Is the 'fence post' seen here a type of temporary 'fence pin' like this.....?
https://www.cmt.co.uk/fencing-pins
Or everything being at the hyperfocal distance
GR.3s were still being flown by the RAF up to 93-94.The earlier Harrier variant (GR.3 / F/A-2) had a much more swept back wing, similar to the Hunter's. Although RAF GR.3s were out of service by 1990 (I think), the F/A-2s were still in service with the FAA.
I can't prove anything, but something about this case doesn't ring true to me.
Could have been the pilot flying the Harrier in the Calvine photo had been posted to 4 Squadron and was still in Germany in Nov 91.Okay, while we're on the subject of Harriers - what to make of the "retask" (secondary investigation of the photos) ordered in November 1991 where it's stated "Task already discussed with Ops 4 Sqn"?
IV Squadron were stationed at the time at RAF Gütersloh, Germany (600 miles from Calvine) and, yes, flew Harriers.
Just dudes who knew Harriers and therefore the obvious people to go to for id on the plane? Or something else?
Sorry if I've overlooked it, but what is the source for the 'retask'? (I searched Metabunk for 'retask 1991' but didn't get anything except your post above!) I thought the evidence suggested two possible interviews with the 'witnesses' (an initial phone call from the Press Officer to get hold of the photos then a fuller investigation by Defence Intelligence), but I assumed these were both in 1990. Then (according to Clarke) in 1992 there was a flap when a copy of one of the photos somehow turned up in the Pentagon, and there was an exchange of correspondence between Baldwin and Spiers in which they both said the incident was a hoax or spoof. So what happened to revive interest in 1991?Okay, while we're on the subject of Harriers - what to make of the "retask" (secondary investigation of the photos) ordered in November 1991 where it's stated "Task already discussed with Ops 4 Sqn"?
Only thing I can see "out in the world" was the Belgian Triangle UFO flap in 1989/90, which might have revived interest in the topic in European military circles.So what happened to revive interest in 1991?
237 OCU at Lossiemouth had Hunters and Buckaneers at this point. No Harriers.Could have been the pilot flying the Harrier in the Calvine photo had been posted to 4 Squadron and was still in Germany in Nov 91.
It's covered in Clark's stuff. Media and political pressure concerning possible overflights by the US Aurora (edit: the hypothetical Aurora), not so much interest in the photos themselves, got someone to take another look at the case (bold in original):Sorry if I've overlooked it, but what is the source for the 'retask'?
https://drdavidclarke.co.uk/secret-files/the-calvine-ufo-photographs/Media and Parliamentary interest in 1991-2 may have led MoD to order a second examination of the Calvine images. The DI55 UFO files released at The National Archives in 2009 reveal how, 16 months after the photographs were taken the branch sent copies of five ‘vu-foils’ to the RAF’s Joint Air Reconnaissance Centre (JARIC).
Oddly, these were in the form of acetates taken from the original negatives. This was, I am informed, to allow analysts to project the images onto a wall-mounted whiteboard for more detailed scrutiny.
As part of this ‘re-tasking’ DI55 asked JARIC to produce calculations such as height above ground and distance from camera to determine the true ‘diameter, size and dimension [of the UFO] where possible’.
The confidential tasking says ‘sensitivity of the material suggests very special handling’ was required.
This document also mentions the task had ‘already [been] discussed with Ops 4 Squadron‘. This is significant as No 4 Squadron flew ground attack Harrier jets from RAF Gutersloh in Germany in 1990. Pairs of pilots from squadron were undergoing training for low-flying exercises at the outbreak of the Gulf War.
The re-tasking is covered by a note from another DI branch dated 29 January 1992. But the remainder of the file tells us nothing about what happened next. From here the paper trail goes cold.
