You may recall my earlier reference to the Ithaca and Newfield UFO sightings of 1967. A few days ago I received a note from a person who decided to come forward and impart some information about his possible role in some of the UFO reports. I don't know how much influence his prank exerted upon the overall situation, because the magnitude of official interest in the Newfield situation was just too extraordinary to dismiss via the launch of a homemade "UFO." However, the writer certainly has something important to say from his aspect, and I'm anonymously including his comments as follows. Incidentally, I remind my readers, having seen an abundance of such pranks intended to foster UFO reports in the past, that sending anything skyward with a working flame can result in serious trouble with law enforcement personnel, should fire damage result when one's flaming creation lands in combustible material (I know, I know, I take all the fun out of this when I bring it up...)
I stumbled over references to UFOs over Newfield NY in 1967.
I stumbled over references to UFOs over Newfield NY in 1967.
I guess I have a confession.
I was a student at Cornell University's College of Engineering in 1967. I was curious about hot air balloons, and wondered whether or not I could make a working model. I took a dry cleaning bag, sealed up the openings at the top, built a framework to hold the bottom open, and then placed a "heat tab" from a Boy Scout Heat Tab stove on the frame.
I then brought the bag out to the "dust bowl" between the University Halls dormitories, lit the pellet, and held the bag upright to keep it from catching fire. Within a few minutes, the bag arose and began a journey, sailing out of sight to the southwest direction.
Within the same moments, I had drawn an audience of about a hundred freshmen students, curious as to what I was doing. Once the bag lifted off, some of the students began trying the same trick. Some succeeded while others failed. My success was based on the fuel: the heat tab.
I must say that my creation was a sight to behold. The heat tab produced a constant glow, and the clear bag took on the light in a way which magnified the existing light. It was strange, to say the least.
The next day, I was surprised to see an article in the Ithaca Journal titled, "UFOs Spotted over Newfield". It didn't take more than a split second to make the connection that the UFOs may have been the bags we sent aloft from Cornell. The direction and the timing were right!
I never thought anything came of the sightings, however your blog seems to make reference to UFO sighting over Newfield.
Is there any possibility that my college prank was the cause of these UFO sightings over Newfield?
