"Unconventional Flying Objects" Part 1

Hi

Recently, I was very pleasantly surprised to come across an excellent book which I had not heard of before.

The book is a relatively old one having been published in 1995. The author is Paul R Hill, the title "Unconventional Flying Objects." Publisher is Hampton Roads Publishing. ISBN 1-57174-027-9.

Even more delightful, according to the back cover blurb was that the author "...acted as an unofficial clearing house at NASA, collecting and analyzing sightings reports for physical properties, dynamics etc."

Comment

I find the idea of an "unofficial" clearing house to be intriguing. In previous posts I noted that Christopher "Kit" Green, of the CIA held a similar "unofficial" role, monitoring UFO research, and indeed the paranormal in genera. In my own country of Australia, Harry Turner of the Joint Intelligence Bureau (JIB), was an "unofficial" liaison between the Royal Australian Air Force's UFO investigators and the JIB. How "official" is "unofficial?"

Where did Paul Hill's UFO interest come from?

"I made my beginning analysis of unconventional flying objects maneuvers in the 1950's. This work was no doubt stimulated by my own sighting of unconventional objects on July 16, 1952." (pp22-23.)

"My background of flight experiments with rocket-supported platforms was pertinent to the understanding of the control of unconventional objects..." (p23.)

What did his employer think of his UFO interests?

"I was prevented from making nay pronouncement about this application of my work by official National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) policy. That policy was that flying saucers were non existent." (p24.) NACA later became NASA.

Hill did not like the term UFO

"It is assumed that anyone with a good dictionary can see why unidentified is a misnomer...Unconventional objects, or craft, don't fly. They are vectoring along trajectories...Even the word object is almost totally undescriptive..." (pp26-27.)

Hill as a scientist initially looked at the physical properties and effects of the objects.

"Physical evidence exists that UFOs are real, solid massive, machine-like vehicles..." (p31.)

"Other evidence for solidity and hardness is given by the sound of bullets striking UFOs. UFOs have been shot at hundreds of times..." (p38.)