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ParaNet File Number: 00262
DATE OF UPLOAD: August 27, 1989
ORIGIN OF UPLOAD: ParaNet Alpha/Denver, Colorado
CONTRIBUTED BY: R. Perry Collins
========================================================
THE WESTCHESTER WING - PART II
The wave of UFO activity characterized as the "Westchester
Wing" has carried on into 1985, although the magnitude of the
wave seems to have diminished. There have been several unusual
incidents which serve to highlight covert federal interests not
only in "coverup" attempts but also in active pursuit of the
object(s). It has become increasingly obvious to investigators
that the federal government not only is almost frantically
attempting to explain away and deny the phenomenon, but also to
tap the efforts of those less restricted (civilian)
investigators. This has, at times, led to some humorous
situations. At one point, in a conversation with Bob Girard
about the implications of this surveillance, I jokingly said that
I really had no problem with it, as I belonged to the "KSP." Bob
asked what that was. I calmly replied that the KSP was the
"Krypton Special Police," assigned to investigate the
investigators of UFO investigators. Whoever was listening in
overreacted as our line was immediately cut and I was left with a
dead phone.
Lt. Lesnick, tired of being followed whenever he went to
interview witnesses, decided to get even. He had his followers
tailed. For several weeks up to five cars played Keystone cops
across the Conneticut and New York countryside. Phil Imbrogno,
amazed, watched a helicopter slowly drifting over his residence
as an individual inside pointed a camera at him. Quickly, Phil
ran for a camera to point back at them. Heedless of this
merriment, the "Wing" continued appearing, making friends among
the populace and causing alarm to the establishment.
The implications of all this, and the details of the actions
of both the UFOs and the people involved with them provides us
with a rich field of information. There is a great deal to learn
here, not only about our "visitors," but about ourselves. When I
say "making friends among the populace" I mean it literally. In
many cases involving this "Westchester Wing," as with other UFO
appearances over the years, there is evidence of what we call
"psychic" interaction between the witnesses and the object.
There have been many cases, some of which will be detailed here,
where this interaction took place. For instance, the object has
been noted to recede in distance when witnesses become fearful,
come closer when they desired a better look, and respond to
witness viewing positions with maneuvers and displays of lights.
The object has hovered over residences of families who had
noticed it slowly following them home. It has even hovered at
less than 500 feet altitude a short distance from homes until
whole families gathered to watch. Then, slowly cruising directly
over, it displayed itself with breathtaking effects and beautiful
lights. The wing shaped arrays of light are multicolored, strong
but with a soft glow and are almost entrancing. These lights are
turned on and off, again in direct correlation to the presence of
witnesses. Someone, it seems, is saying hello.
Someone is also paying very close attention to our nuclear
weapons storage areas. Someone is providing periodic
demonstrations of ability to quickly and easily nullify ballistic
missile installations, antiaircraft missile launches and jet
aircraft interception attempts. This activity has been going on
for years but it is only recently that investigators have been
able to get solid information about it and to make that
information more available to the public. The wave of activity
involving the "Westchester Wing" comes at just this time of
growing public awareness. This UFO wave has been identified by
J. Allen Hynek as one of the largest and most consistent displays
in history. It has been centered over one of the most affluent
and influential population centers in the nation. We must ask
ourselves whether or not all this can be coincidental.
There have been numerous appearances of the "Wing" in 1985,
but, as stated, the reports have decreased in number. I shall
concentrate on three specific events of note; a very dramatic
incident over the Indian Point nuclear facility, a sighting over
Meriden, Conneticut involving an untraceable military helicopter
and an unusually well-planned example of efforts to divert
attention from the real phenomenon. These cases will provide a
focus for what seems to be the fading of this particular wave of
UFO activity. As other investigators, particularly Jacques
Vallee, have noted, UFOs generally seem to present themselves
with periodic waves in both time and location. This wave may now
have served its purpose: the reinforcement of the almost
mythological reality of the UFO phenomenon.
The three examples shall detail some reactions of
established social groups, primarily those concerned with
government and national security. Before going into depth with
those examples, let's look more closely at the reactions of local
groups and individuals, especially those individuals who observed
the "Wing" at close range. The reactions of local police were
touched on in the previous article. Many police officers who
were witnesses to the low overflights of the UFO were adamant in
their statements. They agreed that what they saw was not a plane
or groups of planes. One officer reported a very large,
structured craft which glided silently over his cruiser, stopped,
rotated on its axis, and moved slowly over his position again.
Many other patrolmen who had seen only the formations of planes
were just as convinced that the whole thing could be explained as
aircraft. In early 1983, when the UFO overflights began, the
first explanation offered was that the sightings could be
explained by the presence of ultralight aircraft. Just as this
was being publicized as untenable (largely through the efforts of
Phil Imbrogno), the formations of Cessna aircraft began to be
noticed. It is important to note that these formations of
aircraft had not been widely seen nor reported in the media until
more than a month after the first reported UFO sightings over
Yorktown, N.Y. Since that time there have been many reports,
both of a very large, low, dark object variously illuminated and
of close formations of light aircraft, flying at five to seven
thousand feet, displaying non-regulation lights. Many witnesses,
some of them pilots themselves, reported having seen both
displays. They agreed that there was no confusing the two.
