At the PCEC 30 September meeting, a talk was given by Anthony J Tambini. Author and compiler of the recent (2016) book entitled “An Overview of Close Encounters and Low Flybys” – his fifth book, based on UFO sightings, reports and eye witness accounts accumulated from the 1940s through the 1970s. UFO, also known as Unidentified Flying Object, is a subject which evokes all sorts of theories, notions and ideas in most of us. Are UFOs fact, fiction, or just schoolboy fantasies, and are we being hoodwinked?
Anthony gave a quick run through his 45 years working worldwide within the aircraft / aerospace industry, from Field Service /Tech Engineer for “Northrop Grumman” to test team of F/A 18E/ F aircraft, Flight Engineer for the US Air Force, and Field Investigator for MUFON (Mutual-UFO-network).
Anthony recounted, his first experience goes way back to a time when he was a lad at home with his parents. One morning, he spotted two disc shaped objects moving across the sky. They were identical but very unusual in shape. The first one flipped up and shot off, the second replicated this move at the same point and also disappeared.
Anthony said his second experience and sighting of a possible UFO was when he was a member of a flight crew on a return flight home. Whilst busy working on calculations, he overheard chatter around the cockpit regarding a bright light in the distant sky. After some debate, he too looked up and saw it. About this time, the Navigator looked and stated that from their position, it was probably “Venus”, which seemed to make sense and possibly could be the type of confusion in some UFO sightings.
These experiences have stayed with Anthony to this day and sparked his fascination and intrigue with the subject. Anthony described some brief samples of accounts contained within his latest book. One is of a police officer who was on routine duty when he witnessed a bright light on a quiet backroad. He couldn’t find anything to explain this but included what he remembered seeing in his report upon finishing his shift.
In the coming days and weeks he began having very strange dreams and also had an unexplained welt on the back of his neck. Eventually a UFO group contacted him with a plan to interview him under hypnosis which revealed his reports missing 20 minutes and how the mysterious welt came to be on his neck. Under hypnosis, he talked about his meeting ‘other’ beings… he drew pictures and gave details which were unlocked from within his memory.
Another chapter in his book looks at the report from another officer, this time on the Mexican Border. The officer witnessed a very bright light up off the road together with a loud roaring sound. It was so alarming, that he broke off his pursuit of a speeding motorist and went to investigate. He saw two people loitering around a strange looking craft. He exited his car to investigate; the noise of his closing door startled the people who scuttled around to the rear out of sight. Next thing, the loud noise restarted and the craft hovered overhead before shooting off into the night. He radioed for assistance and explained the situation; enquiries were lodged with all agencies in the area with no reports of aircraft or anything similar in the area. A specialist team got wind of his encounter and arrived to conduct a thorough examination. The officer had the foresight to place rocks around the triangular indentations left by the craft, which when measured revealed they were made by about 14 tons of pressure. Nothing known by any agency could explain how the marks could have been made.
Anthony mentioned that there are numerous sightings and witness reports of UFOs, all of which are difficult to prove either way. Anthony cited one final report with actual unexplained mechanical evidence. This is where a helicopter crew reported a fluorescent red light in the sky ahead. After returning back to their base, the crew discovered that the helicopter’s compass was permanently rotating. Anthony explained that this device is a standard model used on all types of aircraft and regarded as failsafe; never known to go wrong. He went on to mention that it was replaced and because it was such a common gadget it was discarded and the vital evidence was lost.
It is a fascinating subject shrouded in mystery and conspiracy of cover-ups, secrecy, and fiction vs reality. Anthony, in summation, said his primary reason for writing his book was to point out that investigations of UFO sightings were often superficial and the right questions were not asked, thus not answered, e.g., mechanical details about observed craft, flight characteristics, etc.
To find out more about this topic Anthony J. Tambini suggest you read his book. Anthony has also written four other books with 3 dealing with specific aircraft or wartime activities in Vietnam. His first is entitled “The Globemaster” – a four piston engine aircraft that could haul oversize cargo and was not retired until replaced by the C-5 Galaxy jet. The second is “F-5” (Tigers over Vietnam) dealing with that aircraft’s use in Vietnam. Third was “Wiring Vietnam” which dealt with placing listening devices in the jungles. His fourth is “Ice Meteors” (Unknown Dangers Overhead), which is a history of each reported ice meteor.
Following the presentation, MC Ren Lexander provided updates on PCEC activities and introduced Judith Edmonds to conduct the Open Forum, where questions are asked and answered or comments made by members and guests on Expat living in Thailand, Pattaya in particular. To learn more about the PCEC and their activities, visit www.pcec.club.
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