I find this hard to believe. Iraq invaded Kuwait on 2 August 1990. The picture was taken 4 August 1990. I thing it is unlikely that the Royal Air Force had started training specifically for a War within 2 days of the invasion.This document also mentions the task had ‘already [been] discussed with Ops 4 Squadron‘. This is significant as No 4 Squadron flew ground attack Harrier jets from RAF Gutersloh in Germany in 1990. Pairs of pilots from squadron were undergoing training for low-flying exercises at the outbreak of the Gulf War.
Sorry if I've overlooked it, but what is the source for the 'retask'? (I searched Metabunk for 'retask 1991' but didn't get anything except your post above!)
Attached are 5 (five) vu-foils of an unidentified flying object. Please produce line drawings of object with size and dimension where possible. This is a retask of an original passed in Sept 90. Original negatives are not available.
1. Task already discussed with Ops 4 Sqn
3. Since revisit exists official tasking would be in order, but sensitivity of material suggests very special handling. Suggest therefore an ad hoc on DI55's IP 4005 with minimum handling by listed personnel.
Please return all material to DI55c1.
29 Nov 91
The picture was taken 4 August 1990. I thing it is unlikely that the Royal Air Force had started training specifically for a War within 2 days of the invasion.
Only if that's a real plane in the photo. If it's simply a double exposed silhouette, then there is no plane to find.i have a feeling that the planes and their departures somehow are important to this story, and i dont know why.
1991 corresponds to Nick Pope's arrival, perhaps he initiated the retask.So what happened to revive interest in 1991?
1991 corresponds to Nick Pope's arrival, perhaps he initiated the retask.
How confident are folks that the date that the photo was taken is accurately reported?Only if that's a real plane in the photo. If it's simply a double exposed silhouette, then there is no plane to find.
I was only answering the question why 4 Squadron might have been contacted in 1991. I believe the a/c in the photo is a Harrier. Where it came from and who was flying it (or any other type a/c for that matter) can only be determined with certainty by reviewing the maintenance and operations records for the date in question for the entire RAF fast jet inventory in the UK.237 OCU at Lossiemouth had Hunters and Buckaneers at this point. No Harriers.
its the closest mil.airfield to Calvine.
if i make a ( fictional ) reconstruction timeline :
- 2 witnesses start to see a UFO for in total 10 mins.
- after 6 (?) mins of their encounter jets appear.
- 4 mins later UFO disappears vertically towards the sky.
- So how long would it take to fly a Hunter toward the location if they flew from Lossiemouth ?
- How long would it take a Harrier to get to the location from ( unknown for me ) nearest mil.airfield with Harriers at that time ?
they saw it around 09:15 pm ( correct me if i am wrong ) so what time would a Radarpost detect the object and scramble 2 jets ?
i have a feeling that the planes and their departures somehow are important to this story, and i dont know why.
Article: The mention of No.4 Squadron Operations appears to confirm that enquiries about the object were made with at least one unit operating the Harrier ground-attack jet. This squadron was based at RAF Gütersloh in Germany at the time and equipped with Harrier GR.3s but was on the point of converting to the new GR.5 variant. Several pilots from the unit were undergoing conversion training in Surrey and Arizona at that time. Some of the remaining No.4 Squadron Harrier GR.3s may have returned to Britain for exercises and low-flying training in September 1990 due to a complete ban on the latter being in force in Germany at the time. In October 2021, Graeme Rendall checked the Operations Record Books for the various front-line units operating the Harrier at the time (No.1, No.3 and No.4 Squadrons) but found no reference to any aircraft that might have been flying over Scotland on the day of the incident.
How confident are folks that the date that the photo was taken is accurately reported?