While the majority of the population in the area where the
highest number of reported sightings has seen nothing, a
significantly large minority has viewed and reported definitely
seeing an unusual object(s). Throughout the summer and fall of
1983 and well into 1984 the UFO wave gained momentum. Local
media reports, witness reports and intensive investigation by
Lesnick and Imbrogno became the talk of many social gatherings.
It became fashionable to discuss the subject and debate the pros
and cons of its real nature. Local newspapers did yeoman service
in presenting many of the aspects of the situation. Independent
radio and television stations followed the activity, often
interviewing Lt. Lesnick and Imbrogno. The "V" shaped displays
of lights continued. Those who saw them were often professional
people whose articulate reports were difficult to discount. It
became easier, as reports came in, to separate the planes from
the UFO. Often the witnesses themselves knew the difference.
The area where these reports were most concentrated included
Westchester, Putnam and Duchess counties of New York and
Fairfield County in Conneticut. These four counties are closely
clustered around New York City. The media there receive much
more national attention and were reluctant to get involved with
the whole subject. City journalists who spoke to investigators
said they frankly didn't know what to think. There were several
times that major television networks mentioned the reports.
These came after evenings where the witnesses numbered in the
thousands. But these were isolated dates and the networks made
no effort to follow up or clarify their brief airings. All but
one of the major newspapers of the city made little or no effort
to publish the numerous reports. The New York Times published
two well written items discussing the activity. These appeared
on April 17, 1983, near the beginning of the true UFO wave and on
September 11, 1984, as the wave continued but as reports of the
aircraft became more numerous.
The reports of low overflights of the large, structured UFO
often referred to strong thoughts and feelings by the individuals
involved. Often the UFO seemed to respond to these thoughts and
in some cases to initiate them. Many witnesses noticed more
direct interaction than the obvious light displays and maneuvers.
Bill Hele works as meteorologist for the National Weather
Corporation at Westchester Airport. On the evening of March 24,
1983, he was driving along the Taconic State Parkway in
Westchester County, N.Y. when he saw the object. "I've been
around aircraft all my life and I can honestly say I've never
seen anything like it," he stated. "I had the feeling of being
stared at, analyzed and rejected. It wasn't a dangerous feeling,
but I had the feeling of being examined head to toe. There was a
series of lights, maybe a half a dozen in a row, with one or two
hanging on the end like a pendant. They went out for 15 to 20
seconds and reappeared with no sound. There was no shadow, no
silhouette, no nothing. Just lights, but they were changing
multiprismatically. We're talking a magnitude of a quarter mile
long or longer of lights...It caught me by total surprise."
Hele's experience was mentioned in the September issue of Omni
magazine and again in the Hartford Courant of August 16, 1984.
As the sightings continued, there were no more people who
noticed an almost "psychic" interaction with the object.
Approximately ten percent of the witnesses reported definite
correlations between their thoughts and the actions of the
"Wing." On March 17, 1983, between 7 and 10 p.m., several
hundred people in the area of Brewster, N.Y. watched as a large
"V" shaped array of lights cruised low over the town and nearby
Interstate 84. One witness, Dennis Sant, got an extremely good
look at it. He and his family were coming home from church when
they saw the object hovering near their home. As they got closer
to the house, it seemed to disappear. Thinking that was all
there was to see, they went inside. Soon Sant felt an impulse to
go back outside and walked out his front door. As he glanced in
the direction of nearby I-84, he was a large "boomerang" shaped
object hovering silently less than 200 feet over the highway. It
had red, white, blue and green lights on its "wings" and a large
yellow light in the middle. People on the road were stopping,
exiting their cars and staring at it. Sant remembers wishing he
could get a better look. Immediately after his thought, the
craft made a sharp turn and slowly moved directly towards him.
It lost altitude until it was about thirty feet from him and less
than 100 feet up. Now it stopped and resumed hovering for
approximately one minute. Then it began slowly moving over his
back yard, emitting a soft hum. Sant was able to jog almost
directly under it and saw a dark, grey metallic structure. The
object again stopped and hovered and Sant backed away from
beneath it. As his family and neighbors watched, it suddenly
shot down a brilliant beam, illuminating the entire yard for
approximately thirty seconds. It then slowly moved away towards
the north, gaining altitude.
Many more such "interactive" cases could be presented here,
but I prefer to discuss one with which I am most familiar -- my
own. As described in my previous article, I too got a good look
at the "Wing" in late August of 1983. Several hundred people saw
the object that night over a cluster of Conneticut towns that
included New Haven, Orange, Milford, Bridgeport, Monroe and
Stratford. I interviewed many of them on tape. We all saw the
same thing and many of us had similar reactions. I was home
alone that night on the third floor of my residence in the north
end of Bridgeport, near St. Vincent's Hospital. Strangely
enough, just before I saw it, I was reviewing some notes I'd made
after speaking with Lt. Lesnick about the wave of "Wing" reports.
