SUBJECT: MORE ON ED WALTERS UFO PHOTOGRAPHS FILE: UFO2529
The following is a letter from Don Ware and Charles Flannigan
concerning a recent article in the Pensacola News Journal
dealing with the Ed Walters UFO photographs. The letter was
sent to both the Pensacola News Journal and the Gulf Breeze
Sentinel.
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October 30, 1990
Dear Editor,
As the primary investigators of the famous Gulf Breeze UFO
case now involving over 70 photographs, Charles Flannigan
and I feel we must comment on the "road shot." This photo,
#19, has received doubtful comment in newspapers and TV
recently. One investigator said that the reflection on the road
doesn't form a round spot, so the photo most be a double
exposure. A careful look at the surface of Shoreline Drive,
191B where the UFO hovered, will help explain the reflection
resulting from the large bright light source on the bottom of
the UFO.
Looking down on the surface, you can see that about 30% is
mostly white with some tan rock. This rock has a hard smooth
surface. It is embedded in comparatively soft dark asphalt,
and the light colored rocks have become oriented with mostly
flat surfaces up. Over time, some asphalt has worn away 1 to
2 millimeters below the hard rock surfaces. A series of photos
taken with a 100,000 candlepower light shining at various
angles on the road shows enhanced reflectivity at shallow
angles. This seems to be the result of spectral reflection from
the light colored rocks. Because the asphalt is worn down
below the surface of the rock, only the rock is visible when
looking farther down the road. This causes more photons to
reach the camera than you would normally expect from
light reflected at a small angle. Now the shape of the
reflection from the UFO becomes easier to understand.
For those who still have doubts about the authenticity
of this photo, you might look carefully at two photos in a
copy of THE GULF BREEZE SIGHTINGS. Turn to page 129 and
look at the daylight photo of the road. Compare the brightness
of the double-yellow line between the hood and windshield
wiper with the brightness near the spot where the UFO hovered.
Now look one page back at photo #19 and make the same
comparison. (Good light is helpful here.) The double-yellow
line appears brighter near the UFO. This tells us that light
from the UFO is reflecting off the line; hence, NO DOUBLE
EXPOSURE (emphasis theirs).
We have had the good fortune of getting to know Ed and
Frances Walters well since our extensive investigation of the
many Gulf Breeze UFO encounters of 1987 and '88. They are
two of the most considerate, hard-working, and lovable people
we know. They have shown great courage and composure
under public attack by several UFO debunkers. We wish them
the best of luck in all of their endeavors, whether it is a $1-a-
year job or the sale of a mind-broadening book.
Charles D. Flannigan
MUFON Field Investigator
State Director
Donald M. Ware
MUFON Field Investigator
Eastern Region Director
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