2007 Alderney UFO sighting
Encyclopedia
On April 23, 2007, captain Ray BowyerRay Bowyer was a flight calibration pilot before qualifying as airline pilot, accumulating 7,000 flight hours by 2010. He flew for eight airlines before serving as line captain for Aurigny Air Services. See Kean, 2010, p. 297 was flying a routine passenger flight for the civilian airliner Aurigny Air Services
, when he and his passengers gained progressively clearer views of two UFOs during a 12 to 15 minute period. Bowyer had 18 years of flying experience, and the 45 minute flight was one that he had completed every working day for more than 8 years.
Their 80 miles journey of 45 minutes took them from Southampton
on the southern coast of England
, southwestwards to Alderney
, being 10 miles from France, and the northernmost of the Channel Islands
. Their particular flight path had them converging on two enormous, seemingly stationary and identical airborne craft, which emanated brilliant yellow light.
A pilot of a plane near Sark
, some 25 miles to the south, confirmed the presence, general position and altitude of the first object from the opposite direction. Radar traces also seemed to register the presence of an object, which Ray Bowyer believed to be correlated with the position and time of the sighting. A study by David ClarkeDavid Clarke (Ph.D. Folklore) is a lecturer on journalism and consultant to the UK National Archives on their UFO file releases. See Alejandro Rojas, 2011, Credible UFO sighting by pilots and crew in new UK files however, could not establish a definite link, as the radar reflections of passenger ferries may have affected at least some of the readings.
The passengers of flight A-Line 544 departed in a BN2a Mk3 Trislander
aircraft at 2:00 PM in fine weather with good visibility. They rose to an altitude of 4000 ft (1,219.2 m) and were cruising on autopilot about 10 miles south of the Isle of Wight
, when captain Bowyer was doing paper work and looking out for other aircraft. At this point he noticed, exactly in the direction of Guernsey
, i.e. southwest and twelve o'clock ahead, what appeared to be a brilliant yellow lamp or light. He considered that it might be an aeroplane, or alternatively, reflections from the ground, as Guernsey was immediately behind it. The reflection of the sun off a greenhouse was a possibility, but surprisingly, for a minute and then a couple of minutes, the apparition continued.
He concluded that it was not a reflection but an emission of light. With his binoculars, always at hand, he could make out a definite shape. The object was pointed at each end, and the horizontal to vertical dimensions of its body were in a ratio of about 15:1.cf. 20:1 ratio in Kenneth Arnold's objects of 1947 It was brilliant yellow, with a dark grey band enveloping it 1/3 from the right, like a band around a cigar. With his 10x magnification binoculars, he could make out that it bore no relation to a normal aeroplane. He took his glasses off to exclude the possibility of a reflection from behind.
His reaction was to make contact with Jersey ATC
to confirm or exclude the possibility of traffic heading his way. Paul Kelly at Jersey ATC denied the presence of traffic in the said position, but could pick up a faint primary return radar signal, i.e. a signal without the additional transponder return. His instruments were however set to detect only moving objects.
A passenger behind the captain confirmed what he was seeing, and pointed out a second similar craft, immediately behind the first: "Upon nearing the object, a second identical shape appeared beyond the first. Both objects were of a flattened disk shape, with a dark area to [their] right. They were brilliant yellow, with light emanating from within, and I estimated them to be up to possibly a mile across." Jersey ATC was now able to get confirmation from the pilot of Blue Island Air, who at 25 miles to the south, also had visual contact with one object.
Captain Bowyer relates: "This [was] a big object in the sky, a very, very big object. I did not want to be too close to it and it was at that time that we had to descend to land. We descended through the 2000 ft (609.6 m) haze layer and lost sight of it." ... On Guernsey he related: "There was no hiding it, they were just there. I wasn’t too happy. I was quite glad to get on the ground ... and have a cup of tea."
Captain Bowyer produced drawings of the two objects in his CAA Air Safety Report of April 23, 2007, and again in October 2007.
"Good morning everybody. Thank you for coming this morning. My name is Ray Bowyer and I fly a civilian airliner, as captain. I’ve been invited here, due to my sighting last April of multiple, as yet unidentified objects, over the Channel Islands region of the English Channel
. This encounter lasted for fifteen minutes, and the first object being visible from 55 miles distance. On nearing the object a second identical shape appeared beyond the first. Both objects were of a flattened disk shape with a dark area to [their] right. They were brilliant yellow, with light emanating from within, and I estimated them to be up to possibly a mile across. I found myself astounded but curious, but at 12 miles distance these objects were becoming uncomfortably large, and I was glad to descend and land the aircraft. Many of my passengers saw the objects as did the pilots of another aircraft, 25 miles further south. There is also possible radar information still being investigated. A team headed by Dr. David Clarke
looking at this case, will shortly […] publish a report but I understand that at this time no definitive solution has been discovered to explain the sighting as yet."
