A Very British UFO Hoax

[TwoShanks]

Just finished watching this show on channel 4..
Channel 4 set a challenge for a group of professional model makers (from Elstree Studios I believe) to build and fly a fake UFO. The show went through their process of designing and building the craft, it came out as a 25ft silver disk with flashing lights on four side points.

They flew it, by radio control, across a few miles of Avebury (notorious woo-woo territory because of the stone circles/crop circles in the area), then brought it down in a field and got away.

Then the show had a few interviews with people who were at the pub in the town, essentially a bunch of hippies. I thought this was the most interesting part, since they were asking people for descriptions of what they'd seen. The descriptions varied from "like a black ball" through to "a metallic disk about 100ft across". One person claimed that there was a big number 1 on the bottom of it. Just highlighted how distorted eye-witness accounts can be.

Very interesting television, and the craft they built looked very impressive, the video footage was probably the best UFO footage I've ever seen (they also included clips from news shows where they'd used this video, reported from UK through to Mexico and Australia).

Anyone else see this?

[Abdul Alhazred]

Originally posted by TwoShanks
Very interesting television, and the craft they built looked very impressive, the video footage was probably the best UFO footage I've ever seen (they also included clips from news shows where they'd used this video, reported from UK through to Mexico and Australia).

My favorite UFO footage is from one of the later Three Stooges shorts. The Stooges are at a picnic and a wind blown paper plate gets into a snapshot. Hilarity ensues.

Very much in tune with a skepical attitude.

Anyone else remember that one?

[Ed]

Originally posted by Abdul Alhazred


My favorite UFO footage is from one of the later Three Stooges shorts. The Stooges are at a picnic and a wind blown paper plate gets into a snapshot. Hilarity ensues.

Very much in tune with a skepical attitude.

Anyone else remember that one?

You Brits seem to get the most interesting shows.

Who was your favorite stooge?

[Abdul Alhazred]

Originally posted by Ed


You Brits seem to get the most interesting shows.

Who was your favorite stooge?

Not a Brit. This is one I remember from long ago.

The Stooges were introduced by "Officer Joe Bolton" on channel 5 in New York City back in mumble mumble.

No favorite Stooge, but I'm sure the third Stooge in the UFO episode must have been Joe Besser. Otherwise the time frame wouldn't be right.

Unless there was something paranormal going on. :D

[Pyrrho]

Originally posted by Abdul Alhazred
Not a Brit. This is one I remember from long ago.

The Stooges were introduced by "Officer Joe Bolton" on channel 5 in New York City back in mumble mumble.

No favorite Stooge, but I'm the third Stooge in the UFO episode must have Joe Besser. Otherwise the time frame wouldn't be right.

Unless there was something paranormal going on. :D
The episode is "Flying Saucer Daffy", 1958. Yup, it featured Joe Besser.

[Patricio Elicer]

Hi TwoShanks, that sounds very interesting. I'd love to know more. Do you have a link?

I've been debating on a Chilean UFO-related Forum lately, and the info regarding that experiment would be of a great value for me.

The UFO subject has become an important matter in Chile these days, since their proponents and fans are convincing members of the parlament to fund special committees for UFO investigations. Many respected politicians and high ranked members of the Air Force are buying the idea.

This seems to me to be a worthless effort, but I need convicing arguments against the proposal, and the experiment you just mentioned may be a good one. Thanks

[Soapy Sam]

Not quite sure what is achieved by flying a "real" UFO in these circumstances. No doubt some perfectly level headed people also saw it and were (rightly) convinced they had seen something very strange.

I once watched a model glider land on a steep hill slope. The reactions of a number of witnesses (including myself), all of whom thought they were watching a real glider, were interesting. Judging scale in the sky is very difficult.

[trotsky]

there is no link i've looked on the channel 4 site and it was a 1 off and has no page..

[Humphreys]

I saw the show TwoShanks. I couldn't believe how convincing the balloon looked once it was flying. It's just a shame it wasn't flown over a more crowded area I thought.

Right after that on ITV2 there was another excellent hoax program. It featured the famous alien autopsy, a very realistic Nessie fake, Bigfoot, and a debunking of the guy who was filming numerous UFO videos by using small models placed against very small trees. Anyone know his name? I think he has his own cult too.

T.V. shows seem to be changing here in the UK. I think this reflects changes in people's attitudes also. We now have the stage magician who exposes the psychic frauds - on fridays - these hoax shows and the BBC's horizon homeopathy test.

Also note the hugely skeptical approach taken to David Blaine's box stunt, and the skeptical reaction to Derren Browne's Russian Roulette trick.

Add that to the fact that Uri Geller is now a laughing stock and you'll have to agree things are looking up in Britain.

[Humphreys]

Here is a link on the hoax, from that nutter Jeff Rense of all people.

http://www.rense.com/general40/ufohoax.htm

[Patricio Elicer]

Thanks, Humphreys :)

[davidhorman]

and a debunking of the guy who was filming numerous UFO videos by using small models placed against very small trees. Anyone know his name? I think he has his own cult too.

Billy Meier/Mieir, something like that. He also claimed he was taken back in time and produced a poor photograph of a dinosaur. Turned out to be a photocopy from a National Geographic article or something.

David

[Humphreys]

Originally posted by davidhorman


Billy Meier/Mieir, something like that. He also claimed he was taken back in time and produced a poor photograph of a dinosaur. Turned out to be a photocopy from a National Geographic article or something.

David

That's the guy. He has a fairly big following of gullible fools apparently.

Haven't seen his dinosaur photograph, but on the same show they featured hoaxed, totally unconvincing dinosaur footage - it was a guy in costume - which had an actual scientist believing someone was in possession of a Tyrannosaurus.

Some people are stupid, even scientists.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Last night I saw the preview for Scary Movie 3. Looks like it's going to do up crop circles, along with many other things.

~~ Paul

[BlueRose]

The "eye-witness" actually COULD have seen a big number 1 on the bottom of the UFO...

To make it fly they makers had to fit a straight spoiler on the underside, painted silver.

When in the air the underside of the craft appeared black because it was reflecting the ground, except for the spoiler that was at a right angle and reflected the bright sky.

Hence a straight "1" or more like a "|" would have been seen from the ground......