Deciding to take a break, I walked to my north window.
Suddenly three lights appeared, seemingly low over the
rooftops to the northwest. I told myself I was seeing a light
plane, but immediately dismissed the idea as the lights were too
widely spaced and were drifting very slowly to my left. Just as
I became intensely curious, the lights went out. Hoping to see
them again, I moved to my bedroom and the west window. As I
looked out, directly over my neighbor's house, the lights
reappeared. They were much closer now, stationary and about
twenty to twenty-five degrees above the horizon. I was amazed.
Here I was, a man whose hobby is UFOs, apparently seeing one.
The lights sat there, the left one red, the middle one green, the
right one blue. Abruptly, I began speaking aloud, "If you are
what I think you are, tell me somehow that I'm not
hallucinating." The lights seemed to react; the green slowly
faded out, came back on and they all faded. Immediately I
received a strong impression to move back to the north window.
The impression was so abrupt and so clearly not my own thought
that I started to resist it even as I began to move to the next
window. Excitement and curiosity overcame me, however, and I
quickly moved to the forward room and leaned out the open window.
An immense, wing shaped array of lights greeted me. Later I
calculated that the object supporting the lights must have moved
sideways and forwards at least one-quarter-of-a-mile in the few
seconds it took me to move from the west to the north window. It
was now almost directly overhead, between myself and nearby St.
Vincent's hospital. It was moving slowly, silently, apex
forward, directly to the east. I had several reactions. I was
conscious of a very focused and somehow logical presence, but my
mind was only secondarily aware of this. I had worked as a
quality control engineer and had grown up in an Air Force family.
I first realized that this "wing," if that was what it was, could
not be an airfoil. It was moving too slowly to hold itself up.
I was also busily engaged trying to line up reference points,
judge how many hand widths it took up, etc., so that I could
later trigonometrically figure out its actual dimensions. It
seemed very large and very low. For approximately 20 to 30
seconds it drifted over and then suddenly the lights dimmed and
went out. I strained to see a shape or structure, but could not.
In all the excitement, I hadn't thought to find a camera.
I quickly walked to the phone, noting the time from the wall
clock and called Lt. George Lesnick. After a brief talk, I
walked outside and towards the area where it had "disappeared."
I spent a long time, at least half an hour, standing in an open
area, wondering, hoping it would come back. It had definitely
impressed me, "psychically" and otherwise. As I previously
mentioned, I spent a good deal of time on the phone that night,
calling the local police and airports, finding that many others
were also seeing it.
There are numerous other examples of the interactive nature
of this wave of UFO activity. In July of 1984 I interviewed a
family of four living in the suburbs of Danbury, Conneticut. The
husband had been leaving work later than usual and was moving out
of the parking lot when he noticed some odd looking lights in the
nearby sky. At first he paid little attention to them, thinking
only that a plane was flying around at low altitude. As he drove
home (a trip of several minutes) he began noticing that the
lights seemed to be pacing him. Still he took little notice
until he pulled into his driveway and got out of his car. He
then could clearly see a huge array of colored lights drifting
slowly towards his house. Calling his wife and children, they
all gathered on the back porch just as the object came directly
over them. It was clearly triangular in shape and as it moved
overhead it executed an abrupt ninety degree turn without slowing
or showing a turn radius. The husband described the turn, "The
tip of the triangle was moving in the direction of flight when
the thing seemed to slowly rotate on its central axis, so that
the tip was finally pointing ninety degrees from where it
started. Then, without any change in speed, just as the tip
completed its rotation, the thing just moved off in a completely
separate direction, back over the front of my house." The couple
had spoken to only a few close friends about the incident and
seemed relieved to hear that many other people were having
similar experiences in the area. While this case doesn't
necessarily show interaction of a "psychic" nature, there
certainly appears to have been a specific display for a specific
group of witnesses. The family felt no fear of the object and it
displayed no hostility. Again we can say it seems someone, using
a clearly unknown and very impressive technology, may be saying
"hello" at such a level so as not to disturb society as a whole.
The apparently immense craft has yet to land in the center of
town in broad daylight. Human nature and our current cultural
consensus could conceivably make such an event an unmanageable
chaos. Whoever is "saying hello" presumably knows us well and
seems to be showing great care in letting us get gradually and
comfortably acquainted with it or them.
We should attempt here a closer approximation to the actual
structure of the object displaying the lights. "Westchester
Wing" is a term I coined simply because most of the reports were
coming from Westchester residents and most of the reports
describing a wing or boomerang shaped display of lights. Only a
relatively few reports refer to a structure. The most common
descriptions of the structure itself are: huge, dark metallic
grey, a grid or lattice underneath, tubular attachments and
circular attachments. Descriptions vary as to the actual outline
of the object or objects. Phil Imbrogno has deduced from
computer studies of reported times, areas, durations and
frequencies that we may be dealing with as many as three
different UFOs, all with similar characteristics.