"I’ve taken note of some of the differences between the British and the U.S. reporting system. It appears that attitudes on opposite sides of the Atlantic, are very different when it comes to the required reporting and recording of this type of event. Air Law
stipulates quite clearly that if an operating crew of an aircraft see another aircraft at a place that it shouldn’t be, then at the earliest opportunity the whole scenario is to be reported to the relevant authorities.
In my case the British Civil Aviation Authority knew within 20 minutes of the sighting, what was seen, as described in a flight log, and faxed directly to the relevant CAA office. The military were informed by Jersey Air Traffic Control at the same time. This is not an option. This is an obligation that crews react in this manner. In my experience, having reported the experience as required, has had no negative effect, and there was no problem with me talking about this on British television. Indeed, my company, Aurigny Air Services, have offered every support to [date]. The assistance of Jersey Air Traffic Control in releasing recorded information between myself, and the […] investigating team, has been of great benefit. I did not feel that I was in any danger of being ridiculed, because all I did was to report what actually happened as was my duty as operating air crew.
I heard about the multiple witness sightings
at Chicago O’Hare Airport, about a year ago now, on November the 7th, 2006. I was surprised to hear how it was handled. Despite many pilots and airport personnel witnessing the object hovering over the terminal, there was no investigation at all by the FAA
. It appears as if pressure may have been applied to crew members by their company not to discuss this incident. I would have been shocked if I was told that the CAA in the UK would obstruct an investigation, or if the CAA told me that what I had seen was something entirely different. But it seems as if pilots in America are used to this sort of thing here.
I would urge all fellow air crew to report whatever they see as soon as possible and to stand up and be counted. It is only when crucial and critical witnesses such as air crew, make reports that authorities may be kick started to broader investigation of [these] phenomena. Thank you very much."
Aurigny Air Services
Aurigny Air Services was founded by Sir Derrick Bailey and started operations on 1 March 1968 after British United Airways withdrew the Alderney to Guernsey route...
, when he and his passengers gained progressively clearer views of two UFOs during a 12 to 15 minute period. Bowyer had 18 years of flying experience, and the 45 minute flight was one that he had completed every working day for more than 8 years.
Their 80 miles journey of 45 minutes took them from Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
on the southern coast of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, southwestwards to Alderney
Alderney
Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick...
, being 10 miles from France, and the northernmost of the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
. Their particular flight path had them converging on two enormous, seemingly stationary and identical airborne craft, which emanated brilliant yellow light.
A pilot of a plane near Sark
Sark
Sark is a small island in the Channel Islands in southwestern English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. It is a royal fief, geographically located in the Channel Islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of laws based on Norman law and its own parliament. It has a population...
, some 25 miles to the south, confirmed the presence, general position and altitude of the first object from the opposite direction. Radar traces also seemed to register the presence of an object, which Ray Bowyer believed to be correlated with the position and time of the sighting. A study by David ClarkeDavid Clarke (Ph.D. Folklore) is a lecturer on journalism and consultant to the UK National Archives on their UFO file releases. See Alejandro Rojas, 2011, Credible UFO sighting by pilots and crew in new UK files however, could not establish a definite link, as the radar reflections of passenger ferries may have affected at least some of the readings.
Observation
The April 23 observation was preceded, ten weeks earlier, by a sighting of an initial two, and a subsequent twenty to twenty five unexplained lights in formation over the northern extremity of Alderney's coastline. These were noticed at 6:15 AM on February 14 by builder Paul Gaudion.The passengers of flight A-Line 544 departed in a BN2a Mk3 Trislander
Britten-Norman Trislander
*LIAT*Montserrat Air Services*Air Queensland*Eagle Airways*Aero Services*Cayman Airways*TAVINA*Vision Air*Bali Int. Air Service*Trans Jamaican Airlines*Aero Cozumel*Great Barrier Airlines*Aero Taxi Intl*Aviones de Panama...
aircraft at 2:00 PM in fine weather with good visibility. They rose to an altitude of 4000 ft (1,219.2 m) and were cruising on autopilot about 10 miles south of the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, when captain Bowyer was doing paper work and looking out for other aircraft. At this point he noticed, exactly in the direction of Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, i.e. southwest and twelve o'clock ahead, what appeared to be a brilliant yellow lamp or light. He considered that it might be an aeroplane, or alternatively, reflections from the ground, as Guernsey was immediately behind it. The reflection of the sun off a greenhouse was a possibility, but surprisingly, for a minute and then a couple of minutes, the apparition continued.