No mention of Rendall having checked the records of the RAF Harrier OCU(s), FAA units, or any test/development/trials units that might have been operating any Harrier variant in Aug 1990.Apparently Graeme Rendall has put quite a bit of work into trying to locate where the Harriers were at the time, as mentioned in this nicely-written summary that covers most of the things we've talked about in this thread:
Article: The mention of No.4 Squadron Operations appears to confirm that enquiries about the object were made with at least one unit operating the Harrier ground-attack jet. This squadron was based at RAF Gütersloh in Germany at the time and equipped with Harrier GR.3s but was on the point of converting to the new GR.5 variant. Several pilots from the unit were undergoing conversion training in Surrey and Arizona at that time. Some of the remaining No.4 Squadron Harrier GR.3s may have returned to Britain for exercises and low-flying training in September 1990 due to a complete ban on the latter being in force in Germany at the time. In October 2021, Graeme Rendall checked the Operations Record Books for the various front-line units operating the Harrier at the time (No.1, No.3 and No.4 Squadrons) but found no reference to any aircraft that might have been flying over Scotland on the day of the incident.
Not very.
Very very unlikely that any of these would have been flying at 9pm on a Saturday evening.No mention of Rendall having checked the records of the RAF Harrier OCU(s), FAA units, or any test/development/trials units that might have been operating any Harrier variant in Aug 1990.
You could be right, but the only way to be sure would be to check the records.Very very unlikely that any of these would have been flying at 9pm on a Saturday evening.
See post #44Where was it said the object was silent ?
The incident report has no mention of sound as far as I can see
One last hypothesis - this is a close-up of the shoot of a Scot's pine (Pinus sylvestris) and the horizontal reed-like appendages which appear to emerge from a trunk are the pine's needles.
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google search: pdf then titleAnybody got a copy of Nick Pope's book 'Open Skies, Closed Minds'? If so, could we get a screenshot of what he says in it about Calvine? Couldn't find an excerpt online.
The 'Hopeless Diamond' flew in c. mid 70s to prove that its radical design sharp edged faceting) worked. It did, and it was decided to develop and put into service the F-117. What would a model of it be doing over Scotland 15 years later?
sign up for a free account. or:Thanks. It's only missing 290 pages.![]()
Not sure what the point is my friend. Pope is a bit of a UK Elizando with a self-inflated CV and an eye for UFO mystery mongering and invoking Bob Lazar. IF the Aurora ever existed, I doubt it would be buzzing a highway in Scotland.Here's 179 and end of chapter:
Next chapter is him saying he's convinced that there's no UFO cover-up by the UK government.
You mean like a string? Also, go ahead and "insert" your photos into you comments. Makes it easier to see.There appears to be ( don't laugh I am being serious ) some kind of antenna or thin protrusion from the middle top of the ' ufo'.
I just did my friendYou mean like a string? Also, go ahead and "insert" your photos into you comments. Makes it easier to see.
it's like google books, some pages are available here and there. if you search a term you sometimes get the page or you sometimes just get the search snippet.Nice. Didn't think to search a text that says "not available". Great tip.
it doesnt really seem in the right position for a wire. the object is "hairy" all over, and that seems to me just a slightly longer hair. (im using the term hair because ive never seen that in other photos i've enlarged. maybe furry is better description. like Oscar the grouch furry..do you think the hairs are normal?)Is this said or could it possible be the reflection of a wire of some kind?
I used to own a K1000. I never really tried double exposures but it probably could be done. To rewind the film, you had a little button on the bottom. This disengaged the film advance. All you would have to do is press the button down and cock the film advance. The film would not move and the shutter would be re-armed allowing a double exposure. I am sure there were other ways to trick the camera into allowing a multiple exposure. I recall that my nikon FM2 had a multiple exposure lever on the advance mechanism. You just pressed it and it allowed you to cock the mechanism but not advance the film.I then remove the UV guide filter, adjust the focus and click the shudder open. I now have a picture of the sky, fence and trees with my UFO hovering there. Now the only real bit of trickery, is that my camera has to allow me to open the shutter again without advancing the film. I don't recall my old K1000 being able to do this, but I don't think its insurmountable. Assuming I can do this, it's off to step 2.
Well it is definitely 'on' the photograph.it doesnt really seem in the right position for a wire. the object is "hairy" all over, and that seems to me just a slightly longer hair. (im using the term hair because ive never seen that in other photos i've enlarged. maybe furry is better description. like Oscar the grouch furry..do you think the hairs are normal?)