Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology
February 8, 2007-DATE: 02.08.07
Captain Rodrigo Bravo recounted the experiences of several pilots with unidentified flying objects
during an international conference on the subject, presenting videos and photographs **
07:45 a.m. - the Chilean Army, during an unprecedented event, disclosed last night a series
of sightings and encounters between military pilots and unidentified flying objects (UFO).
Captain Rodrigo Bravo, with authorization of the Army Command, took part in an international
discussion of the subject, held in the resort city of Viña del Mar, in which he disclosed "spectacular" experiences in various
parts of Chile.
Bravo presented videos and photographs during the meeting while discussing the encounters that
pilots of his branch had undergone in the past 10 years.
Chile, with 15.5 million inhabitants, ranks fifth in the world when it comes to the highest
number of UFO sightings, after the United States, Peru, Brazil and Russia.
Over 600 sightings have been recorded in this country, particularly in the northern region,
over the past 60 years. This area has also been the scenario for cases considered startling, including "CE3K" -type contacts
with extraterrestrials.
The Army officer recalled that on April 2, 1997, in the city of Arica's Chacalluyta airport,
the pilot of a T-212 figthter aircraft witnessed an elongated orange object in the sky for nine minutes.
Another incident of similar characteristics took place in early 2000 in the southern region
of Los Lagos, while three military helicopters flew by in broad daylight.
"The crew members witnessed an object on the ground that swiftly rose to the same altitude as
the aircraft, positioning itself in front of them, almost on a collision course," said Captain Bravo to an audience that saturated
the facilities of the Viña del Mar municipal theater.
He added that the unidentified flying object vanished at high speed after engaging in zig-zagging
movements.
Subsequently, on March 18 of that year, in the locality of Graneros, some 70 kilometers south
of Santiago, the crew of a military aircraft claimed having seen an elongated, lead-colored object that took off at high speed
after having flown beside them.
"All of these cases are certified by the Comité de Estudios de Fenómenos Aéreos Anómalos (CEFFA),
the best suited in Chile for this type of research," added the military man.
Rodrigo Fuenzalida, director of the Agrupación de Investigaciones Ovniológicas de Chile (AION),
told EFE that having the Army's cooperation sets the example for mature behavior on the part of "this institution, which consented
to open its files and have them subjected to serious scrutiny."
Fuenzalida maintains that all that is needed now is for the Government to assume a similar posture
and support the opening of these files, which has occurred in such countries as Brazil.
UFO sightings "are no longer a novelty" and experts claim that 60 million people worldwide have
witnessed this phenomenon, although only ten percent of these experiences are made known, due to the fear of being ridiculed.
(translation (c) 2006. Scott Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to Ing. Marco Reynoso, Fundacion
Cosmos, A.C.)
Source & References:
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/405445.html
http://www.ufocasebook.com/chilethreereports.html
EFE news agency