He concluded that it was not a reflection but an emission of light. With his binoculars, always at hand, he could make out a definite shape. The object was pointed at each end, and the horizontal to vertical dimensions of its body were in a ratio of about 15:1.cf. 20:1 ratio in Kenneth Arnold's objects of 1947 It was brilliant yellow, with a dark grey band enveloping it 1/3 from the right, like a band around a cigar. With his 10x magnification binoculars, he could make out that it bore no relation to a normal aeroplane. He took his glasses off to exclude the possibility of a reflection from behind.
His reaction was to make contact with Jersey ATC
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
to confirm or exclude the possibility of traffic heading his way. Paul Kelly at Jersey ATC denied the presence of traffic in the said position, but could pick up a faint primary return radar signal, i.e. a signal without the additional transponder return. His instruments were however set to detect only moving objects.
A passenger behind the captain confirmed what he was seeing, and pointed out a second similar craft, immediately behind the first: "Upon nearing the object, a second identical shape appeared beyond the first. Both objects were of a flattened disk shape, with a dark area to [their] right. They were brilliant yellow, with light emanating from within, and I estimated them to be up to possibly a mile across." Jersey ATC was now able to get confirmation from the pilot of Blue Island Air, who at 25 miles to the south, also had visual contact with one object.
Captain Bowyer relates: "This [was] a big object in the sky, a very, very big object. I did not want to be too close to it and it was at that time that we had to descend to land. We descended through the 2000 ft (609.6 m) haze layer and lost sight of it." ... On Guernsey he related: "There was no hiding it, they were just there. I wasn’t too happy. I was quite glad to get on the ground ... and have a cup of tea."
Captain Bowyer produced drawings of the two objects in his CAA Air Safety Report of April 23, 2007, and again in October 2007.
| Excerpts of communication with Guernsey ATC | ||
|---|---|---|
| Speaker | Dialog | |
| 14:06 | [Object noticed. Jersey Control Zone contacted after some 3 minutes of binocular observation.] | |
| 14:09 | Capt. Bowyer, A-Line 544 | A-Line five four four. Guernsey |
| Paul Kelly at Guernsey Tower (Zone) | Five four four. Zone, pass message. | |
| 14:09:32 | A-Line 544 | Do you have any traffic, ah, can’t really say how far, but at my twelve o’clock, uh, level? Roger. |
| Guernsey Tower (Zone) | Uh, no known traffic at all in your twelve o’clock. | |
| A-Line 544 | I’ve got a very bright object, ah…h well, I couldn’t say how far. Extremely bright, yellow, orange object straight ahead, uh, very flat platform. Looking at it through binoculars as we speak. | |
| A-Line 544 | Five four four. Any more information on that aircraft please. | |
| Guernsey Tower (Zone) | Five four four. Negative, nothing at all in your twelve o'clock, uhm, for the next forty miles or so. | |
| Guernsey Tower (Zone) | Airline five four four, Roger. I do have a, uh, primary contact now, a very faint primary contact just to the left across your eleven o’clock at this time at a range of about four track miles. | |
| Guernsey Tower (Zone) | Ya, there is something ..., possibly your left, uh, ten o'clock, at a range of three miles this time. | |
| A-Line 544 | Roger, I’ve got a definite contact at my twelve o’clock, a very bright yellow object, looking, well, like a … cigar. | |
| 14:12:30 | [Captain Bowyer asks a passenger behind him to confirm the object. The passenger points out a second object, almost right behind the first.] | |
| 14:14:04 | A-Line 544 | Well, looking through binoculars as I am now, there’s a second one just appeared behind the first one from where I am. Roger five four four. Just confirming that all the passengers can see this … aircraft. Ah, I’ve got the island visual. It’s dead ahead, can’t say how far, probably five miles, but it’s staying the same size. Ah, looks to be off the north, north-northwest coast of Alderney. |
| A-Line 544 | I think they are possibly over, maybe to the west of Alderney. | |
| 14:14:23 | Guernsey Tower (Zone) | Roger. Uh..., I do have a primary contact, just one blob if you like, uh, eight miles or so to the west of Alderney. [i.e. Casquet islets area] |
| A-Line 544 | [Confirms that the radar return may correspond to the position of one of the objects.] | |
| 14:14:43 | Capt. Patrick Patterson, Blue Island Air | Guernsey Ground, this is eight three two. Zone asked us to look if we could see an object, which is ah, being seen by A-Line at the moment. We’ve got something at eight o’clock resembling the description. |
| Guernsey Tower (Zone) | Eight three two, Roger. What range would you estimate that target? | |
| Blue Island Air | Around about a similar range to Alderney to us now. | |
| A-Line 544 | The second one appears to be beyond the first from where I am. It's exactly the same, it's got a gap. It's a cylindrical ... object, very bright yellow, and there's a gap in the light about two thirds the way along it. | |
| Guernsey Tower (Zone) | Airline five four four, Roger. Would you like descent? | |
| A-Line 544 | Please, I had better go down. | |
