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From: Dennis Stacy <dstacy@texas.net>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 17:14:23 -0500
Fwd Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 19:37:06 -0400
Subject: Re: Voyager Newsletter, Kenneth Arnold


>From: David Rudiak <DRudiak@aol.com>
>Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1999 16:30:47 EDT
>Subject: Re: Voyager Newsletter, Kenneth Arnold
>To: updates@globalserve.net

<snip>

>Arnold's first sighting had very little to do with his later
>one.  His first one was prolonged, approximately 3 minutes,
>plenty of time for Arnold to carefully observe and think about
>what he might be seeing.  The comes through clearly in the many
>details recounted later, which, among other things, show how
>Arnold was going through a mental checklist of conventional
>explanations and doing his best to test them.  Opening his
>window to check for reflections and timing the objects between
>two prominent landmarks were among these.

>The second sighting seemingly lasted only a few seconds.  I've
>sometimes been puzzled by things I've observed flying when I
>first see them, but given 30 seconds, or a minute or two of
>observation have been able to figure them out. That's the
>difference between a brief glimpse and a fast first impression
>vs. more prolonged observation.

<giant snip>

David,

Arnold said in his letter to the Air Force that "my complete
observation of these objects...was around two and one-half or
three minutes." At 1200 mph they would have covered some 60
miles in that time (three minutes); at 1700 mph, some 85 miles.

Of his second sighting, it's difficult to determine its duration
because Arnold is so vague, although it was undoubtedly brief.
Here's his account, from "The Maury Island Episode" article:

"As I was letting down into LaGrande valley, I saw far off on my
left and a little lower than my plane an Empire Airlines (now
Air West) Boeing transport. It was an old plane but faster than
mine. Suddenly, as I continued to lose altitude, I was
confronted by a flock of what looked like ducks. I knew they
weren't ducks because they were brassy-colored and large -- at
least three feet across or possibly four or five. There were a
couple of dozen of them, possibly more, and they were bunched
and coming right at me. Eventually they swerved away -- and
because they had the flight characteristics of the first flying
saucers I decided to take after them. When I dived into the
cluster, these things, whatever they were, soared away as if I
were standing still."

Arnold says they swerved away and that he then gave pursuit,
diving into the cluster. Even if they hadn't completely passed
behind him at this point, this would seem to indicate a duration
of 30 seconds or more as opposed, say, to a "flash" duration of
ten seconds or less. It also indicates that he was able to catch
up with the cluster and dive into it, which would, again,
seemingly require at least 30 seconds or more in a plane with an
airspeed of 100 mph or so.

It's also hard to know what Arnold means when he says the
cluster (or the objects comprising it) had the same flight
characteristics as the first flying saucers, as the former were
strung out in a long line.

Does anyone know if Arnold supplies more detail on his second
sighting in his book? This was about 6:30 A.M. on July 29, 1947,
just over a month after his June 24 sighting.

Dennis