First-hand account from 1931 of one of the world's leading aviation pioneers, Sir Francis Chichester, describing an unexplained craft flying next to him during his inaugural flight from New Zealand to Australia.

Original 1954 footage of BOAC Boeing UFO sighting by Captain James Howard

In 1954, a British Overseas Airways Corporation Stratocruiser was flying between New York and London when it encountered a large, shape-changing UFO surrounded by smaller objects off the left wing while over Labrador, Canada.

At a refueling stop, the crew was questioned by members of the US Air Force, and the encounter became a media sensation.

Captain James R. Howard, a former RAF pilot, claimed that the strange formation of objects had followed his aircraft for 130 kilometers (80 mi). Apparently, the objects were also tracked on radar at the USAF Cartwright Air Station in Labrador.

Howard gave this report to the British magazine Everybody’s Weekly: It wasn’t exactly a flying saucer. What I saw . . . was more of a flying arrow I guess you’d have called it at one stage.

It seemed to keep changing its shape as it flew beside me …much like a jellyfish assumes varying patterns as it swims through the water. Or maybe the apparent changes in shape were due to the different angles we viewed it from as it banked and turned.

Whatever it was — a giant flying wing, jellyfish, or saucer — of these things I’m quite certain: It wasn’t a trick of light or a figment of the imagination. It wasn’t any sort of electrical, magnetic, or natural phenomenon. And it certainly wasn’t a mirage.

In the first original footage, Captain James Howard describes the UFO sighting he had in 1954 as a pilot for BOAC. Many years later (second footage), he reflects on his sighting of 1954.

Click on images for videos

Source: http://ufosightingshotspot.blogspot.ca/2015/12/original-1954-footage-of-boac-boeing.html

"This thing had to be going double-digit mach making turns that I didn't think were possible, breaking all the rules of physics. The man that visited me later told me in no uncertain terms to keep quiet. He told me I would lose my pilot's license and it would be the end of my flying days, so for 30 years I've said nothing."

"An object 'like an oblong pearl' drew steadily closer until perhaps a mile away when, right under my gaze as it were, it suddenly vanished. . . .But it reappeared close to where it had vanished. . . .It drew closer. I could see the dull gleam of light on nose and back. It came on, but instead of increasing in size, it diminished as it approached! When quite near, it suddenly became its own ghost. For one second, I could see clear through it and the next. . .it had vanished."

Sir Francis Chichester -June 10, 1931 , flying in the Gypsy Moth over the Tasman Sea.

"It is impossible for any man-made machine to make a sudden appearance in front of a jumbo jet that is flying 910 kilometers per hour and to remain in steady formation paralleling our aircraft. ... Honestly, we were simply breathtaken."

Japan Airlines pilot Kenju Terauchi in 1986.

"Headquarters wouldn't let us go after it and we played around a little bit. We got to watching how it made 90 degree turns at this high speed and everything. We knew it wasn't a missile of any type, so then we confirmed it with the radar control station, and they kept following it, and then it crashed somewhere off between Texas and the Mexico border."

Colonel Robert Willingham, USAF from an Sworn Affidavit in the 1970's when discussing a sighting of a UFO whilst he was navigating an F94 jet on September 6th, 1950.

"It appears to be a metallic object...tremendous in size, directly ahead and slightly above. I am trying to close for a better look."

Captain Thomas Mantell, USAF, 1948. Last words.

"From their maneuvers and their terrific speed I am certain their flight performance was greater than any aircraft known today".

Colonel Carl Sanderson, USAF, commenting on his sighting of two circular silver UFOs in close proximity to his plane over Hermanas, New Mexico. The UFOs were said to make a series of seemingly impossible maneuvers before disappearing at an astonishing speed and showing up again over El Paso, Texas.

"We had many adventures flying under primitive conditions in the frozen north, but none compared with this." "I looked back and saw something that didn't make sense," "It was nothing like flying machines of that period," "It was hexagonal, flat, and seemingly made of aluminum or some other metal, with no breaks in the surface and no rivets." "At the time, I had a spooky feeling. I can't explain it. It was as if I 'felt' the presence of whoever was inside that craft --and the feeling was hostile."

Lieutenant Colonel Peter Grunnet-Royal Danish Air force, describing incident in H. E. 8 seaplane over Greenland, 1932.