| Guernsey Tower (Zone) | Airline five four four, Roger. Descend off to two thousand feet and QNH QNH QNH is one of the many Q codes. It is defined as, "barometric pressure adjusted to sea level." It is a pressure setting used by pilots, air traffic control , and low frequency weather beacons to refer to the barometric setting which, when set on an aircraft's altimeter, will cause the altimeter to... is one zero two one. |
|
| 14:16 | A-Line 544 | Two thousand feet, one zero two one. It’s very plain to see from where I am now, without any binoculars. |
| 14:18 | [Plane descends into haze layer and visual contact is lost.] | |
Sighting confirmation
Captain Ray Bowyer addressed the US National Press Club on November 12, 2007, and highlighted some details of the sighting."Good morning everybody. Thank you for coming this morning. My name is Ray Bowyer and I fly a civilian airliner, as captain. I’ve been invited here, due to my sighting last April of multiple, as yet unidentified objects, over the Channel Islands region of the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. This encounter lasted for fifteen minutes, and the first object being visible from 55 miles distance. On nearing the object a second identical shape appeared beyond the first. Both objects were of a flattened disk shape with a dark area to [their] right. They were brilliant yellow, with light emanating from within, and I estimated them to be up to possibly a mile across. I found myself astounded but curious, but at 12 miles distance these objects were becoming uncomfortably large, and I was glad to descend and land the aircraft. Many of my passengers saw the objects as did the pilots of another aircraft, 25 miles further south. There is also possible radar information still being investigated. A team headed by Dr. David Clarke
The UFO Files: The Inside Story of Real-Life Sightings
The UFO Files: The Inside Story of Real-Life Sightings, published by The National Archives in 2009, is an official history of British UFO reports.The author, David Clarke, is a senior lecturer in journalism at Sheffield Hallam University....
looking at this case, will shortly […] publish a report but I understand that at this time no definitive solution has been discovered to explain the sighting as yet."
Appeal for transparency
During the address he also highlighted a supposed secrecy and suppression of pilots' UFO sighting reports in the United States."I’ve taken note of some of the differences between the British and the U.S. reporting system. It appears that attitudes on opposite sides of the Atlantic, are very different when it comes to the required reporting and recording of this type of event. Air Law
Aviation law
Aviation law is the branch of law that concerns flight, air travel, and associated legal and business concerns. Some of its area of concern overlaps that of admiralty law and in many cases, aviation law is considered a matter of international law due to the nature of air travel. However, the...
stipulates quite clearly that if an operating crew of an aircraft see another aircraft at a place that it shouldn’t be, then at the earliest opportunity the whole scenario is to be reported to the relevant authorities.
In my case the British Civil Aviation Authority knew within 20 minutes of the sighting, what was seen, as described in a flight log, and faxed directly to the relevant CAA office. The military were informed by Jersey Air Traffic Control at the same time. This is not an option. This is an obligation that crews react in this manner. In my experience, having reported the experience as required, has had no negative effect, and there was no problem with me talking about this on British television. Indeed, my company, Aurigny Air Services, have offered every support to [date]. The assistance of Jersey Air Traffic Control in releasing recorded information between myself, and the […] investigating team, has been of great benefit. I did not feel that I was in any danger of being ridiculed, because all I did was to report what actually happened as was my duty as operating air crew.
I heard about the multiple witness sightings
2006 O'Hare International Airport UFO sighting
The Chicago O'Hare UFO sighting occurred on November 7, 2006, when people at Chicago O'Hare International Airport reported seeing a saucer or disc-shaped UFO.-The sighting:...
at Chicago O’Hare Airport, about a year ago now, on November the 7th, 2006. I was surprised to hear how it was handled. Despite many pilots and airport personnel witnessing the object hovering over the terminal, there was no investigation at all by the FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
. It appears as if pressure may have been applied to crew members by their company not to discuss this incident. I would have been shocked if I was told that the CAA in the UK would obstruct an investigation, or if the CAA told me that what I had seen was something entirely different. But it seems as if pilots in America are used to this sort of thing here.
I would urge all fellow air crew to report whatever they see as soon as possible and to stand up and be counted. It is only when crucial and critical witnesses such as air crew, make reports that authorities may be kick started to broader investigation of [these] phenomena. Thank you very much."