UFOs - Leslie Kean [103]
Now, as of early 2010, I have returned to my post as director of the CEFAA. We have three full-time investigators and many new cases to study.
In summary, I am convinced that UFOs exist and are a reality that cannot remain unacknowledged by governments. The phenomena are evident in all parts of the world and no efforts in their study should be neglected. Toward this end, international cooperation is vital to generate standards for protocols and policies for data analysis. Personally, according to my best judgment, I am in agreement with the findings of the French COMETA Report: There is a high probability UFOs are of extraterrestrial origin. However, until that hypothesis can be either confirmed or disproved, we should abstain from falling into the domains of either philosophy or religion. On the other hand, we should not discard that hypothesis just because it may sound harebrained. We need to put it through rigorous scientific analysis so we can come to viable conclusions.
Thirty-three-year-old Captain Bravo is the youngest of our contributors, and the only one currently on active duty in the military. I had a chance to spend a few days with him in late 2007, when he spoke at our Washington press conference with the permission of the Chilean authorities. Though Captain Bravo has never had a UFO sighting himself, he has become a meticulous investigator of pilot reports and an authority on this subject in his country.
II. Captain Rodrigo Bravo Garrido
Since the beginning of Chilean history there have been reports of unidentified phenomena, sometimes called UFOs, observed in our skies. Over the years, we have increased our capacity to explain many of the sightings, but there continue to be others without a scientific or logical explanation. In 1997, defense-related analysis was conducted within the telecommunications industry that touched on the issue of anomalous phenomena and their effects on electromagnetic fields. Cases were noted where there was a blockage of radio communications concurrent with the presence of a UFO near an aircraft.
Recognizing the potential impact on aviation safety, in October 1997 the Department of Civil Aeronautics, which is under the direct oversight of the chief commander of the Chilean Air Force, set up the Committee for the Study of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena, known as the CEFAA. In cooperation with aeronautic specialists, this agency handles the solid, well-documented reports of unidentified aerial phenomena.
In 2000, at age twenty-four, I was in training to become a military pilot. For my thesis, submitted the following year, I was assigned to pursue research into anomalous aerial phenomena in order to determine their effect and impact on aerospace security. The aviation branch of the Army of Chile,7 BAVE, had in its files many reports from military pilots describing incidents during flight involving aerial phenomena that did not correspond to normal air traffic. These incidents posed a potential threat to air safety.
One of our most important civil aviation cases occurred in 1988 and showed that unidentified flying objects can be a danger for air operations. A Boeing 737 pilot, on a final approach to the runway at the Tepual Airport in Puerto Montt City, south of Santiago, suddenly encountered a large white light surrounded by green and red. The light was moving toward the airplane, coming straight at it, and the pilot had to make a steep turn to the left in order to avoid a collision. The phenomenon was also observed by the control tower personnel.
More recently, in 2000, the crew of a Chilean plane from the aviation branch of the Army, flying