This article was published in the daily newspaper The Airdrie Echo, British Columbia, Canada, on November 26, 2003.
26 November 2003
Paul Wells
Echo Editor
Airdrie Echo - A British Columbia-based UFO researcher says a story which appeared in the Echo in September regarding sightings in the Airdrie area has spurred others to come forward with their experiences with strange lights in the sky.
Brian Vike, director of HBCC UFO Research and a regular contributor to TV and radio shows as a UFO expert, said numerous sightings of unidentified objects in the area over the past months has ensured that Airdrie has entered the lexicon of the UFO community.
"I do a weekly radio show (in B.C.) and I mentioned to the host that I have received a number of reports from the (Airdrie) area and we talked about the latest one, which came in on air," Vike said.
"I have been doing many radio shows (in Canada and the U.S.) and I always include information about the sightings in your area."
The original article contained a rundown of three of the most recent sightings in the area which occurred from July through September. That article can be found at www.airdrieecho.com under the archive section.
Since that time, Vike has received reports of more sightings which have occurred recently. These include:
- Aug. 18, 2003, 2:30 p.m. - According to Vike, a man called HBCC UFO Research's toll-free UFO hotline to report a strange sight he witnessed while driving on Highway 2 from Calgary to Airdrie.
"He watched a small white light cross the highway in the distance ahead of him and the ball of light turned in his direction. The witness said he observed the light getting closer and all of a sudden the object stopped - still a ways away from him - and changed from a ball of light into a craft of some type. He reported no sound being heard. I asked if he might be able to determine the size of it and he said that when it was in the distance, it could have been approximately the size of his fingernail but when it headed in his direction and got very close, in his words, 'It was huge.'"
The witness said the object came to a complete stop and sat stationary for a period of time before he lost sight of it.
- Sept. 15, 2003, 8:33 p.m. - (The following is an e-mail report received by Vike.) "I noticed an article in the Airdrie Echo the other day and wondered if you had an explanation for something my daughter and I saw Friday night (Sept. 26). We were looking west of the Big Dipper and saw what looked like an exceptionally bright star (brighter than anything I have seen before).
"We were trying to figure out if it was a planet or something, and it just dimmed out to nothing in a matter of 10 seconds or less. It didn't move at all, just dimmed to a faint point, then we couldn't see it anymore.
- Oct. 27, 2003, 11 p.m. - Vike said a man called him Nov. 3 to make a report after reading the Echo article.
"He was talking to his neighbours and they asked him if he had witnessed anything strange on Oct. 27 at around 11 p.m. He said no and asked what it was these folks saw.
"The couple said they were outside of their home looking west toward the mountains and witnessed five very bright flashes in different parts of the sky. All the flashes that were witnessed were very low in the horizon and at least 100 times brighter than a regular flash one would see from a camera.
"Also, the flashes were very large in size. They also mentioned the lights were at a great distance away from their location."
Having been a UFO researcher for many years, Vike said his routine is to first attempt to offer such rational explanations as weather patterns, satellites or meteors for such sightings.
"I do know that (UFO sightings) is sometimes a very strange topic... but I honestly do look for rational explanations for such sightings," he said. "Most times, I can offer an explanation of what the folks witnessed, but then I have many cases which also go unsolved."
Vike can be contacted via e-mail at hbccufo@telus.net or toll-free at 1-866-262-1989.