One witness I interviewed gave some pertinent clues about
the ambiguity of the actual shape or structure of the unknown
object. The report came from a professional woman living near
Goshen, Conneticut. Between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m., on September
17th, 1984, she was driving along a fairly deserted road outside
of Goshen when she saw a long string of glowing white lights
paralleling her car just over the treetops on the side of the
road. She slowed to get a better look and as she did so the
lights moved directly over her car, changing in shape to resemble
a very large "horse shoe." They remained hovering like this for
approximately two minutes. A pickup truck approached from the
opposite lane and continued on down the road. As it disappeared,
the lights seemed to "uncoil" and form a "V" shape, which then
very rapidly moved away to the south. The woman was convinced
that the lights were all attached to one object as their relative
distance from one another never varied, only their configuration.
Within an hour of her sighting, reports were received from
several hundred people in the areas of Southington and Southbury,
Conneticut, approximately thirty miles away. From all the
available reports of these definitely unidentified objects, we
can deduce only two possibilities. Either there are several
structurally different UFOs or there is one very large UFO which
appears to change shape using a variable lighting display.
The first of the previously mentioned three incidents of
1985 on which we'll focus actually took place in the summer of
1984, but only came to public attention in January 1985. On
January 12, 1985, two newspapers ran similar headlines. They
were startling and controversial. "NUKE PLANT GUARDS REPORT
HOVERING UFOS" appeared in the Journal-News of Nyack, NY "UFOS --
DID ALIENS BUZZ INDIAN POINT PLANT?" read the Reporter Dispatch
of White Plains, New York. Again it was through the tireless
efforts of Phil Imbrogno that these incidents came to light.
both articles said basically the same thing. The stories were
presented fairly, with both sides of the question aired. Plant
authorities basically denied and downplayed the incident.
Imbrogno stated that on July 24, 1984, a huge "V" shaped object
slowly descended to within 300 yards of the nuclear plant.
Guards became alarmed, shotguns were issued and nearby Fort Smith
was alerted. John Branciforte, security coordinator at Indian
Point, stated: He (Imbrogno) could possibly be making it up or
he took what they (witnesses) gave him and stretched it out. I
think people are going to publish stories on hysteria and
misinformation. As far as I'm concerned, it's purely
speculation."
The real story, related by Lt. George Lesnick, sounds almost
like science fiction. Lesnick was with Imbrogno when they
investigated the incident. They interviewed six of the fifteen
guards involved. They found more than twenty other witnesses in
residences near the installation. And they found definite
indications of a coverup, of jobs threatened, of an almost
frantic effort to keep the real story from surfacing. Whether or
not federal authorities were involved wasn't determined, but
certainly responsible officials denied the known facts and even
came close to slander. From all that I know of the case, it
seems some of the officials, uninformed of the real nature of the
events, simply tried to explain it away on the basis of their own
preconceptions. As in many UFO cases, there seems to have been
two types of coverup: official denial of the facts by those who
should be aware of them and denial of the facts by those whose
access to them was not direct. The second manifestation of our
desire to create and maintain a comfortable cultural consensus,
whereas the first is purposeful deception and is not so easily
forgiven.
George Lesnick had worked as a police officer for the town
of Fairfield, Conneticut for twenty nine years, rising to the
rank of Lieutenant before retiring in July of 1985. He is a
healthy, robust, straightforward man who had received numerous
commendations for his police work. He had been instrumental in
saving lives, solving kidnap cases and generally serving his
community as a dedicated and professional police officer. His
comments and investigations on a case are those of a professional
investigator. He does not "stretch facts." If George is not
absolutely sure of his material, he does not speculate.
It is with this in mind that I relate the events that
actually led to the January headlines in those New York papers.
I spoke with George several times to get the facts of the
incident straight. In October of 1984, George, Phil Imbrogno and
J. Allen Hynek were being interviewed on a late night radio show
in New York. Lee Spiegel of NBC had all three men on a telephone
hookup to discuss the now twenty month long wave of UFO activity
involving the "Westchester Wing." After the show, the
investigators received fifteen calls. One came from a man who
George named "Deep Throat." He was a security officer at the
Indian Point nuclear facility. He had something he wanted to
talk about with the investigators. A time and a place were
arranged for an interview. No one but Lesnick, Imbrogno and the
guard knew of the meeting. The officer indicated he would have
several other guards with him.
George and Phil arrived at the meeting to find six guards
from the plant and, surprisingly, lawyer Peter Gersten.
Accompanying Gersten was the same woman who had interviewed me
the year before, posing as a MUFON investigator. (As related in
my previous article, she was accompanied at that time by an FBI
agent, sitting quietly at the next table, unnoticed by myself but
under surveillance by local plainclothes police. George later
informed me that he, too, had been invited to that first meeting,
but had declined>) As the two investigators entered the diner
that had been set up as the rendezvous, they noticed Gersten and
his friend, and somewhat surprised, began to talk with them.
