁLEZ VÁZQUEZ: The woman who would later become the wife of law graduate and teacher Manuel Márquez ("El Estudiante") spotted something high up that looked like "a ball of yarn or sphere shedding many sparks—a sort of skein with a thread unraveling from it." At first, she thought it was a lightning bolt, as the "ball" illuminated the entire area—and even the interiors of the houses—with a powerful light. The glowing object "fell" (or did it descend until it struck the ground?) at a location known as Barranco de la Morena.

MORE ON PARENTE’S INN: Benito Sánchez Márquez ("Benitorro")—a former Justice of the Peace and taxi owner who was staying at the inn when the "meteorite" nearly landed—attests that a Chevrolet truck parked in the courtyard of the adjacent lodging house sustained damage. Meanwhile, pictures hanging on the walls of the guest rooms fell to the tiled floors, and cracks appeared in some of the walls. The witness swears that "something fell" at the inn, though he cannot specify what. At the time of the incident, Domingo Parente, his wife Pilar, and two maids—Magdalena Gines and I. Domínguez (sister-in-law of local transporter and businessman Diego Valero, known as "El Aceitero")—were gathered around the dining room table.

When "the thunderous boom" occurred, Domingo was so startled that he suffered a sudden collapse and fell to the floor. It took more than half an hour for those around him to revive him. Benitorro recounts that "some people in Arroyo felt faint" due to the aerial blast, and the doors of some houses flew open on their own. According to him, news of the “noisy meteor” appeared in a newspaper—though he cannot recall which one—suggesting it would be worthwhile to check the archives of *ABC* and *El Correo de Andalucía* (Seville), *Odiel* (Huelva), and *Hoy* (Badajoz) for the period between December 9 and 15, 1932.

THE GALAROZA “FIREBALL”: On the very day the “rugby ball” crashed down on Arroyomolinos de León—December 8, 1932—at around 6:30 p.m. (five hours before the celestial spectacle in Arroyomolinos), the solemn annual procession of the Immaculate Conception was proceeding uneventfully through the decorated streets of Galaroza. This town, located in the same province of Huelva within the Aracena mountain range, had a population of 2,600 and lay 29 kilometers by road from Arroyomolinos.

Suddenly, the many faithful walking slowly in the two lines of the religious procession gazed in astonishment at the sky, where they saw “a large, fire-colored ball that was spinning and seemed to be tumbling over itself.” The luminous phenomenon moved slowly—so slowly, in fact, that some devotees had time to smoke pieces of glass to observe it better, which indicates that the spherical object was emitting an extremely intense glow. This mass sighting has been described in detail by Rosa Rodríguez (who later married Benitorro); she explains that “the ‘burning’ ball was seen by all of Galaroza,” suggesting it would be possible to locate other witnesses.

It is certainly interesting to note the coincidence of these two highly unusual and striking phenomena occurring in locations separated by only about fifteen kilometers as the crow flies, and by a mere five hours in time.

What was the nature and origin of the “burning melon” of Arroyomolinos and the “ball of fire” in Galaroza? Was there any connection between the two displays?

If the blinding “unraveling ball” over Arroyomolinos was a natural body in freefall, it triggered a series of highly unusual and difficult-to-explain electromagnetic and physical effects. As for the “fiery orange” that escorted the Marian rosary procession in Galaroza at a snail’s pace, it cannot—to our knowledge—be equated with any natural phenomenon or any aircraft of that era. This second aerial intruder—and quite possibly the first as well—was clearly what, fifteen years later, would be dubbed an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO).

Given that the celestial “melon” appeared so close in time and space to the “rolling sphere” of the *Pura* (Virgin Mary) procession, one suspects a non-natural link between these two astonishing events—though many clues have likely been lost, given that they occurred sixty years ago. If a witness from Arroyomolinos were to state that the “burning melon” descended slowly or failed to follow a straight trajectory, we would know for certain that mysterious, intentional events—orchestrated by some alien intelligence for arcane reasons—had unfolded in the skies of Huelva, first in Galaroza and then, hours later, in Arroyomolinos.

We are grateful to Manuel Darnaude for his valuable assistance in interviewing witnesses, and to Antonio Moya Cerpa for his two excellent descriptive drawings of the objects that descended from the sky in Arroyo and Galaroza. The dossier for this story includes the following documentation: the entry for Arroyomolinos de León from Pascual Madoz’s *Geographical Dictionary of Spain* (2 pages), along with 3 maps and 17 photographs of the houses and streets of Arroyo.

Comments: Without a doubt, this is perhaps one of the best-documented historical cases. It can be inferred from the investigator's account that relatives of the individual may have witnessed the event, which explains the aforementioned statement.

Spain: Sightings in the Sierra Norte of Seville (2000)

 

 New Sightings in the Sierra Norte of Seville
Encounters with mysterious objects at night
By José Manuel García Bautista

Due to its complexity and strangeness, the UFO phenomenon is far more than mere field research into specific encounters and sightings—where witnesses observe mysterious lights and shapes that shatter their established mental frameworks. The witness factor must be rigorously studied and analyzed, as the information obtained from it lays the groundwork for a more thorough and detailed investigation. For an investigation to be valid, witnesses must possess absolute credibility and an unparalleled level of truthfulness; otherwise, the inquiry would be flawed and lack believability. I emphasize the word "CREDIBILITY" because, without it, we risk encountering cases of fraud or people chasing fame, money, and—why not?—the status of being a researcher.
Many still argue that analyzing the witness factor is not particularly important, given its inherently subjective nature and susceptibility to various external and internal factors that can distort sensory perception. While this assertion is entirely true, it overlooks the fact that witnesses in a UFO case must still be "questioned" to rule out potential anomalies affecting their senses and altering their perception. No serious investigation can exist without a conscientious analysis of this aspect. After all, how could we possibly gauge the truthfulness and plausibility of a witness and their account without getting to know the individual? The witness factor is susceptible to various distortions that can alter the testimony, such as:
•    Consumption of alcohol, drugs, or medications with side effects that impair the subject's senses.
•    Severe emotional or physical stress.
•    Fatigue.
•    Physical or mental impairments.
•    Extreme subjectivity.
•    Excessive credulity.
•    A desire for profit or a craving for the spotlight. •    Unstable family situation.
•    Lack of knowledge regarding a specific subject, leading one to firmly believe in theories that lack any observational basis.
•    Exaggeration of events.
•    Visual or perceptual errors.
•    Strong motivation or a mindset predisposed to misinterpreting a specific event.
•    Speaking based on hearsay while inserting oneself into the story of a sighting as the actual protagonist.
•    Lack of adequate information regarding certain phenomena in the sky.
•    Lack of awareness—on the part of the witness and society at large—regarding secret tests involving military aerial prototypes, such as those frequently conducted at the U.S. bases in Rota (Cádiz) and Morón de la Frontera (Seville) and their surrounding areas.    .../...

