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The cases that follow have been extracted from a larger sample where luminosity or power output data could be obtained. We have excluded some extreme cases (such as the Tunguska explosion of 1908 in Siberia) and all cases involving a single observer, leaving six adequately documented and researched incidents with multiple witnesses. In cases no. 2 and 3 the primary witnesses are known to the author, who has interviewed them personally. In case no. 4 the author has visited the site. In other cases we rely on the data assembled by qualified investigators, all of whom are known to us.2
Case no. 1: August 27, 1956. McCleod, Alberta (Canada) --
Classification: MA-13
The witnesses in this MA-1 case are Royal Canadian Air Force pilots who were flying in a formation of four F-86 Sabre jet aircraft (Figure 1). The planes were flying at 36,000 ft (about 11 km), headed due west over the Canadian Rockies, about an hour before sunset.4 As they were approaching a large thunderhead R. J. Childerhose, the pilot in the second position (left side of the formation) saw a "bright light which was sharply defined and disc-shaped" or "like a shiny silver dollar sitting horizontal," far below the planes but above the lower layer of clouds. It appeared to be "considerably brighter than the sunlight." (Figure 2.)
Sighting duration was variously quoted at 45 seconds (Klass, 1968) to three minutes. The pilot reported the observation to the flight leader, then took a photograph of it. That photograph, a Kodachrome color slide, was subsequently analyzed by Dr. Bruce Maccabee who considered the hypotheses that the object was a cloud, a plasma phenomenon, or ball lightning (kugelblitz). We refer the reader to his detailed study5 while presenting here only a summary of his arguments.
The cloud hypothesis was contradicted by two facts, namely the equal brightness of the object on both sides as opposed to the darker appearance of clouds away from the sunlight, and the fact that portions of the object were brighter than the brightest clouds.
The plasma or ball lightning hypothesis has been mentioned by Klass (Klass, 1968) and by Altschuler (Altschuler, 1968). It is contradicted by the radiance of the object and the duration of the observation. Maccabee derives
2The author is particularly indebted to Dr. Claude Poher, Dr. Bruce Maccabee, Dr. Illobrand von Ludwiger and Mr. Jean-Jacques Velasco who made investigation reports available for this study.
3The classification scheme (e.g. MA-1) was presented in a previous paper by Vallee.
4R. J. Childerhose: Affidavit written in May 1958, and private communication to Dr. B. Maccabee.
5Maccabee, Bruce. "Optical Power Output of an Unidentified High Altitude Light Source." Private communication.
