British Ufologist Nigel Watson
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U/L by John Stepkowski <C> 1992
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In Issue #30 of the 'Fortean Times', British Ufologist Nigel Watson
reviewed the disappearance of Australian pilot Frederick Valentich on
the night of October 21, 1978, while flying over Bass Strait.
Watson raised a number of points that are worth repeating and
investigating:
(Watson's points are preceded alphabetically)
A. Frederick filed only a one-way flight plan to King Island although
he had indicated his intention to return the same evening.
I was unable to find any reference for this statement. A Department of
Transport spokesman told me "It is possible, but even if it's true, what
can we do with this information now?"
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B. He made no arrangements for the landing lights at King Island to be
turned on.
Normal procedure was to ask for the landing lights to be turned on
before take-off. It was, however, possible to radio King Island
in-flight and have the lights illuminated. (When Valentich first
reported his engine problems, Melbourne Flight Service radioed King
Island to illuminate the landing field).
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C. Police found no one who had arranged to sell crayfish to Frederick -
the stated intention for his flight.
King Island has many places where sea and dairy-foods can be purchased
and this has not been regarded as being significant by investigating
authorities. One report stated that Valentich had taken an empty crate
with him on the flight. This was presumed to be a container for the
crayfish. Valentich had made three trips to King Island previously and
would know where to go to purchase sea-food.
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D. The aircraft's long range fuel tank was filled to its 303 litre
capacity.
Many pilots who make the flight to King Island prefer to carry extra
fuel to ensure a quick turn around, with no delays or extra costs that
re-fuelling entails. A spokesman for the Department of Transport stated
that Valentich "had enough fuel for 1040 kilometres or 300 minutes of
non-stop flying. Taking into account a trip of between 30 and 45
minutes to Cape Otway, the aircraft still had enough fuel to fly 800
kilometres." ["Melbourne Age", Oct 28, 1978, Page 1.]
(From Cape Otway, King Island is approx 70 kilometres away.)
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E. Cape Otway lighthouse keepers and Bass Strait fishermen did not
report seeing any light aircraft in the vicinity.
"The Australian" of Oct 28, 1978 quotes several (unnamed) friends of
Valentich who were organizing their own search:
They had planned to fly over rugged gullies on Cape Otway after
calling on the cape lighthouse keeper for information. He told them
that he had not heard an aircraft fly over the lighthouse at the time
Valentich was said to be leaving land for Bass Strait.
The friends said that this was not unusual as pilots often 'cut the
corner' and turn to sea when they see the lighthouse.
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F. Despite ideal conditions, at no time was the aircraft plotted on
radar.
From "The Australian" Oct 24, 1978. Page 1:
Questions are still being asked why the missing aircraft was not
picked up on radar at Melbourne Airport.
The Department of Transport's official explanation is that Mr
Valentich's Cessna 182 was outside controlled airspace, and at 1400m
was flying too low to be picked up on the long-range radar scan.
But air traffic controllers subsequently picked up search aircraft
quite clearly - even though they were flying as low as 153m.
It appears that on Saturday night the radar conditions were
exceptionally good, so good, in fact, that controllers noted what are
known as "anomalous propagation."
These phenomena only occur when conditions are so good that the radar
beams hug the earth's surface. Under such conditions the land mass of
King Island itself - which is 215m above sea level at its highest point
- is occasionally picked up on radar at Melbourne Airport.
The Department of Transport said air traffic controllers started
looking for the missing aircraft only when it reported engine trouble.
This would be usual practice when an aircraft was in difficulty, as
controllers have to maintain an exact plot in case the plane goes down.
But on this occasion, Melbourne air traffic control was monitoring
the last, dramatic radio conversation between the flight service and the
aircraft.
And no aircraft appeared on the screen.
Some experienced air traffic controllers are known to have serious
doubts whether the aircraft was ever, as reported, in the vicinity of
Cape Otway.
A spokesman for the department said: "We can only go on what the
pilot tells us."
A department spokesman agreed it was possible that the plane could
have put down elsewhere and would not have been picked up on radar if a
controller was concentrating on a specific area.
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G. Melbourne Police received reports of a light aircraft making a
mysterious landing not far from Cape Otway at the same time as
Valentich's disappearance.
