UFOs Sightings of Unexplained Flying Objects (UFOs) are increasing rapidly around the globe. We invite you to report sightings and experiences to N.O.P.R. Even the press coverage about UFO sightings are beginning to change. At one time any show that dealt with a UFO report would have the person reporting the sighting next to a "debunker" or skeptic. By the end of the broadcast the person making the claim would have been portrayed in a very negative light. Recent shows, such as Larry King Live,  have had the same "reporter" and "skeptic" format, but at the end of the show it is the skeptic who looks stubborn and closed minded and the claimant who looks logical and credible. Personally, we at N.O.P.R. look forward to a time when reports are equally balanced and unbiased. The majority of N.O.P.R.’s members are middle-aged or better. Most of us have experienced seeing "lights" in the sky that performed some very unusual maneuvers. These include flying in circles, suddenly shooting upwards at incredible speeds and/or suddenly flying backwards, also at incredible speeds. These experiences go back to the early 50's so we tend to rule out experimental military aircraft being tested in secret and satellites. The first artificial satellite was the Soviet Sputnik which was launched on October 4th, 1957,  and to date there are still no aircraft that can duplicate the way we saw those lights move. However, in every sense of the word these were simply unidentified flying objects. We’ve ruled out planets and stars as they tend to be more ‘stable’ and to move in a predictable fashion. So we explore reports with an open mind, but always questioning, always looking for explanations that can be proven. We will continue to share reports here. During active research we will NOT make all details public, so as to not unduly influence those reporting. The details will be published when we feel enough independent reports have consistent facts. At present N.O.P.R. is doing an ongoing research project with regards to encounters of the third kind. See our Research Projects section.   THE SUDBURY INCIDENT   These are the reports from November 11th, 1975. We are reporting them to the best of our ability and knowledge of events that evening. As always, we highly recommend doing your own research and forming your own opinions. Most of this information was obtained from "The Canadian UFO Report" by Rutkowski and Dittman. Official Reports obtained through Freedom of Information Act by researchers Fawcett and Greenwood: (reported in their book Clear Intent) On November 13 of 1975, NORAD issued the following press release of an incident near Sudbury, Ontario. At 4:05 pm, November11th, the Canadian Forces radar site at Falconbridge, Ontario reported a radar track of an unidentified flying object about 25-30 nautical miles south of the site, ranging in altitude from 25,000 to 72,000 feet. Persons at the site also saw the object said it appeared as a bright star but much closer. Two F-106 aircraft from the US Air Force National Guard’s 171st Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Selfridge ANGB, Michigan, were scrambled, but the pilots reported no contact with the object.   An entry in the NORAD regional senior director’s log read as follows:   "1205Z 11 November 1975 received unusual sighting report from Falconbridge AFS, Ontario, Canada. Info passed to NORAD Command Director, Intelligence and Weather." "184OZ 11 November 1975 Actions pertaining to scramble oj JL08 and 09 due to unusual object sighting. With Director of Operations approval. Scrambled JL08/09 at 1745Z, airborne at 175OZ. NORAD Combat Operations Center notified of Falconbridge AFS incident. Aircraft over Falconbridge flying over incident, point no sighting. 1831 aircraft still in area, no radar aircraft or visual contact. Falconbridge AFS still reporting object at 26,000 feet.   Fawcett and Greenwood also reported the following message sent by the commander-in-charge of NORAD to all NORAD units in North America that night:   "This morning, 11 Nov 1975, CFS Falconbridge reported search and height finder radar paints on an object up to 30 nautical miles south of the site ranging in altitude from 26,000 ft. to 72,000 ft. The site commander and other personnel say the object appeared as a bright star but much closer. With binoculars the object appeared to have craters around the outside."   From an ATC Log Book, classified as "SECRET" and obtained from the National Archives of Canada:   1108 CFB Falconbridge [illegible] called re: UFOover the base and also rep of UFO over OPP bldg downtown Sudbury. Brilliant color - like looking at Large gem with colored lights all around it.   and   1147 Maj. Oliver fm. Falconbridge called re: UFOs. Report is as follows: Time 1115Z - 1129Z - sighted 2 UFO brilliant lights - one at 200E fm. CFB Falconbridge, the other at 180E but much further away. Maj Oliver took 3 snapshots with Brownie camera (no results) as of this time. Other observers were Capt. Calson and Cpl Lawelenceson of CFB Falconbridge They observed the closet object through binoculars and object was rising vertically at tremendous speed - they had it on ht. Finder at two cuts of 44,000' and again at 72,000' - object circular - well lighted and what appeared as two black spots in the center.   Capt. Gordon Hilchie, director of public affairs for the 22nd NORAD Region Control Center at North Bay, Ontario, acknowledged: "Yes, we saw this so-called UFO at the same time people outside were seeing it too." What is clear from the above information, mostly obtained by dedicated investigators through our Freedom of Information Act, is that an object was tracked on radar as well as seen visually and was officially logged. Although the first reports came in about 3 am, it was closer to noon when the jets were actually scrambled. Although the object was still visible on radar the jets failed to make a visual sighting, which, given the time of day is understandable. The logs also showed that the jets searched up to 30,000' even though the object had last been reported at 72,000' CFB Falconbridge was not the only witnesses on this night. Around 3 am several members of the nursing staff at Pioneer Manor in Sudbury first reported an object that seemed to hover over the Sudbury Stadium. The object was very bright and low in the sky. It then suddenly shot up into the sky but was still visible around 5 am. Both the Sudbury Regional Police and the OPP observed and reported on theses objects. Constables Chrapchynski and Deighton reported: 4 objects were observed clearly in the sky. The brightest in the east remained in a stationary position. One on the southwest moved at times in a jerky motion. The one in the northeast was the dimmest, also stationary. They were still plainly visible after day break when all regular bright objects in the sky had disappeared.   Regional Police Constables Bob Whiteside and Alex Keable reported seeing three objects in the sky and later spotting a fourth. Regional Constable John Marsh, who was on patrol on Hwy 17 near Coniston also reported seeing lights. He first observed an object in the southwest that he described as having pulsating lights and moving in a jerky manner. Even when covered with clouds it was still bright enough to shine through the clouds and light up an area around them. He then spotted two similar objects, one in the south and one in the southwest of Coniston , both also moving in the same jerky, circular fashion. Constable Marsh also described them as emitting a pulsating type of light in varying colours and being easily distinguishable from stars. These were the observations reported that night from NORAD, CFB Falconbridge, Sudbury Regional Police, The Ontario Provincial Police, and members of the public.   These are some of the possible explanations given:   - During 1975 there was a wave of UFO reports; this focus stimulated the imagination of others creating false reports. - On October 20th, 1975 NBC aired "The UFO Incident" which was a re-creation of Betty & Barney Hill’s claim of a UFO encounter. For three weeks after the show aired there were usually high reports of UFOs. - Scattered clouds that night made continuous observation impossible so intermittent viewing may have made the stars appear to move in a ‘jerky’ manner, or to wink on and off. - Venus and Jupiter were quite bright that night and were probably the source of reports. - Object described as having craters was probably the moon. - Those observing probably did not do so constantly so when they looked back they might have assumed the object had suddenly risen higher. (The radar confirmation of an object suddenly rising seems to negate this explanation and to verify eye-witness accounts)   *******************************************************   Two books we would recommend for those interested in a serious study  of UFOs are: Clear Intent by Lawrence Fawcett and Barry J. Greenwood, The Canadian UFO Report (The Best Cases Revealed) by Chris Rutkowski and Geoff Dittman.