ParaNet BBS/orangco

ParaNet BBS/orangco

File Name:	orangco.txt
Author:	Unknown
Date:	Unknown
Posting BBS:	Unknown
BBS Main Page:	ParaNet Main Page
Key Words:	ParaNet, UFO, Ufology

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Date Prepared:  August 9, 1992
Contributed by: John Burke/ParaNet Affiliate
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                  The Great Imposter
                                       by John Burke

Before heading out to New York on business last week, I
made a point of getting in touch with Ellen Crystall to
arrange a "UFO Hunt".  I saw Ellen give a presentation at
the 1989 Omega Conference, which John White puts on every
year in Connecticut.  Ellen had some interesting photos
and she discussed a series of sightings which were part of
an ongoing flap in Orange County, New York.  She had written
a book on her investigations entitled _Silent Invasion_.  It
is scheduled to be released in November.

I was hoping to head up to an area near Pine Bush, NY
where most of the sightings had taken place, on Friday the
20th of September.  Since it was unseasonably cold that day
and since the flap in that area had ended about two years
ago, Ellen decided that she did not want to go, but she gave
me directions to the area.  She pointed out that there had
been a couple of sightings in that area during the summer,
but the level of activity was nothing like it had been
during the '88 - '89 flap.

I decided to head up there by myself with my Polaroid
Spectra System camera, hoping for a photo-op.  I arrived at
about 10:30pm, deciding that I'd "case out" the area for a
good spot, and stay there until 1am.  The area consists of
a number of small farms, intermixed with quite a few homes.
I parked my car on a mud path that had been cut into a field
by tractor wheels, at a location almost 100 yards in from the
road.  A row of bushes and trees ran along my left side (east).

Since it was a little cold, I found it necessary to take
intermittent breaks to sit in the car and get warm.
During one of these breaks, at approximately 11:40pm, I
noticed something coming into my field of view from the upper
right corner of the windshield.  As it darted across the
windshield on a northeasterly heading, I first suspected that
it was some type of Roman candle.  In the next instant I
realized what it was and said to myself:  "A f***in' fireball!
A bolide!"  The Great Imposter, the Darling of Debunkers was
an unexpected interloper on my latest UFO Hunt.  It took
approximately three seconds for it to cross my field of
view and disappear behind the tree line to my left.  During
that time I was able to clearly observe the red, white, blue
and orange flames flickering around a rocky projectile that
had the apparent diameter of a penny held at arm's length.
Its speed could have been as slow as 250 mph, although it
reminded me of the CNN videos of an overflying cruise
missile in Iraq.  It seemed to be approximately 1500 feet
up, on a descending course.  I got the impression that it
was about the size of an old Volkswagen Beetle.

I immediately jumped out of the car, expecting to see some
sign of impact:  perhaps a bright flash or a loud explosion
from behind the tree line.  Instead, there was nothing.  If
the bolide had continued on its course, it would probably
have passed over Poughkeepsie, continuing on a northeasterly
course to the western edge of the Conneticut - Massachusetts
border.  It would be interesting to find out if there were
any further sightings of this bolide, which would have taken
place at about 11:40pm on Sept. 20, 1991.

Needless to say, there was no further observable aerial
phenomenon that evening.  Nevertheless, since it was the
first bolide meteor I had ever seen, it was an exciting
experience that definately made the trip worthwhile.  It was
much more impressive than watching the Perseids, which
required an equally long drive for good observing.

If I ever have a sighting of a "trufo" which someone tries
to explain away as a bolide meteor, I will have the benefit
of this experience to provide a basis of comparison to
distinguish the two events.  What more can I ask for?  Well,
maybe I'll get a chance to observe some swamp gas or some
"ball lightning".  I wonder how many people, especially
those who consider themselves to be skeptics, have actually
witnessed all of those phenomena which are so often used as
explanations for the seemingly unexplainable.