July 4th of 1947: Flight 105 and Their UFO Story.

Greetings. A UFO story. 

The sighting of an unidentified flying object by the crew of Flight 105 occurred on July 4th of 1947. Three crew members aboard a United Airlines flight reported seeing multiple unidentified flying objects in the skies over the Pacific Northwest. The incident was among at least 800 similar sightings reported in the United States within a few weeks during the summer of 1947, but the initial report made by professional pilots. The U.S. military ultimately attributed what the crew members saw to "ordinary aircraft, balloons, birds, or pure illusion," a conclusion that became more and more commonplace as the years passed.

At 9:04pm, Mountain Standard Time, United Airlines Flight 105, served by a Douglas DC-3, took off from Boise, Idaho, for a flight bound for Pendleton, Oregon. As the aircraft departed, the Boise tower jokingly suggested to "be on the lookout for flying saucers," a joke which places the situation at the time on full display. 

Approximately eight minutes into the flight, First Officer Ralph Stevens saw what he thought were one or more approaching aircraft in the twilight sky. He responded by blinking the landing lights of the DC-3 and alerting his co-pilot, Captain E. J. Smith. The two men sighted four or five objects, which they would later describe as "flat and circular." Captain Smith would tell the Associated Press that they were "bigger than aircraft," but would say to United Press that because of the objects' positions relative to the airliner, and I quote, "we can't say anything about their shape except that they were thin and were smooth on the bottom and rough appearing on the top. We can't say for sure if they were saucer-like, oval or anything else about their size." According to the men, one object was larger than the others, and they were flying in a "loose formation." The unidentified objects slowly disappeared, only to be replaced by four additional UFOs.

The DC-3 proceeded to follow the objects for about 10 to 15 minutes, which equated to about 45 miles of distance, or 72.4 kilometers. Smith and Stevens soon radioed the control tower in Ontario, Oregon, as well as another United Airlines flight flying east in the vicinity. Neither sighted the objects. The men called stewardess Marty Morrow, who was in the cabin of the airliner, but she did corroborate what they had allegedly witnessed. The eight passengers did not see the objects, but Smith would attribute this to the objects' positions being, and I quote, "mostly dead ahead of us and off the bow." Smith and Stevens were never able to catch up to the objects, all eventually either speeding off or lost to visual sight, according to the witnesses. 

The following day, press outlets nationwide reported on Smith's and Stevens's accounts of what they had claimed to have seen. One journalist, writing in 1948, recalled that "no report shook the incredulous so much as the account of Captain Emil J. Smith, veteran airline pilot, and his crew. Here was substance, something that seemed above flimsy reports. The whole affair reeked of humor, but the story of Captain Smith and his crew, like a very few other reports, suggested a deeper, more authentic meaning running below the surface of the nation's belly laugh. These were reportedly competent men shaken by their own eyesight. There was a substantial evidence which grew in the atmosphere of mirth."

Smith, Stevens, and Kenneth Arnold of the famous Arnold sighting from just a few weeks prior, were eventually photographed "comparing notes" on their individual sightings. The Idaho Statesman newspaper had Arnold and its aviation editor retrace the route of Flight 105 in a small plane owned and operated by the newspaper. They saw nothing out of the ordinary. Arnold later stated that he felt vindicated by the crew of Flight 105, explaining, "Everybody can't be seeing things. I might doubt myself, but can't doubt such observers as Capt. E. J. Smith." By July 12th, Arnold and Smith were interviewed by agents of the FBI and later that month, both men went to Seattle to investigate the Maury Island hoax, an alleged encounter with a malfunctioning flying object. 

The United States Air Force's Air Materiel Command ultimately concluded that, and I quote, "since the sighting occurred at sunset, when illusory effect are most likely, the objects could have been ordinary aircraft, balloons, birds, or pure illusion." The Air Force would later point out the power of suggestion likely influenced observers during the craze of the 1947 UFO wave.

Despite the official explanations, and the complete lack of anything tangible beyond the anecdotal, the claims of Flight 105 have become part of UFO folklore, conspiracy, and mythology. The story of Flight 105 will never fade away into obscurity. 

Thank you for your time and consideration.