These are some of the reasons why information received from a witness must be properly cross-checked, and why it is necessary to delve—as far as possible—into the witness's psychology to create a complete profile of the individual.
An investigation into a UFO or a specific paranormal phenomenon is not conducted in a few hours or days; a proper investigation can take weeks or months, involving the analysis of all factors and circumstances—however remote they may seem—that could affect the observer and their testimony. This entails cross-referencing star charts and meteorological, astronomical, aviation, and experimental data, and—if circumstances require—even examining the witness's medical records. Subsequently, possible similarities with other cases are analyzed; only at the very end, and after having thoroughly analyzed *everything*, can one speculate on a possible conclusion to the case. As we have seen, investigating the witness is a crucial component of any UFO or paranormal inquiry. Of course, the provision of documentation and photographic material greatly aids any researcher's work, but in this realm of evidentiary claims, we must not forget that fraud is present in a very high percentage of cases.
A proper investigation is one that perfectly balances—in the right proportions—fieldwork with documentary research. Any investigation that appears skewed toward one side or the other could—and indeed would—be labeled incomplete, biased, and incorrect.

In the early hours (2:20 a.m.) of Saturday, January 22, 2000, two military officers traveling toward Seville along the road connecting the Sevillian towns of Las Navas de la Concepción and La Puebla de los Infantes—heading toward Seville (93 km away) and just a few kilometers from the junction with Peñaflor on the C-431 highway—spotted an oval-shaped light, approximately 120 meters in size, off to their left (in the direction of travel) near the El Retortillo Reservoir.