"Deep Throat" came over and introduced himself and indicated
where the other five guards were sitting. At this point Gersten
seemed to try to take over and manage the meeting, inviting
everyone to sit at his previously reserved table. Lesnick
interrupted and insisted on separating the witnesses, so as to
get a clearer look at how their stories compared. He took three
and Phil took three, leaving Gersten and his friend somewhat at a
loss.
The story that came forth was startling but not so
unfamiliar to those aware of how authorities at higher levels
react to the presence of UFOs at "sensitive" installations. To
be fair I attempted to contact the woman involved. It took some
time, but I found her Conneticut address, mailed her a letter and
got no response. I drove to her house, dropped a note asking her
to call me (along with a copy of my previous PURSUIT article).
She did call, but quickly denied being aware of any FBI
involvement and hung up before I could ask about her being at the
Indian Point meeting. Maybe she's being set up, maybe she's
actively involved, but certainly she pops up under unusual
circumstances asking informed questions about UFOs. She is not
an investigator for MUFON as she told me. This I confirmed
through Marge Christensen, MUFON state coordinator for
Massachusetts. Perhaps I am mistaken. Perhaps she has a sincere
interest in UFOs. Having met her, I would say her interest is
sincere, but then so is the interest of the FBI -- they just
don't seem to be able to admit it.
All six guards related the same basic story. Phil and
George questioned them for nearly two hours. On the evening of
July 24, 1984, a huge, V shaped object, displaying two rows of
bright, glowing lights, slowly approached the nuclear plant. It
descended to an altitude of less than 500 feet and approached the
facility to within 100 yards. The second shift security officers
at first could not believe it. The object then stopped and
hovered over them, emitting a low humming noise. The men became
nervous as the object continued to hover and someone gave the
order to issue shotguns. Fifteen guards were involved and as the
object remained stationary they became very nervous. Another
order was issued to contact nearby Fort Smith. As the now
thoroughly shaken guards watched, the object continued to hover
almost directly overhead. After approximately 15 minutes the
object slowly drifted away and then abruptly accelerated upwards
and to the northwest. The security officers interviewed were all
relieved that no one had ordered them to fire upon the craft, but
admitted that they were keyed up enough that they would have, had
it been deemed necessary.
The two investigators made appointments with some of the
witnesses to meet again, and "Deep Throat" called them several
more times. In his last call he said he could no longer talk or
meet with Lesnick or Imbrogno, as his job was in jeopardy.
Neither of the investigators could reach any of those they had
interviewed earlier. They were simply told by powerplant
authorities that the men were unavailable for comment and could
not come to the phone. When asked about possible films from the
plant's security cameras, the same officials replied that the
cameras had not been working that night due to a technical
malfunction. Lesnick was told the cameras "weren't loaded" at
the time. As a professional police officer, he found this
explanation difficult to believe. Considering the current
protests about nuclear power facilities, and the resultant
activity of demonstrators that appear around such plants, a
"malfunction of security cameras" is not likely. Security at
sensitive installations has also been intensified due to ongoing
threats of terrorist activity.
The second incident of note took place over Meriden,
Conneticut early in April of 1985. At the time I was working as
a technical supervisor at an engineering company in Meriden.
Many of my fellow employees knew of my interest in UFOs and would
occasionally drop in to my office to discuss the subject. That
morning, as I was walking towards my work area, a secretary
approached me to relate a UFO sighting she, a friend and her
friend's father had experienced less than nine hours before. As
I briefly questioned her it became apparent that what she had
seen fit the "V" shaped object category. The three witnesses had
seen the object moving slowly, apex towards the ground, near the
junction of the Merritt Parkway (Highway 15) and I-91 (Interstate
Highway to Hartford). Since this was near our plant, I took the
opportunity to drive over to the area at coffee break. As I
looked around for powerlines or other features, I suddenly
noticed a very low flying helicopter of unusual design. I am
fairly familiar with aircraft but could not at first identify
this one. It appeared to be a military aircraft of gunship
design. Stopping my car, I got out and viewed the aircraft
through binoculars. It seemed to be making a sweep of the area
and was at less than 300 feet altitude. As it made a second pass
near my position, I could clearly see it, indeed, was of a
military gunship design, painted a dark blue and showing
commercial NS numbers in red. I noted the numbers and returned
to work as the helicopter slowly moved away to the north at the
same low altitude.
Back at the office, I had little time to really think about
it, but I was almost sure that there was a connection between the
UFO sighting of the previous evening and the appearance of the
unusual aircraft. Around two that afternoon, an engineer
coworker dropped by to tell me that he and his wife were sure
they had seen a UFO early that morning. It turned out to have
the same characteristics as the one seen by the secretary, but it
was seen six hours after hers and was not moving slowly at all.
