Operation Trojan Horse - John Keel-pages

Page 113 of 287

Page 113 of 287
Operation Trojan Horse - John Keel-pages

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unusual configurations, such as disks and flying sausages, but the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) has received one especially intriguing ‘mystery airplane’’ report that they have investigated as thor- oughly as possible. The witness voluntarily submitted to a lie detector test, answering questions conceived by trained psychologists. His name is William Hertzke, a rancher in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and he passed those tests. A full chapter is devoted to this case in the book UFOs over the Americas, by Jim and Coral Lorenzen. One morning in October 1965, Mr. Hertzke was horseback riding in a pasture on the Circle Jay Ranch near Calgary when he saw what looked like a small airplane parked on the ground. It was a silver-gray color with swept-back (delta) wings. He estimated that it was about 16 feet long, with a wingspan of about 12 feet, and the fuselage was 4 or 5 feet deep. He rode over to it and examined it cautiously. The exterior, he reported, was irregular “‘like a waffle.’’ A transpar- ent plasticlike dome covered the cockpit. Through it he could see complicated instruments, a 14-inch “‘TV screen,” and two small, trans- parent glasslike bucket seats. There were no visible motors, propellers or jets, and no insignia or identifying marks of any kind. He saw no sign of life around the object, and his work schedule did not permit him to return to it again later for another look. Hertzke’s description, which is much more detailed than we can present here, is most extraordinary. Although the object had a conven- tional tail and delta wings, its interior and its wafflelike* exterior placed it in a class by itself. Apparently it was built for very small pilots, and it flew on some unknown principle that did not require jets or propellers. (Incidentally, conventional sailplanes and gliders have exceptionally long wings, while this object had very short ones.) If you were to glimpse this kind of aircraft passing slowly overhead, you probably wouldn’t even give it a second glance. There are several other types of mystery airplanes operating in North America. Giant craft resembling standard AF ‘Flying Boxcars’’ are There have been many UFO sightings of objects described as having a roughened or stippled exterior. Obviously any kind of lumpy or irregular surface would present considerable drag and greatly reduce the potential speed of the object. Modern airplanes are made with as smooth a surface as possible. Even exposed rivet heads can cut down speed appreciably. Unidentified Airplanes / 111 Mystery ‘Cargo Planes”