 "The light was suspended in the void; it was simply floating in the air—static, motionless... I asked Miguel what that strange light might be, but he couldn't say; the presence of construction equipment or aircraft was out of the question—we would have been notified about such things... It was very odd. As we drove toward La Puebla (de los Infantes), the light remained static; there was no sign of movement... Miguel said he would pull over at the first opportunity, and a bit further on, he stopped the car on a shoulder where we wouldn't block traffic (though at that hour, there is almost no traffic anyway, and the road itself is quite dangerous and unpleasant to drive on). We got out, took Miguel's binoculars from the trunk, and began observing the mysterious light. I have to say, it was one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen; the craft lacked any visible propulsion nozzles or thrusters, there was no exhaust plume, and the surroundings were completely silent. The lights seemed arranged in a network across the fuselage of the ship—which was shaped like a sort of flattened egg—and they all appeared to blink in unison, shifting in hue. I can tell you with absolute certainty that it wasn't one of our aircraft, a weather balloon, or anything of that sort. José Manuel, I’m not saying it was an alien spaceship—God forbid—with little green men inside; that would be ridiculous. I’m just saying it wasn't anything identifiable as the equipment we usually work with, and you know we understand what’s in our skies better than anyone... Man, you can label it a UFO if you want—but a UFO in the sense you’ve drilled into us all along—meaning an *Unidentified Flying Object* taken literally: *anything* we see that we can't identify. Gone are the days of explanations..." ...extraterrestrials, non-extraterrestrials, and the like—claims that currently lack a solid basis or foundation—neither Paco nor I would be the ones to tell you that the object was an intelligent craft crewed by stellar civilizations. If our opinion counts for anything, we can only say that in over 25 years of service in the Air Force, we had never seen or directly witnessed anything like it; we had heard many stories, but we had never experienced anything of the sort ourselves."
That concludes the account of one of our two witnesses; his testimony is corroborated by his colleague. What is there to say in the face of this? The witnesses' reliability and truthfulness are absolute. Their willingness to cooperate with this researcher of UFO and paranormal phenomena was—and remains—total. Several interviews were conducted, and they were remarkably consistent throughout... Their testimony was—quite simply—flawless, and to me, it is entirely truthful. Why would a military man—operating at their level of responsibility—invent, alter, distort, or exaggerate a story like this? Our witnesses possess a level of physical and mental stability that is simply enviable. There were no factors present that might have impaired their perception, such as the consumption of alcohol or medication. Despite the late hour, both were sufficiently well-rested to rule out fatigue as a possible explanation for the sighting. Free from emotional tension or pressure, intimately familiar with the skies, seeking neither money nor publicity, and with no likelihood of perceptual error... they were simply two professionals with extensive knowledge of the skies who had the opportunity to calmly and closely observe a mysterious oval shape—approximately 120 meters in size—encased in a "skin" of small, reddish-orange points of light. It bore no external propulsion markings or features and appeared suspended in mid-air, hovering about 150 meters above the waters of the El Retortillo Reservoir, deep within the Sierra Norte of Seville—well over 90 kilometers from the provincial capital. The National Meteorological Institute provided us with the weather report for the day and the area: a cold (6ºC to 2ºC) and clear night, with no precipitation, moderate wind gusts, and generally stable conditions—though precipitation was possible at higher altitudes. Visibility was good. No significant or unusual meteorological phenomena were reported.
The National Institute for Aerospace Technology conducted no experiments in the area, and well-informed sources confirmed this same information through a separate channel.
Seville Air Traffic Control confirmed the absence of air traffic in the area, particularly at that altitude and time. Seville Airport closes at midnight, and very few flights are recorded after that hour.
Nearby heliports also confirmed the absence of aircraft in the area.
According to NASA data, there was no visible re-entry of space debris at our latitudes...
The Army did not conduct any night-time or "blind" flight exercises in the area.
The Seville Astronomical Observatory reported nothing of particular significance in the night sky that matched the characteristics described by our witnesses.
What, then, did our two witnesses see on the night of Saturday, January 22, 2000—around 2:20 a.m.—near the El Retortillo Reservoir? Based on their own definition: a UFO.
In recent years, the Sierra Norte region of Seville has gained attention for the high frequency of mysterious lights and luminous objects appearing in its skies and around the vast expanse of water at El Retortillo, situated between the towns of Las Navas de la Concepción, Peñaflor, and San Calixto. Numerous sightings have been reported from the roads near El Cerro del Hierro, Constantina, and Lora del Río, as well as from the aforementioned towns. Recently, another sighting occurred in the same area with the following characteristics:
On February 12, 2000, a peculiar rhomboid-shaped craft was observed in the Sierra Norte of Seville; four intense orange lights were visible at what would be its four vertices. It was flying silently at a very low altitude—estimated at around 300 meters. The craft or object was approximately 30 meters long and was observed between 11:40 p.m. and 11:55 p.m. ...at the location known as Cerro del Hierro, which connects the Sevillian town of Constantina with Las Navas de la Concepción (also in Seville). Our witness was driving along the poor-quality road connecting these two towns; after traveling about 6 kilometers, he was startled by an airborne shape whose powerful headlights left Pepe Álvarez—the witness, who was driving his Renault 4L (the famous "Cuatro Latas")—dumbfounded. Preliminary, rapid inquiries revealed that no flights had taken place in the area—let alone at such a low altitude—given the extremely rugged terrain, which would make attempting flight at that height reckless. The weather was clear and quite cold (between 3°C and 5°C), with excellent visibility. The craft or object was heading northeast toward the Retortillo Reservoir—a site famous in ufological circles. Other witnesses in the town reported seeing lights at that time of night; these reports likely refer to the same sighting. As a personal note, I (the investigator) happened to be in the town of Constantina at the time due to family matters, but I only saw a distant light, as I was alerted to the event while the phenomenon was already passing by. There were no significant celestial phenomena or other events that could have caused confusion.
Numerous sightings had also been recorded previously, such as the following (presented in a brief chronology):
1.    August 1998. San Nicolás del Puerto, in the famous Sierra Norte region. Time: around 2:15 AM. Four witnesses: friends and final-year university students studying Physics (two of them), Law, and Engineering. Object observed: a luminous sphere tracing strange angles across the Sevillian night sky.
2.    June 12, 1999. Joaquín Díaz was driving along the local road connecting the Sevillian towns of Las Navas de la Concepción and La Puebla de los Infantes; it was already night—around 10:40 PM. – and he was on his way home after visiting relatives in the first of those towns. The road is very winding and difficult, and with night having fallen, Don Joaquín decided to slow down and drive at a moderate speed. After driving for about fifteen minutes, our witness was startled by something that left him dumbfounded: “I had been driving for quite a while as I headed down toward La Puebla. I could see the Retortillo reservoir, which I was passing on my left as I drove around it along the road... At one point, I saw a large object emerge from the water. It was huge—I don’t know, it must have been about 30 meters across. It shot out suddenly, with great force. It was very bright—a brilliant white, like the reflective uniforms firefighters wear; it was a very luminous color. It rose up, forming an immense circle (or sphere), and then folded over until it looked flattened; it was like a large five-peseta coin...” When asked if the object had any depth or volume, he told us, “No, no, it was a flat, round thing; it was like a coin. It came out and folded over until it was hovering above the water...” Joaquín illustrated his words by mimicking the object's movement with a beer bottle cap. We can describe the event this way: the object emerged from the water, rising up and forming a perfect 180-degree arc; once it had surfaced, it stabilized its position by tilting onto one side (presumably) and hovering over the lake's surface, eventually appearing from the road as nothing more than a thin line of light. The spherical part of the object’s body would have been “facing” both the lake’s surface and the sky... That is how the object remained for a mere few seconds (perhaps 5 or 10, no more), and after a slight flicker accompanied by a color change (from white to orange), it rose slightly before accelerating and vanishing into the sky in a beam of light. Joaquín was left stunned by what he had seen and began to feel great fear. What had seemed like a simple return trip to La Puebla turned into a frantic race to get home...

Luminous spheres, rhomboid, oval, and even "dimensionless" craft... all observed near the reservoir or in its vicinity—close to, or hovering over, the water...

The UFO phenomenon enters the 21st century shrouded in mystery and enigma. Through the views of both detractors and proponents, it has established itself as *the* phenomenon of our century.
Public perception of the UFO phenomenon remains incomplete and ill-informed; many still believe that a ufologist chases after "little green men"—if I may use the term—and their ships, hoping to snap a photo or conduct an interview... The reality of the UFO phenomenon is far more complex and challenging than this "out-of-focus" notion suggests. The phenomenon encompasses too many facets to be easily generalized; the social, psychological, contextual, and physical dimensions—along with the various working hypotheses and theories—make this a vast and fascinating subject. It is a field where one cannot afford to take a casual approach or neglect the study of even the most seemingly insignificant details...

Report on the "New Sightings at El Retortillo Reservoir" case by independent researcher José Manuel García Bautista (Seville).

José Manuel García Bautista
Seville, February 26, 2000.