In fact, the engineer and his wife were at first convinced they
were watching a low flying delta winged bomber except that after
very quickly traversing the Meriden area, it had stopped abruptly
and hovered, again over the area of the highway junction. The
helicopter had arrived no more than five hours after the
sighting. This was too much for me to ignore, so I called the
Bridgeport Air Registry Service and gave them the NS numbers I
had noted. I asked who might be flying the craft that day over
Meriden. After several minutes they replied that I must be
mistaken because the only helicopter with that registry number
was owned by an individual in Torrance, California. Now I really
became curious. What was a very expensive military helicopter
doing low over Meriden, Conneticut, flying a search pattern in
exactly the same area as of a UFO report only hours old? What
private individual could afford it, get clearance to buy it, ship
it from coast to coast and then casually use it to seemingly
track UFOs? This was too much.
I didn't give up, but I eventually did find myself,
basically, chasing my own tail. I called the Sikorsky Aircraft
plant, the Army and Air National Guard in Hartford, the State
Police, the Coast Guard at East Haven, the New Haven airport, the
Hartford airport (all in Conneticut) and finally another
investigator in Long Island. I got nowhere. Nobody had heard
of, seen or had any record of such a helicopter. Finally I
called Torrance, California and asked for the number of the man
listed as the registered owner. There were two listings for that
name. I called them both. The first man laughed and said he
sure would like to own a helicopter, but he didn't think he could
handle the payments. The second politely said no, he didn't fly
and that I must be mistaken. I struck out. Whatever happened,
three things stand out: the reported UFO apparently was our old
friend, the "Wing;" the helicopter was almost as unusual as the
UFO itself; the coincidence of the UFO and the gunship being in
exactly the same area within hours of each other is difficult to
explain. Almost as an afterthought, I might add that military
helicopters of gunship design are not usually painted dark blue
and they definitely do not display civilian registration numbers
in bright red paint. You can draw your own conclusions!
The third incident of note in 1985 really didn't involve the
"Westchester Wing" directly, but it certainly gives a very clear
example of the extreme efforts being made to dismiss and explain
away this wave of UFO activity. It began in February of 1985. I
was being interviewed by Jim Montavalli, managing editor of The
Fairfield Advocate, about the UFO activity. I had contacted him,
presented him with the evidence I had gathered, and asked if he
was interested in an article for his paper. I found Jim to be an
interested and unbiased man, and he ran an enthusiastic three
page article on Feb. 20th. I impressed upon him the fact that
the two most informed and active investigators of this UFO wave
were Lt. Lesnick and Phil Imbrogno.
Montavalli contacted them and arranged for an hour long
television interview on his weekly program "What Do You Think?"
The show was well advertised for a week in advance and was
presented live on WUBC, Channel 12 from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. on the
evening of March 20th. Just as the show ended and everyone was
leaving an apparently immense ring of slow moving lights came on
directly over the Bridgeport studio. From Bridgeport the
formation of unusual lights moved over New Haven and into central
Conneticut, putting on a display seen by many hundreds of people.
I saw them while on route 34 near New Haven and watched them
carefully as they moved over New Haven and then inland.
The display lasted approximately seven minutes from my
position and very nearly caused several accidents as drivers
pulled over to watch. Alas, it was not a UFO. It took me
several minutes, bus as the formation turned over New Haven, I
realized they must be aircraft. There were eight of them, and
their precision was almost perfect until the turn. Then four of
the planes drifted slightly apart from the other four before
reforming. The next day headlines throughout Conneticut loudly
condemned these formation flying fools for nearly causing
accidents on highways throughout the state. Demands were made
for an FAA investigation. The pilots were never found. The
origin of the aircraft remains a mystery. That they were
aircraft is certain. Paul Estefan, administrator of Danbury,
Conneticut Municipal Airport, dispatched a plane to track the
lights and the pilot tracked them to two airports in New York
state. But Estefan refused to name the airports, saying that the
pilots had not really broken any laws.
Was it rally a coincidence that these planes put on a
display that began just as the Channel 12 show ended? Was it
really a coincidence that immediately after Lesnick and Imbrogno
presented the evidence of two years of solid investigation, the
perfect and easily accepted explanation causally flew over? Was
it really a coincidence that this aircraft formation flew over
the exact area where the TV show was being seen? From years of
patient inquiry into the UFO phenomenon, I can assure you it was
not.
UFOs have profoundly alarmed those at high levels of
national security in almost all of the countries of our planet.
They have effortlessly rendered ICBM sites ineffective, easily
evaded interception attempts by the most advanced aircraft of the
United States and the Soviet Union, destroyed antiaircraft
missiles launched at them with a technology far beyond our own.
They have, at the same time, made a distinct and almost
mythological impression on people throughout the world. They
have not displayed overt hostility towards individuals, have not
landed and disrupted our society and have shown no inclination to
do so as yet. We may evolve into a unified world which
peacefully moves out to explore our solar system, our universe.
In such a case, UFOs may not make open and direct contact for
hundreds of years. It may take that long for us to develop
socially to the point where we would not be totally disturbed by
such contact. We may also attempt to violently commit nuclear
suicide, thereby poisoning our world, and killing all lifeforms
on our planet. It would be a human decision. In such a case,
somebody may come down and take our toys away, scolding us
severely and imposing their own order upon us.
