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and demonstrate to Greenfield that the oper- ation could be conducted safely. Palmer decided they would need five to seven pilots with a backup and once this had been estab- lished they set about demonstrating the flying saucer to Greenfield. Unfortunately there were serious stability problems and it was almost impossible to control pitch during tethered flights inside the large hangar. This was finally overcome by the attachment of a small cardboard spoiler beneath the craft, which fully counteracted the difficulty. The spoiler was later replaced by a slightly more refined version covered in reflective film. Once Greenfield was satisfied that the model could be properly guided by all the operators, an Air Navigation Order and Exemp- tion Certificate was issued, which limited the ceiling to 400ft (122m) and specified a visual control range not exceeding 1,640ft (500m). Another condition stipulated that an automatic fail-safe system should be fitted which would force the vehicle to land in the event of a con- trol system failure and it was agreed that local Agency (APRA). Harries asked James if APRA members might be interested in participating in a TV documentary that was under devel- opment called The Believers and said he had been in contact with several other UFO organisations. According to James the sole objective behind this contact was to establish when the group would meet up at the Red Lion pub in Avebury to conduct one of their UFO sky watches. Having learned that the APRA skywatch party was scheduled for 16th August, the Chrysalis production team appear to have made a decision to proceed with the flight on that date, hoping to capitalise on APRA’s pres- ence. When the day finally arrived most of the Chrysalis team gathered in a_ secluded farmer’s field about two miles (3.2km) south- east of the village and just beyond the Ridge- way near Overton Hill. There was adequate cover to hide preparations from any preying eyes and the saucer was inflated beneath a canopy while the camera crews and flight controllers received further briefings. But a serious problem arose concerning the wind, which had been predominantly southwest- erly during all the scouting missions but was now blowing in an easterly direction. Fur- thermore, there were concerns that the wind air traffic controllers would be informed of the flight prior to it taking place. While work had been progressing on the fly- ing saucer, Robbie Scott and Chrysalis Pro- ducer Chris Harries were completing their survey of suitable locations for the hoax. The most favoured location was Rendlesham For- est in Suffolk, close to the now defunct USAF Bentwaters base. This had been the scene of a very controversial UFO encounter on 27th December 1980, which is still regarded as Britain’s Roswell Incident by many members of the UFO community. However, there were many specific problems with this location that included flying restrictions within military air- space, so attention soon switched to the sec- ond choice, which was Avebury, Wiltshire, just afewmiles north of Salisbury Plain. This village is internationally famous for its mysterious stone circle dating back to around 2,500 BC and the entire area has a reputation as some- thing of a hot-spot for paranormal events, crop circles and UFO sightings, making it a great location to stage a flying saucer hoax. In June 2003 Harries contacted Brian James, the former chairman of the British UFO Research Association (BUFORA), who runs a local group of UFO investigators called the Anomalous Phenomena _ Research The Chrysalis flying saucer during tests. The Cutting Edge Effects team line up below the model. Nigel Blake 118 Secret Projects: Flying Saucer Aircraft