•    A personal note:

One cannot make a living from ufological and paranormal research; quite the opposite—it costs the researcher money. Yet, without a doubt, it is money well spent. There are still many who insist on dividing our field of Ufology into two camps—the pro-HET (Extraterrestrial Hypothesis) proponents and the skeptics—yet an increasing number of researchers are opting for a third path. This independent approach requires neither reconciling extremes nor aligning with either side; while perhaps the most challenging route, it is ultimately the most rewarding. You investigate what you believe in, establishing your own working methods, documentation standards, and theories. You analyze the phenomenon as comprehensively as possible, utilizing every available resource—the Internet, literature, case files, archives, and insights from fellow researchers and professionals in fields such as aeronautics, meteorology, physics, engineering, astronomy, and psychology (relying on an extensive network of contacts who often evolve from mere acquaintances into close friends)—alongside a wide array of witness testimonies. The final result is the case report: the fruit of your labor—hours, days, weeks, or even months of investigation—shared with other researchers, the media, various channels, and friends. After all, not everything in life is about money or material gain; research is also driven by passion and a genuine love for the act of investigating itself. That report contains our conclusion—often the closest approximation to the truth—because this alternative third path requires no allegiance to any specific school of thought; the investigation aligns solely with the truth, regardless of whose feelings might be hurt. There is no need to defend a specific stance: if a hoax is uncovered, it is reported as such (we have experience both in identifying and exposing them); if a case remains inconclusive, it is labeled as such; and if the object turns out to be a weather balloon or the planet Venus, that is exactly what is reported. I believe this investigative approach brings us closer to the truth than many realize. Ultimately, this long journey through Ufology or paranormal research is driven by a single, fundamental belief: the value of the investigation itself.

Manuel Carballal: Other Earthly Saucers

 

 

Manuel Carballal : Other Earthly Saucers 

    Aside from turbine-driven, prop-driven, and saucers motivated by other means of propulsion, terrestrial aeronautics have given rise to other kinds of disc-shaped aircraft. 
    As early as 1925, according to Revista de Aeronautica y Astronáutica (Number 413, April 1975), Soviet designers had developed a glider with a semicircular wing (more practical than a circular wing) resembling a giant letter "D" with an enormous rudder in the aft section, which also doubled as an elevating plane throughout the rear perimeter.  This device is known as Tscharanowsky's "Parabola" glider, which can be seen at the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Aviation Museum, and is one of the first designs of this type, a spectacular example of Russian enthusiasm for gliding. 
    The Parabola was nothing more than the forerunner for other flying saucers built by the Soviets throughout history. 
    Many years later, in December 1992, the "Rossiya" was unrolled before the public.  The "Rossiya" is the first in a series of colossal, oval-shaped dirigibles developed through Project Thermoplane, a scientific endeavor sponsored by the Moscow Aeronautical Institute, which hopes to build a fleet of more than a hundred such dirigibles before 1995, all in the shape of a flying saucer. 
    The "Russian UFO," as the scientific press immediately dubbed the object, is an enormous flying saucer two hundred meters in diameter and seventy meters high.  Its skeleton resembles that of the old German Zeppelins, but it incorporates the latest technological advances, which have enabled complete control of the dirigible in the face of meteorological uncertainty.  Thanks to two low-speed embedded propellers connected to motors, the "UFO" is never out of control. 
    The Rossiya, like subsequent saucers belonging to Project Thermoplane, can cover a distance of 5000 kilometers without any need for refueling.  According to Commander Ishkov, director of Project Thermoplane: "... thanks to its enormous cargo capacity, these dirigibles constitute the most efficient and economical means of transportation for conveying large loads to inhospitable and remote regions.  With projects such as this, we are hoping to turn the old Soviet war machine into a new field for civilian and social applications. "
    According to calculations made by aeronautical engineers in Moscow, the kerosene-powered "flying saucer" is 20 to 24 times more efficient and economical than modern helicopters, five or seven times better than airplanes, and two or three times better than any surface transportation. 
    With a 600-ton cargo capacity, the Rossiya's kerosene-fueled engines can reach speeds of 220 KMH, although its mean cruising speed is 150 KMH.  Border surveillance figures prominently among its applications, since radar contained in the "Russian UFO" guarantees coverage six times greater than that of a conventional coast guard vessel.  It also has much greater freedom, enabling it to cover a surveillance area of 450,000 sq.km.--12 times that of a ship in the same period of time. 
    The result of Soviet lab research making use of the ALA-40s, small minisaucers tested at the Aeronautical Institute since 1989, led to the public appearance of the Rossiya.  What doubt could there possibly be that any Russian citizen witnessing the slow flight of a 200 meter wide flying saucer would swear to his or her grave that they'd run into an alien vessel?

Alien "Blimps"

