This article was published in the daily newspaper The Denver Post, Denver, Colorado, USA, July 2, 1947.
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PORTLAND, Ore., July 2. -- (AP) -- The report of a long-time west coast pilot was added Wednesday to the growing accounts of "flying saucers" over the West.
Richard Rankin, veteran of more than 7,000 hours in the air, said he saw the much-debated mystery disks high over Bakersfield, Calif., and going "maybe 300 or 400 miles an hour."
There were ten in formation flying north, he told a reported, but "when they returned on the reverse course, headed south, there were only seven..."
"ALMOST ROUND"
"I couldn't make out the number or location of their propellers and couldn't distinguish any wings or tail. They appeared almost round," he said.
Rankin said he saw them June 23, but hesitated to describe what he saw until he noted others were reporting the same thing.
"At first, he continued, he assumed he had seen the XF5U-1, the experimental Navy "Flying Flapjack." The Navy since has announced that it had only one XF5U-1, and it has not left Connecticut.
Rankin, ex-Portlander who now lives in Palm Springs, Calif., and a brother of the late John H. (Tex) Rankin, pioneer stunt flier, said he observed the "planes" from the ground.
MORE REPORTS.
New reports meanwhile came in from three Oregon cities, Astoria, Madras and Portland. The Portlanders making the report, Mr. and Mrs Herbert Baillet, said they disbelieved stories about the "saucers" until they saw at least ten of them winging noiselessly high over the Columbia river Tuesday.
Still another such account came from four states away. At Albuquerque, N.M., Max Hood, Chamber of commerce executive, told of seeing "a disc-like bluish object following a zig-zag path in the northwestern sky" only Tuesday night. It disappeared in about half a minute, he said.
There have been similar reports the past several days from other points in New Mexico, west Texas and Oklahoma.