"I don't know whether this story has ever been told or not. They weren't called UFOs. They were called enemy helicopters. And they were only seen at night and they were only seen in certain places. They were seen up around the DMZ in the early summer of '68. And this resulted in quite a little battle. And in the course of this, an Australian destroyer took a hit and we never found any enemy, we only found ourselves when this had all been sorted out. And this caused some shooting there, and there was no enemy at all involved but we always reacted. Always after dark. The same thing happened up at Pleiku at the Highlands in '69."

USAF Chief of Staff General George S. Brown
DoD Transcript of Press Conference in Illinois (10/16/1973).

"Based on my experience in fighter tactics, it is my opinion that the object was controlled by something having visual contact with us. The power and acceleration were beyond the capability of any known U.S. aircraft".

F-94 pilot, after encountering a UFO, 1952.

"As we approached this glow it turned to a monstrous circle of white lights on the water. Then we saw a yellow halo, small, much smaller than whatever it was launched from, about 15 miles away. As the UFO approached my plane and flew alongside it, we could see the domed craft which had a corona discharge."

Commander Graham Bethune, U.S. Navy - sighting from military flying from Iceland to Newfoundland, February 10, 1951.

"Pilot of helicopters wished to stress fact that object was of a saucer like nature, was stationary at 2000 ft. And would be glad to be called upon to verify any statements and act as witness".

Emergency Report from Maxwell Air Force Base on air space violation by UFO, 1954.

"It was made and flown by intelligent beings."

Major Shiro Kubuta, of Japan's Air Self-Defence Force (I think). Kubuta and his pilot, Lt. Colonel Toshio Nakamura, were scrambled in an F-4EJ to intercept what they were told was a Soviet Bomber. Once airborne, they were informed that their target was actually a UFO which had been sighted by ground and was being tracked on radar. When they closed upon the red, disk-like UFO, it began to manoeuvre around the plane, causing Nakamura to take evasive action.

"[Object] described as flat on top and bottom and appearing from a front view to have round edges and slightly beveled ... No vapor trails or exhaust or visible means of propulsion. Described as traveling at tremendous speed.... Pilot considered by associates to be highly reliable, of mature judgment and a creditable observer".

Air Force intelligence report, following UFO sighting by F-51 pilot, 1951

"There was something definite in the sky...If it had proved to be hostile we would have destroyed it."

Major Gerald Smith, USAF -- One of the F-106 pilots scrambled under orders from NORAD (North American Air Defense Command) to investigate a UFO over West Palm Beach, Florida on September 14, 1972. The UFO was viewed through binoculars by the FAA supervisor, George Morales, sighted by an Eastern Airlines captain, police and several civilians, as well.

"Suddenly, the lights went out. There appeared a yellow halo on the water. It turned to an orange, to a fiery red, and then started movement toward us at a fantastic speed, turning to a bluish red around the perimeter. Due to its high speed, its direction of travel, and its size, it looked as though we were going to be engulfed. It stopped its movement toward us and began moving along with us about 45 degrees off the bow to the right, about 100 feet or so below us and about 200 to 300 feet in front of us. It was not in a level position; it was tilted about 25 degrees. It stayed in this position for a minute or so. It appeared to be from 200 to 300 feet in diameter, translucent or metallic, shaped like a saucer, a purple-red fiery ring around the perimeter and a frosted white glow around the entire object. The purple-red glow around the perimeter was the same type of glow you get around the commutator of an auto generator when you observe it at night."

Captain, crew members and passengers on a Navy R5D aircraft witness UFO whilst flying over the North Atlantic ocean, February 8, 1951.

"I was the pilot of the plane when we saw the UFO. Also on board were Governor Reagan and a couple of his security people. We were flying a Cessna Citation. It was maybe 9 or 10 o'clock at night. We were near Bakersfield, California when Governor Reagan and the others called my attention to a big light flying a bit behind my plane. It appeared to be several hundred yards away. It was a fairly steady light until it began to accelerate, then it appeared to elongate. Then the light took off. It went up at a 45-degree angle-at a high rate of speed. Everyone on the plane was surprised. Governor Reagan expressed amazement. I told the others I didn't know what it was...The UFO went from a normal cruise speed to a fantastic speed instantly...If you give an airplane power, it will accelerate - but not like a hot rod, and that's what this was like."