    In 1782, Charles and the Robert brothers, and Montgolfier in 1783, launched their first experimental balloons in the dawn of the history of dirigibles. 
    The prototypes of these aeronautical pioneers would be seen today as amusing toys (Montgolfier's balloon, for example, was "manned" by a ram, a rooster, and a duck, soberly nestled in the balloon's gondola.  Nonetheless, the effect that these early UFOs had upon the witnesses was humorous only to historians. 
    The balloons were perceived by farmers, albeit living scant miles from Paris, as "creatures from another world."  In the first case (the Charles/Robert balloon of 1782), the locals demanded the attendance of a priest, and considering this not to be sufficient, an enraged man reached for his shotgun and engaged in a firefight with the "flying monster."  In the second case (Montgolfier, 1783), the abbé arrived in time to perform an exorcism on those mysterious creatures who had descended from the skies.  
    The fact is that in spite of not having the mechanical trappings of the "circular airplanes," certain kinds of dirigibles and balloons have caused more than one case of confusion among untrained observers throughout history. 
    Nearer to home, in the morning of the September 6-7, 1993, the air traffic controllers from the Alvedro Airport Control Tower (Corunna, Spain) received a number of phone calls from people who declared having seen a strange object.  The citizens of Corunna and other localities within that province, such as Malpica, claimed to see a spindle-shaped object surrounded by lights. 
    I later learned that in other towns to the east, in the province of Lugo to be exact, the very same object had been observed a few minutes earlier. 
    As we have done on so many occasions, we started the investigations by questioning the witnesses, consulting the Provincial Meteorological Observatory, the Labacolla Control Tower (Santiago de Compostela, Spain), etc.  The weather balloon launched that evening had already detonated, and there was no reported aerial traffic over the area at the time-- yet the solution to the riddle bore no relation whatsoever to either airplanes or weather balloons. 
    The spindle-shaped UFO seen on September 7th was a promotional blimp headed out of Oviedo, bearing a gaudy illuminated sign for the Credit Lyonnais bank. 
    Perhaps something similar to this happened between November 1896 and May 1897 in the United States, where a genuine wave of "airship" sightings took place.  In spite of the fact that distinguished ufologists such as John Keel, Jerome Clark, or Jacques Vallée have collected earlier and later cases, the most widely held opinion is that the Airship Mystery began in November 1896, when the residents of Sacramento, California, witnessed a light moving in the night sky.  Similar observations were made throughout California during the same month, and others were made farther north, in Washington State and in Canada. 
    A dark shape could sometimes be seen under the light.  It was cigar-shaped, barrel-shaped, or egg-shaped.  The object always moved quite slowly, as if it were being impelled by the wind. 
    Witness descriptions of the "airships," which were even published in the newspapers of the time, are strongly reminiscent of the great rigid dirigibles and the sophisticated hybrid dirigibles (which combined aerostatic pressure with aerodynamics) that would become known in later years. 
    Even though European aeronautic designers were relatively advanced in the construction of dirigibles, this was not the case in the U.S., at least officially.  The first attempts at making and guiding aerostatic balloons came about shortly after their appearance in 1783.  In fact, the following year, Blanchard attempted to solve the problem by means of beating wings and a rudder.  The concept of the airscrew, known to the Chinese for centuries, appeared in Europe around this time, but it would be necessary to await the birth of a suitable engine. 
    In 1852, Henri Giffard made a trial voyage in a tapered balloon propelled by a three-horsepower steam engine.  This dirigible, which moved at some 10 KMH, proved itself somewhat responsive to the rudder, but was unable to return to the starting point (a classic maneuverability test), due to any stray wind it should happen to encounter. 
    On August 9, 1884, French captains Charles Renard and Arthur Krebs achieved the first substantial flight in a closed circuit (7. 6 kilometers) at Calais with their dirigible La France, fitted with a 9 horsepower electric engine fed by tubular chloro-chromic batteries.  As a result of this feat, La France is considered to be the first true dirigible in history, in spite of its electric motor, which had no future.  La France's gondola and propeller are preserved in the Musée de l'Air at Meudon (Paris).  The fact of the matter is that the shape of this early dirigible recalls some of the descriptions of the American "airships." 
    But if aeronautics was developing in Europe, then who was piloting the mysterious aircraft seen in the U.S.?  Also, some of the maneuverability details provided by airship witnesses were quite far removed from the clumsy designs of the European dirigibles. 
    Some witnesses, such as former senator W. Harris, managed to engage "airship occupants" in relaxed conversation (on April 22, 1897 in this instance) and even went aboard.  But their nationality was never made clear. 
    The behavior of these airships was similar to that of UFOs on many occasions.  Thus we have "abduction" episodes, landings, cattle theft, etc.  In 1892 H.G. Wells was inspired by this wave to write The War of the Worlds, the renowned book in which Martians invade the Earth. 
    Meanwhile, Jules Verne, always one step ahead of history, had published his novel Robur the Conqueror in 1886.  In this book, an ambitious character aimed to control the planet by means of curious aerial vehicles with propellers and cylindrical anchors, which resembled the craft which would be seen over American skies ten years later.  This work of fiction anticipated events to the extent that the design of the airship "Albatross" on the book cover was identical to some of the sketches which would appear in American newspapers a decade later, during the strange wave. 
    In a paragraph from this book, we have Robur the Conqueror saying: "My machine shall never be French, nor German, nor Austrian, nor Russian, nor British, nor American.  This invention is mine and I shall use it as I please.  With it, I shall be master of the whole world.  It is useless for humanity to resist me under any circumstances."
    A year after Jules Verne's death, his editor published a sequel, Master of the World, where airships play a critical role yet again. 
    I invite the reader to reflect upon this little known aspect of the UFO phenomenon, since those strange "airships" from the late 19th century were perhaps more closely related to our contemporary UFOs than we know. 