"The Australian" Oct 24, 1978, page 2:
...Senior police officers would neither confirm nor deny reports that
they had received a report of a light plane making a mysterious
late-night landing in the western district, not far from the Cape Otway
area, at about the same time.
The 'Age' Oct 28, 1978, page 2 , states that:
..Around 7 pm on Thursday (Oct 26) ... an anonymous man began
phoning newspapers and TV and radio stations.
(The "anonymous man" had said that Valentich had "fooled everyone and
was holed up in a motel" (at Apollo Bay).)
Sergeant B.C. Klemm of the Apollo Bay police said the first he heard
of the rumour about Valentich was a call from the Mike Willesee team. (
A night-time "A Current Affair-type" television program.)
(This "report" is recorded in other papers, but the anonymous report
yielded no results. No one was found "holed up" in any Motel).
-------------------------
H. Although Bass Strait - and later Cape Otway and King Island - were
searched for signs of wreckage, nothing was found.
Searchers found an oil slick approximately where Valentich's
aircraft might have gone down. Analysis showed it to be a weak mix of
marine diesel. Pieces of metal and other debris were also recovered but
were not considered to have come from the aircraft. The Cessna 182 was
equipped with life-jackets and a "black box" radio survival beacon
transmitting on a high distress frequency.
-------------------------
I. He had $300 cash on his person. (A lot of money in '78)
From the 'Sunday Press' Oct 29, 1978, page 10:
On the day he disappeared ... (Valentich) told his parents that he
would probably be home late and not to worry.
He had arranged to fly to King Island that night to buy some
crayfish. But the main purpose of his flight, he said, was to clock up
some night hours towards his commercial pilot's license.
It was to be his first night flight. (to King Island)
When he left the house he had almost $200 cash on him.
..."He seemed in very good spirits," said a pilot who spoke to
Valentich shortly before he took off.
"He told us he would bring us back some crays."
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J. He arranged to meet his girlfriend, Ms Rushton on the same evening
at 7.30pm - a date he couldn't have possibly kept.
This claim is made in only one story "Girl Waits For UFO Pilot" in the
'Sunday Telegraph' Oct 29, 1978, page 3, and appears to be incorrect.
In the documentary on the "disappearance" of Frederick Valentich,
'Something Shining', Squadron-Leader Ronald Grandy, the Staff Officer of
the Air Training Corps where Valentich was a training instructor, said
that Valentich was due to return from King Island and bring some
crayfish to a dinner he was hosting at approx 10 pm.
'The Australian' Oct 23, 1978, Page 1, quotes Valentich's father:
...A calm Mr Valentich explained last night that his son had left at
6:15 pm on Saturday to fly to King Island to pick up some lobsters for
the officers of the Air Training Corps.
"He intended coming back at 10 o'clock the same night," he said.
The 'Sunday Press', Oct 29, 1978, Page 1, quotes Valentich's girlfriend,
Rhonda Rushton:
Rhonda, who had been dating Valentich for six months, said she had
often gone flying with him.
He had asked her to go with him to King Island the night he
disappeared.
"I wanted to go, but I couldn't make it from my home in East Preston
to Moorabbin (airport) in time," she said.
"Now I wish I had gone."
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K. Frederick's father claimed that, 8 or 10 months before his
"disappearance" 'My son told me he had seen a large brilliantly lit
object in the western sky which was flying at a tremendous speed from
south to north'. His father also stated that Frederick firmly believed
in the existence of UFO's. Yet no mention was made of a UFO during his
last radio communication.
The 'Sunday Press' of Oct 29, 1978, page 8, mentions Frederick's
interest in UFOs:
A key factor in the heavy official probe into Valentich's background
and life-style is that he was fascinated by Unidentified Flying Objects.
According to Valentich's family and friends, the young pilot
collected books and magazines on UFOs.
He was so convinced about life on other planets that he felt it was
only a matter of time before aliens would invade the earth.
His mother, Mrs Alberta Valentich said: "Freddie was worried that one
day a UFO might come down and divide the family ... that they might take
us away."
And, Mrs Valentich revealed that Freddie's reported sighting of a UFO
last Saturday was not his first.
One June night last year, she said, she and Freddie both saw a UFO
hovering in the sky, several thousand feet above their home.
"It was a very bright object, like a star, but 10 to 20 times
bigger," Mrs Valentich said.
