Investigates Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sightings in Kaikoura, New Zealand in December 1978.
On December 21st, 1978 a sighting was made by Captain Vern Powell from a plane traveling from Blenheim to Christchurch of a bright light which was airborne, off the coast of the South Island. The object was also picked up on Blenheim and Wellington control tower radars. The object began to move then disappeared from the radar, and reappeared, tracking the aircraft for about 12 miles. Captain Powell also picked up an object moving towards him travelling at more than 10,000 miles an hour.
A film crew attempted to reconstruct the flight for a documentary, and set out the night of the 31st December 1978 to Christchurch. The pilot noticed some bright lights over Kaikoura, and called Wellington radar. The film crew on the flight deck watched as the objects hovered over the town. They were airborne, but impossible to capture on film. The object follows the aircraft then flies alongside the plane. Several airborne lights were captured on film. The witnesses relate their experiences. The plane returned from Christchurch to Wellington and again the bright light was seen. The cameraman looked at the object through the camera lens. The pilot decided to fly towards the object, and the narrator explains how the object stayed with the plane’s flight path. The camera man changed his lens and the object changed in size several times, suggesting it moved often.
Bruce Cathie has written a number of books on the subject of UFOs and feels strongly that this was ‘definite hardware’, i.e. UFOs. Cathie states that secret man-made machines are also a possibility. The Defence Ministry sent an Orion aircraft into the area a few days later to investigate the sightings. The Air Force put out a three page report without interviewing two key witnesses, and stated that the sighting was of Venus. The cameraman filmed both Venus and Jupiter, but these images did not match the UFO images.
An American optical physicist is certain the object filmed is not stars or any other object. The film concludes by stating the facts have been presented, but there are no conclusions. Never in the history of UFO encounters have so many people seen the same Unidentified Flying Objects.
Appearances by: Captain Bill Startup; First Officer Bob Guard; Captain Vern Powell; First Officer Ian Pirie; Captain Jim Howard; Captain Bruce Cathie; Wellington Air Traffic Controllers John Cordy, Andy Herd, Geoff Causer; Ngaire Crockett; Brent Crockett; David Crockett.