21st Century Aerostats

    Modern dirigible and aerostat designs bear little resemblance to the historic devices of Count von Zeppelin or the ill-fated Hindenburg.  The new airships, in many instances, rub shoulders with futuristic designs and technology not far removed from that of "flying saucers."
    The Revista de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica published in its September 1985 issue an entire dossier on dirigibles.  This dossier contained some of the most innovative designs on record, with a variety of incredible shapes, all of them easily identifiable as UFOs. 
    Naturally, all those designs form part of hybrid dirigibles, which manage to remain airborne by the combined use of aerostatic and aerodynamic pressure.  Vehicles which underwent little or no development in the past (as far as we know) have currently emerged as a new concept with a promising future.  They combine dirigible technologies with others, such as rotating wing vehicles (autogiros, etc.). 
    The basic role played by these hybrid vehicles would be to cover the requirement of lifting and transporting large loads, including to places lacking a support infrastructure on the ground, at a reasonable cost and with no need of special support.  Short-term development studies foresee lift/load capabilities of over 150 metric tons--weights far beyond the ability of helicopters to handle, and unreasonably costly for these due to their refueling limitations. 
    Studies undertaken by NASA and Goodyear Aerospace have indicated mean savings of about 45% in the total cost of a number of construction projects through the use of cargo lifting and transportation systems belonging to the hybrid dirigible class. 
    Programs aimed at achieving the full operational capacity of these vehicles have been undertaken since 1980 in the U.S., Canada (the "Cyclocrane", patented by D.C. Associates), France (the "Helicostat," under the supervision of ONERA and SNAIS), and Japan (programs contracted by the Ministry of International Markets and Industry), etc.  Some South American nations have also evinced an interest in this kind of vehicle. 
    A type of mission in which the "hybrids" compete with the modern conventional dirigibles is in the ferrying of cargo or passengers to hard-to-reach areas.  These vehicles can make use of aerostatic or aerodynamic support, and the rotors adopt lenticular or discoidal shapes to provide this increased support. 
    Based on economic analysis studies promoted by the Canadian Ministry of Transportation, it seems that huge savings in transportation to remote areas could be obtained through the use of hybrid VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) vehicles.  These savings could be considerably increased, since the building of highways and/or railways would no longer be necessary, nor would their rebuilding if they should be damaged by climatological or other causes.  In this way, the costs created by having to overcome natural obstacles (such as rivers and canyons) would be eliminated, since no time would be wasted in unloading men and equipment.  The available working season would thus be extended in spite of snow, rain, etc. 
    To cover the kind of mission mentioned above, a number of studies have been undertaken, mostly in the United Kingdom (large metal-covered dirigibles 130,000 m3 in size with elliptical hulls), and Japan (transportation of power-generating equipment to hard-to-reach areas in the islands, supplying the populations found on the numerous islets, etc.)  Some African and South American nations--particularly Brazil--have taken an interest in this kind of application, although the results of their studies have not become widely known. 
    The economic and tactical possibilities of hybrid dirigibles will grant them in the future--maybe even now--a major aeronautical role.  But, as is customary, the veil of silence which enshrouds the most state-of-the-art experiments keeps us from learning about the current situation. 
    Nonetheless, we are aware that some dirigibles are genuine flying saucers, and that airships with a futuristic design can be considered true "earthly UFOs," such as the Vanguard Donut, the Havill Parawing, the All-American Aerocrane, and others. 
    The dossier on dirigibles put out by the official magazine of the Spanish Air Force which I mentioned earlier, included a photo of one of these innovative hybrid dirigibles.  It is a Van Dusen design from Canada.  The photo shows a spherical body resting upon a gondola which houses the controls, cargo and fuel.  The sphere, filled with helium, can rotate on its axis, producing an added elevating force through the well-known Magnus effect, thus augmenting its airborne capability.  The engines mounted on the ends of the rotational axis can spin from 0 to 90 to provide thrust during take-off.  This is the classic VTOL hybrid, and I can assure the reader that any observer making a casual sighting of Van Dusen's dirigible would think it far removed from any conventional terrestrial vehicle. 
    The Revista de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica published in 1981 a news item that went largely unnoticed by most ufologists (with exceptions, such as the late Andreas Faber Kaiser).  It concerned the approval given by a British company to the Thermo Skyship project in February 1980. 
    The Thermo Skyship is a hybrid dirigible with VTOL capability in the shape of a perfect flying saucer.  Using liquid hydrogen for its fuel, the airship is covered in carbon fibers and uses helium (due to its light weight) to enable its lifting force. 
    The same issue of the magazine stated that in August of that year, flight testing of a new flying machine resembling a discoidal UFO had taken place at Edwards Air Force base in California by the NASA Research Center.  The device transformed solar power into electricity, which would in turn power a small propeller installed in the vehicle's tail, thus eliminating intermediary batteries. 

A Gallery of Earthly UFOs
    The list of strange aeronautical artifacts which could be confused with UFOs is practically endless. 
    Who hasn't heard about eccentric millionaire Malcolm Forbes? His passion for the subject made him build balloons and aerostats in the most dissimilar shapes year after year.  From the Kinkakuji Temple to Columbus's caravelle the Santa María, Forbes' balloons have adopted the most capricious shapes.  And, of course, he has also built balloons in the shape of a flying saucer, complete with a smiling alien looking out of a porthole. 
    As far as military technology is concerned, there are numerous unmanned vehicles used for surveillance or espionage which have adopted evocative shapes.  An account of all of them, however, would be much too long. 
    Nonetheless, there exist other kinds of UFOs capable of executing strange maneuvers, achieving breathtaking speeds, and with a more or less triangular appearance, which have been observed by qualified witnesses all around the planet.  Many of these craft are directly linked to secret military technology. 

[Translation ©1995, 2026 Scott Corrales. Extracted from the book “OVNIS y Pilotos” by Manuel Carballal]

Fabio Zerpa: The Balvidares Case (1973)

 

 The Balvidares Case

Location:    Rural area, Leandro N. Alem District (Buenos Aires Province, bordering the General Pinto District)
Date:    October 29, 1973
Time:    Between 5:00 PM and 6:55 PM
Investigation:    Professor Omar Demattei, Fabio Zerpa, and ONIFE (Junín)