In reaching these kinds of conclusions, I feel that the
majority of people in this country presently do not have a firm
grasp on the UFO reality. Most simply avoid the subject. The
avoidance maneuvers are varied: scientists, in general, see the
UFO scene as a can of worms, full of inconsistencies; the media,
especially the national media, still treat the subject with
tongue in cheek; various authorities, from local police to those
up to and including the presidential personnel, simply deny UFOs
or explain them away as misidentification of man made or natural
phenomena. A significant portion of the population treat UFOs in
a semi superstitious manner, in much the same way religious
prophecies are treated. It is important to realize that these
attitudes are not symptoms of a "planned coverup," at least for
the most part. Habitual attitudes such as these are more the
symptoms of the cultural consensus "reality" within which we all
usually function.
The realities of our world are largely our own creation. In
trying to understand that concept, in trying to delineate its
boundaries, we very often create that reality most comfortable to
ourselves and those around us. This process leads to the
cultural consensus "reality" which most of us share and support.
UFOs, as yet, have not been fully accepted into that reality.
People often ask me "Do you believe in UFOs?" My most consistent
reply is "No! Do you believe in helicopters?"
UFOs are a reality not subject to our belief systems,
although it seems they have initiated numerous "beliefs,"
"mythologies" and even possibly "religions." UFOs exist. The
evidence for that existence is now much too solid to deny. That
evidence could be an underlying force behind our rapidly evolving
military technology. Deep seated fears of what we label as the
"unknown" may be a factor in our feverish arms race. It is even
almost comforting to realize that now, as we peer off into the
darkness of our self created position, we could, if unified, at
least have some chance to "battle" those "dark forces of the
unknown." Unfortunately, those "dark forces" are largely
creations of our own imaginations. Alien invaders haven't yet
arrived to enslave us. In fact, I should imagine any advanced
life form would be hesitant to try. We are an aggressive and
pugnacious species and would make very poor slaves.
The human race is rapidly moving into an age where the
nature of "reality" is changing every day. We need to understand
that we create and maintain that "kind" of reality where we all
pretty much agree on "how things are." The ultimate reality of
our existence is still very much of a mystery, even to those
scientists who specialize in exploring and defining it. We are
part of a matter/energy universe which is only now beginning to
be somewhat understood. Small particle physicists, those closest
to what we might call the "ultimate" reality, readily admit that
at this stage of the game, they can define our universe most
closely with only one word: ineffable. Science and religion are
now beginning to find that they may well be exploring the same
ideas, the only difference being in their approaches. UFOs are
representative of a "reality" which also seems to be "ineffable."
The actual appearance of UFOs to witnesses, the evidence of
UFO activity not only perceived by our senses but registered on
our technological sensors, is overwhelming. It is best
understood when viewed in a semantically clear fashion. They are
here. They are seen, tracked on radar, photographed, acted upon,
and display actions which are as yet poorly understood. The data
available on UFOs indicates the presence of several groups or
"groupings" of visitors from other worlds. There are several
broad common denominators of these groupings. One of the most
consistent of these seems to be a gradual and periodically
reinforced series of appearances, labeled "UFO waves." These
appearances do not take place on a grand scale; likewise,
landings and flyovers generally do not occur at the capital
cities of the world. We are not yet prepared to face a culture
of beings as far ahead of us as we are of cave dwellers.
Anthropological studies show clear examples of the fates of
primitive societies exposed to modern man.
Another common denominator of UFO activity is their
appearances near major military centers throughout the world.
These appearances are again periodic, almost on a "reinforcement"
schedule. Often these appearances coincide with "demonstrations"
of the technological ease with which missile bases are
electronically nullified, interceptor aircraft easily
outdistanced, antiaircraft missiles destroyed at launch.
Examples of these kinds of incidents are coming more and more to
the public eye.
Perhaps it is time we started growing up. Our visitors,
friendly or not, certainly cannot afford to let us come swarming
off our planet armed and angry. What would you do if you were up
there looking down at a planet whose dominant lifeforms seem to
be preoccupied making bigger, better and deadlier devices to
either kill themselves or to keep each other from killing
themselves? It would seem our visitors have been extremely
patient. Perhaps they can help. Perhaps not. Perhaps they are
angelic, attempting to help only indirectly. Perhaps they are
demonic, attempting to move us onnward towards "Armageddon."
Perhaps they are neither.
Here we sit, our halos held up by our horns, for the most
part unaware of the real nature of our visitors. Perhaps that
nature is unimportant. Perhaps more important is our perception
of their nature. Perhaps, just perhaps, we can help ourselves.
With the awareness that the universe is not our enemy, that it is
just the opposite, we might possibly move into a future of
tremendous potential. We are growing up. Hopefully we shall
share our movement into racial maturity with others who seem to
have already evolved towards social and racial sanity. Again, it
is our choice. We are, after all, fairly intelligent, especially
when we're not chasing each other through the treetops.