"For ten minutes it didn't move. Then suddenly it streaked away in a
flash. We were both convinced it was a UFO."
Mrs Valentich said Freddie was not a UFO fanatic, but he had always
made an effort to "see all the science fiction movies."
Ironically, 'Close Encounters Of The Third Kind' was probably the
last film he saw, she said.
Mrs Valentich said that Freddie had told her and her husband that
during his time as an Air Training Corps cadet at Sale RAAF (Royal
Australian Air Force) Base, he had seen classified material which had
confirmed his earlier beliefs about UFOs.
(The 'Sunday Telgraph' Oct 29, 1978, Page 3 quotes:
..RAAF spokesman at Sale, Wing-Commander Colin Chaliss, said: 'We
have files on unusual aerial sightings but they are not classified and
Mr Valentich did not see them.')
-----------------------
While it appears that Valentich had a strong interest in UFOs, I can't
agree with the thrust of Mr Watson's statement of surprise that
Valentich did not use the term "UFO" during his "encounter". Valentich
was hand-picked as a training instructor because, according to Sqn-Ldr
Grandy: "He was no fool. Frederick Valentich was level-headed and could
hold his tongue. He was common-sense on two legs." (Herald, Oct 23,
1978, page 1).
Many people believe in UFOs but few of them are prepared to declare
every unknown aerial phenomenon to be a 'UFO'. Perhaps this is because
many people mistakenly assume that the term 'UFO' is synonymous with
'Flying Saucer'.
Whatever it was Valentich thought he saw, he seemed certain it was not
an aircraft. (See 'Valtape.asc' for full transcript).
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L. On the tape recording of the last conversation with the young pilot,
there was no hint of panic in his voice.
The 'Sunday Observer' October 29, 1978, page 8, quotes Frederick
Valentich's father, Guido:
Mr Valentich said he'd listened to the tape of his son's last
communications with Melbourne Flight Information Service.
"There was nothing cut out of it. Fred seemed fairly calm until the
very last call he made, then his voice seemed to diminish in strength as
if he was gasping or choking," he said."
In the documentary 'Something Shining', the last person to speak to
Valentich, air traffic controller Steve Robey, suggested that during
their communications, Valentich seemed to be slightly confused. He is
quoted as saying he believed that "Valentich was definitely concerned
for his safety." As evidence of this he cited the fact that Valentich
repeatedly confused his call-sign during their conversation.
Once initial contact is established, the transmitting station begins its
message by acknowledging the receiving station:
TIME FROM TEXT ---- ---- ----
1908:18 VH-DSJ MELBOURNE it's approaching now from due East
towards me
(VH-DSJ (Delta Sierra Juliet) is Valentich's Cessna 182).
Melbourne Flight Service Unit replies:
1908:28 FSU DELTA SIERRA JULIET.
Here Valentich is observing proper procedure, but throughout his
conversations with Steve Robey he continued to fall in and out of the
correct procedure:
[** - indicates wrong call sign]
[XX - indicates correct call sign]
XX 1906:14 VH-DSJ MELBOURNE this is DELTA SIERRA JULIET is
there any known traffic below five thousand
:23 FSU DELTA SIERRA JULIET no known traffic
** :26 VH-DSJ DELTA SIERRA JULIET I am seems to be a
large aircraft below five thousand
:46 FSU DELTA SIERRA JULIET what type of aircraft
is it
** :50 VH-DSJ DELTA SIERRA JULIET I cannot confirm it is
four bright, it seems to me, like landing
lights
1907:04 FSU DELTA SIERRA JULIET
XX :32 VH-DSJ MELBOURNE this is DELTA SIERRA JULIET the
aircraft just passed over me at least a
thousand feet above
Etc.
In the officially released transcript of Valentich's last conversation,
he transmitted 19 messages. Of those 19 messages, 9 have incorrect or
confused call-signs.
Since "R/T" procedure is one of the first things a pilot learns, and
taking into account the fact that Valentich was also an instructor, we
can only speculate as to why Frederick Valentich deviated from normal
radio procedure.
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Whether these mistakes were made due to panic, disorientation, or as
part of a deliberate subterfuge, one thing is certain: There have been
no reported sightings - unsubstantiated or otherwise - of Frederick
Valentich since that night of October 21, 1978.
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