On Monday, October 29, 1973, Mr. Carlos A. Balvidares (43)—accompanied by one of his nine children, 12-year-old Manuel—left home as he did every day to head to the farm owned by Mr. Jorge Urricarriet, located 25 km to the northeast, where he worked as the foreman.
In the mid-afternoon, Balvidares spotted three beings floating above the water next to a windmill on the property, without disturbing the water's surface; they appeared to be suspended in mid-air, with their backs turned toward him. The witness approached to within 80 meters of these strange entities—two "men" and one "woman"—and began calling out to them. The beings looked back and immediately vanished, only to reappear on the opposite bank of the lagoon, about 300 meters away. It is worth noting that the witness could not explain the method of their instantaneous movement from the initial sighting spot to the second location. Balvidares checked his watch: it was 5:20 PM.
The "woman" appeared to be between 1.60 and 1.65 meters tall. She was dressed entirely in black; her hair was also black (movement revealed it to be long), and she wore white boots that ended in a sort of fin-like structure that flared out to the sides like a fan. The "men" were slightly shorter than the "woman," a difference that was particularly noticeable when the three of them stood together. They were exactly the same height; they appeared naked—looking as if their bodies were slicked with oil or gel—and had a complexion resembling sun-tanned human skin. The witness did not rule out the possibility that the "men" were wearing tight-fitting, one-piece suits. The "men" had blond hair that also appeared slicked back; all three were notable for their fair complexions, broad foreheads, and small noses, and they moved with their arms and legs held close to their bodies.
Upon spotting them again, Balvidares also observed—in the same area where the entities were located, 20 meters from the power lines and resting on the ground—an extremely powerful light. It emanated from a rectangular object approximately 5 to 6 meters wide and 2 to 3 meters high. A beam of light about 40 cm in diameter (comparable to a movie projector beam in the dark) shot from the center of the object, reaching his position and blinding him while generating a sensation of heat. Balvidares, intent on making contact with the strange beings, mounted his horse and rode into the lagoon—which was full of water at the time—heading toward where the entities stood. However, as he advanced, the beings tried to move away, specifically toward the UFO. The witness managed to cover only half the distance (getting to within approximately 150 meters of the entities) before an invisible barrier prevented him from going further. His horse refused to obey him, despite his strenuous efforts to make it keep moving. Faced with this situation, Balvidares turned back and resumed drinking *mate*, while the beings engaged in strange behavior 30 or 40 meters from the craft.
Keeping their arms close to their bodies and their legs together, they moved from place to place with small hops. The "woman" appeared to be directing the other two beings; ...was always in the lead, and whenever it raised an arm (barely moving it away from its body), one of the "men" would move about 30 meters away, stop, and immediately communicate with the other two using a strange language—a sort of screeching sound, like a poorly tuned radio—which could be heard clearly despite the light wind.
Then, all three would crouch down (appearing as though they were making marks on the ground) and adopt a series of other strange postures that were unintelligible to the witness.
Something caught Balvidares's attention: a sow confined in a nearby pen jumped over the enclosure in an unusual manner and fled the scene. It was then that the witness suddenly smelled sulfur. Immediately, a sort of drowsiness or stupor overcame him for a few moments; when he recovered, neither the beings nor the light—which had held his attention across an arc of more than 90 degrees—were visible anymore.
It was exactly 6:55 PM. From that day on, neither the sow that had been in the pen when the UFO beings retreated (at the moment the witness smelled the sulfur) nor the sheep usually kept there would enter the enclosure, despite Balvidares's efforts.

Connection to the Llanca case

It is evident that the Balvidares case, which occurred on October 29, 1973, is closely linked to the incident involving truck driver Dionisio Llanca in Bahía Blanca one day earlier—specifically, in the early hours of October 28, 1973.
The two cases share several common features: there were three strange beings—two blond "men" and one "woman" (who was blond in the Llanca case but had black hair in the Balvidares incident). In both instances, the entities communicated using a peculiar language—a sort of screeching sound resembling a poorly tuned radio. Another detail: in both cases, the beings were described as having broad foreheads.
The possibility that Balvidares drew inspiration from the Llanca case to recount his own story can be ruled out; although his encounter took place on Monday, October 29—the day after the Bahía Blanca incident—Dionisio Llanca did not recall the events until Tuesday, the 30th. By the night of Monday the 29th, Balvidares had already shared his account with several people. Significantly, Mr. Carlos Balvidares always described what he had seen in the exact same way.

[Source: Ellos- Los Seres Extraterrestres by Fabio Zerpa. The late Mr. Zerpa was one of Argentina's most influential UFO researchers, with extensive writings and televised and public appearances]

Angel Carretero: A Teleportation Near Seville...Or Something Else?

 

 

Angel Carretero: A Teleportation Near Seville...Or Something Else?

THE TELEPORTATION AND/OR ABDUCTION PHENOMENON INVOLVING INDUSTRIAL EXPERT PEDRO OLIVA RAMÍREZ, WHICH OCCURRED IN ALCALÁ DE GUADAÍRA (SEVILLE) STARTING AT 11:25 PM ON NOVEMBER 9, 1986

On November 9, 1986, at approximately 11:15 PM, Industrial Expert Pedro Oliva Ramírez was driving his vehicle from Seville to Alcalá de Guadaira—the town where he maintained his temporary residence.

During the initial leg of his journey, nothing noteworthy occurred; however, after rounding a bend, he suddenly found himself traveling along a road featuring three lanes—each of double width—running in both directions. The road was perfectly straight, and, taken aback, he began to pay close attention to his surroundings, which were entirely unfamiliar to him. To his left, at a distance of about one hundred meters, he observed a flat expanse approximately four hundred meters in length, along which stood a row of five or six industrial facilities. These structures were fully illuminated and reached a height of roughly eighty meters.

An identical phenomenon presented itself to his right, though in this instance, the structures were residential apartment buildings, each rising to a height of about twenty stories. Along the shoulders of the road—on both his left and right—grew a dense, lush grass standing approximately 70 centimeters tall.

After observing this anomaly in the landscape, he felt a sensation of heat pervading his vehicle and heard a chorus of distant voices. Several meters ahead of his car, there appeared to be something resembling a large soccer goalpost; it remained unclear whether or not he actually passed through it. One of the voices confirmed to him that he had been transported—by extraterrestrial beings—to a different country located in another hemisphere.

He continued driving along this road for one hour before pulling over to a stop. While stopped, he was overtaken in the third lane by several large automobiles—resembling vintage Cadillacs—painted in shades of white or beige, and bearing dark, narrow license plates. He then exited his vehicle and walked along the roadside for fifteen minutes, examining the fine grass illuminated by his car's headlights. He also observes the passing of other vehicles at a frequency—or interval—of eight minutes between each one. He returns to his car and continues driving for another hour; then he stops, gets out again, and walks around for another quarter of an hour.