ADDENDUM
I finished this article and submitted it to PURSUIT in early
September of 1985. Since that time there have been two clear
cases of the unknown object seen low over populated areas of New
York and Conneticut. There was also a sharp rise in the number
of isolated reports of unusual lights in these months. Most of
these reports could not be attributed to aircraft activity. A
summary of these reports is given here; it seems as if this
resurgence is a clear indication that his wave is not finished.
The first incident of note came to light through Peter
Gersten's UFO Hotline. On the evening of September 12th, from
9:00 to 10:30 p.m., an unusually large number of reports came
into the hotline. All described an unusual object, studded with
lights, low over New York City and surrounding areas such as
Yonkers and New Rochelle. Some callers reported the "V" shape.
Others said the lights varied in their appearance. Several
callers reported that there was definitely a very large object
involved as the stars were occulted or blocked from view by its
passage overhead. I listened to the report of one woman who,
along with her husband, saw the object as its light
configurations began to change. Her report was familiar; the
process she described was almost exactly the same as that seen by
the woman I interviewed in Goshen, CT. The media did not make
much comment on this activity. Channel 7 News at 11:00 p.m. that
night mentioned unusual lights seen over the New York City area.
The second incident involving large numbers of people was
one I investigated personally. On the evening of October 17th,
1985, an estimated two thousand witnesses saw the object as it
appeared over Bridgeport, Fairfield and Danbury, Conneticut. As
it moved over these towns it was seen, by separate witnesses, to
"change shape" from a "V" to a straight line and back to a "V."
The witnesses, some of them police officers, again referred to
rows of large lights that defined the shape of the object. It
moved very slowly, rotated on its axis and accelerated very
rapidly. It was described as "larger than an airliner at low
altitude" by witnesses I interviewed. Visiting the Fairfield and
Bridgeport, CT police departments, I found that there had been a
very large number of calls that night from people concerned about
the object.
I decided to call the hotline and put my findings on record.
The hotline, established more than a year ago, was a direct
result of UFO activity in the area and received reports,
replaying some of the more dramatic ones for several days. The
report from the night of the 17th was recorded on the 19th and
played back on the 20th and the 22nd. It gives a clearer idea of
the nature and magnitude of the incident:
Thursday, October 17th -- "V" shaped white, red, green and
blue lights were first seen over Main Street, Bridgeport, CT at
approximately 8:35 p.m. The "lights" moved slowly north to the
area of St. Vincent's hospital, stopped, hovered for three to
five minutes, then rapidly accelerated away to the north. It
apparently turned to the east and was next seen hovering over
Fairfield University, Fairfield from 8:45 to 8:55 p.m. Again
stopped, hovered, "V" unfolded to straight line. Altitude
verified at less than one thousand feet by "trigging out" witness
positions and angles of observation. All witnesses agree the
size of the display was larger than a jet airliner. After
hovering over Fairfield, while viewed by police officers, object
rotated on its own axis and moved away. Reports came in from
Trumbull, Monroe and then Danbury. Shortly after 9:00 p.m., over
Danbury, police chief John P. Basile saw it with over thirty
other witnesses. Also seen over Bethel and New Fairfield areas
and then Candlewood Lake. Articles on page four of the
Bridgeport Telegram of Friday, October 18th and page 13 of the
Danbury News-Times of the same date. Approximately thirty calls
to the Bridgeport Police Department, approximately three hundred
calls to the Fairfield Police Department, calls also to the
Danbury police, local radio stations and newspapers. Estimated
number of witnesses, two thousand."
There can be no doubt that something unknown is evident.
Other reports that came to my attention were as follows:
September 11th, 1985: Single witness, female, reports that
while walking dog in Trumbull, CT at 11:30 p.m., saw large group
of red lights moving low over position from north to south.
Reported by personal acquaintance.
October 7th, 1985: A Bridgeport fireman, thirty years old,
while bicycling from Bridgeport to Florida (local newspaper
coverage) reports seeing low flying "V" shaped object followed
closely by several military helicopters. Witness reports that
this was near the coast of Virginia, about 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. and
object and choppers moving south to north. Reported by personal
acquaintance.
October 16th, 1985: Two witnesses, female, report seeing a "V"
shaped object low over beach near West Haven, CT, between 11:30
and 12:00 p.m. Report also cites "mild sunburn" as a result of
"being under the thing." Interviewed one witness by telephone,
unable to followup and clarify "sunburn" aspect.
What we have been calling the "Westchester Wing" continues
to be seen. Its appearances continue to frame questions of its
origin and purpose. We all, each in our own way, have much to
learn in probing for answers.
=================================================================
R. Perry Collins is an aerospace engineer and part-time physics
teacher living in Conneticut. He has been an active UFO
investigator and researcher for a number of years.
=================================================================
en calling the "Westchester Wing" continues to be seen. Its appearances continue to frame questions of its origin and purpose. We all, each in our own way, have much to learn in probing for answers.
=====================================================
R. Perry Collins is an aerospace engineer and part-time physics teacher living in Conneticut. He has been an active UFO investigator and researcher for a number of years.