He resumes his journey and spots a turnoff to his right—completely unmarked. The road is narrow and patched; he drives along it for half an hour until he comes across a triple signpost reading: MALAGA in one direction, SEVILLA in another, and ALCABALA in the third.

He takes the turnoff toward Seville, and—without knowing why—he comes to a halt; looking to his left, he finds himself standing right in front of his own house in Alcalá de Guadaira.

Frustrated, he decides to retrace his steps and look for the junction, but he cannot find it—nor the triple signpost, nor the road with three lanes in each direction. He goes on to state that he typically covered the route between Seville and Alcalá de Guadaira in about half an hour; on this occasion, however, he took three hours and five minutes—consuming an amount of fuel equivalent to a distance of just over two hundred kilometers.


COMMENTS

José Ruesga Montiel offers an initial assessment, allowing us to reproduce here three points that are worth bearing in mind and which speak for themselves:

“...Given the sheer volume of experiences he recounts—and the outlandish nature of many of them—I am inclined to believe that this man is not, or was not, entirely sound of mind. Hearing whispering voices is a symptom of schizophrenia...”

“...If he truly shared his experiences with his boss, and the boss subsequently granted him two or three days of leave, this suggests that his mental health was indeed precarious—and that his superiors were well aware of this fact. I have never encountered a single instance where a boss granted an employee leave specifically because of a UFO encounter; such an action denotes a degree of indulgence typically reserved for someone who recognizes that their interlocutor is in poor health...”

“...In any case, interspersed within these accounts are objective facts—claims asserting that other individuals, such as his own wife, served as witnesses. It would be a simple matter to verify whether these claims are true, or if they were merely fabricated to lend credibility to his stories. If there is any basis in reality to these phenomena, those other witnesses would be able to corroborate it...”

Panama: A UFO Impact in Villa Lourdes?

 

Source: Panamá America

Date: 06.15.2000

Panama: A UFO Impact in Villa Lourdes?

An Investigation into an Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon in Villa Lourdes, Panama

Introduction

Residents of the corregimiento (district) of Villa Lourdes, situated in the province of Los Santos, have reported witnessing an unidentified object. Accounts suggest that this object descended from the sky, impacted the ground, and subsequently re-ascended. The incident reportedly left behind distinct geometric impressions in the earth, specifically a triangular formation with apertures at each vertex and eight radial fissures extending from the central impact point.

Evidence

The site of the alleged impact, located within a pasture owned by the Gutiérrez-Castro family in Villa Lourdes, was reportedly observed in the early hours of Monday, June 5. This particular area of the pasture is notably devoid of vegetation. The impact created a circular depression approximately three inches in depth, with a diameter comparable to the lid of a 55-gallon oil drum.

As of the current date, the Gutiérrez-Castro family estimates that approximately one thousand individuals have visited the site.

Phenomenological Observations

At the epicenter of the circular depression, three distinct holes form a precise triangular configuration. Each vertex of this triangle contains an aperture approximately the size of a soda bottle, suggesting a uniform method of creation. The depth of these holes exceeds one meter, a measurement corroborated by the insertion of a metal rod.

Furthermore, eight cracks radiate outward from the central circle across the ground. While currently visible, these fissures are susceptible to degradation due to the significant foot traffic at the site. Measurements indicate a proportionally uniform spacing between each of the eight radial cracks.

It is important to note that ongoing heavy rainfall in the region poses a threat to the preservation of this physical evidence. Nevertheless, the Gutiérrez-Castro family and their neighbors uniformly attest to the presence of an ash-like substance within the circular depression and the triangular holes.

Eyewitness Accounts

Ms. Otilia Saldaña, residing approximately 800 meters from the impact site, reported being awakened by a profoundly loud noise, which she described as a“massive roar.” She likened the sound to an aircraft experiencing mechanical failure, noting that it commenced softly, intensified, and persisted for approximately five minutes.

Ms. Saldaña further stated that she had never previously encountered such a distinct auditory phenomenon. She observed that the object emitted a luminous trail that illuminated the interior of her residence, and upon impact, the event caused vibrations in the roofs and windows of nearby structures.

Ms. Faustina Castro de Gutiérrez recounted that during the early hours of Monday morning, while staying at her in-laws' residence, she was awake around midnight and observed rainfall. She described hearing a “humming sound” emanating from a distance, which progressively amplified. She estimated the duration of this noise to be approximately 15 minutes, culminating in a “terrifying roar” akin to a “clap of thunder.”

Ms. Castro de Gutiérrez added that the object's impact was accompanied by a flash of light that illuminated the surroundings, coinciding with the aforementioned massive roar. Subsequently, the sound appeared to recede until it was no longer audible. She noted that her husband discovered the physical evidence of the phenomenon the following day, observing a denuded patch of earth within the otherwise verdant pasture. Initially, he hypothesized that the disturbance was caused by two bulls engaging in a territorial dispute, given the appearance of churned soil.

Mr. Eusebio Saldaña, who was located in the district of La Espigadilla, approximately 25 kilometers from the incident site, reported hearing an “unusual thunderclap” and a sound that seemed to traverse the entire sky during the early morning hours.

Similarly, Ms. Juventina de García, situated in Macaracas, approximately 25 to 30 kilometers distant, also perceived the humming sound, the roar, and the illumination associated with the event. Ms. de García, daughter of the landowners where the incident occurred, expressed her initial concern regarding the safety of her home.

Mr. Valerio Samaniego stated, “The first thing I thought was that a bomb had exploded at the site; that wasn't thunder—it was like a bomb.” He further emphasized that the powerful impact generated an echo that persisted for several seconds, followed by the perception of the noise ascending, suggesting that the fallen object had subsequently departed.

Since this occurrence, local residents have maintained a heightened state of vigilance, anticipating further developments related to the impact of the unidentified object.

[Translation ©2026 S. Corrales, IHU with thanks to Panamá América]