Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
The next episode in our series covers Chile's government organization CEFAA translated into
English, "The Committee for the Study of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena."
Chile is one of the few countries around the world that has a government-backed UFO research
organization. In Spanish UFOs are referred to as OVNIs. In 1997 the country publicly
recognized it was experiencing UFO sightings. Some incidents could not be explained by natural
phenomena and could not be identified as any type of man-made object.
Even before 1997 commercial and military pilots in Chile had reported lights meddling in their
flight paths. The lights could not be explained by air traffic control because no other flights
were scheduled in the area. Chile's aviation authority expressed the need to establish
an organization to collect information on anomalous observations as they were taking
place.
In Chile the Department of Civil Aeronautics is referred to as DGAC. It is the equivalent
of the United States' Federal Aviation Administration. The DGAC set up CEFAA in October of 1997 to
collect, analyze and study all reports of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in cooperation
with aeronautic specialists to determine if security is being compromised. The committee
is dedicated to conducting serious, objective and scientific investigations.
Although the committee was organized in 1997 they maintained a low profile due to shortage
of funds and lack of interest, but in 2009 the organization was revitalized when the
annual budget was increased. The officials in Chile have determined that some UFOs are
real and may pose a threat to air safety operations, and they should be officially investigated
worldwide.
One of the sightings leading up to the foundation of CEFAA is the Arica case. On October 7th
1997 an aircraft from the Chilean Army was doing a nighttime test flight at the Chacalluta
(cha-ca-you-ta) Airport in Arica. The controller was receiving numerous phone calls from the
city. He contacted the pilot who confirmed that he could see a light to the west that
was changing position at high speed. The following is an excerpt from the official audio communication
released in 2011 by Chile's largest daily newspaper.
CEFAA has internal research consultants and external advisors from universities and other
institutions who are experts in various fields of study such as nuclear chemistry, aerospace
medicine, astronomy, physics, and satellite imaging. Each branch of the Armed Forces and
the Police has representatives also. Most reports come from pilots, air traffic controllers,
and personnel directly involved with the airlines. If anything unusual is reported to the Control
Tower, CEFAA is notified immediately.
When a report is received a basic check begins, first they rule out natural phenomenon and
common misidentifications such as satellites or weather balloons. CEFAA procedures also
require information of the sighting be sent to other relevant agencies. If a sighting
remains unexplained or if there are safety aspects that need to be addressed, a full
investigation begins. If the case warrants, support can be requested from national and
even international organizations. Other countries such as Uruguay have official agreements to
exchange data.
If there is photo or video evidence the investigation continues with an image study where the committee
analyzes the possibility of phenomena that could have affected the images. Then they
generate a hypothesis and use software to apply filters that improve the image quality
or decompose the image. These techniques may offer a broader understanding of the photos
that could lead to different explanations.
According to OpenMinds journalist Antonio Huneeus, Chile has logged every type of UFO
sighting, from radar visual and landing cases to scrambled jets and stalled motors. Antonio
has been effective throughout his career incorporating the Spanish speaking population to expand
the overall understanding of the UFO phenomenon. [SOT -- interview clip] [start/end]
The current director of CEFAA is retired Air Force General, Ricardo Bermudez. In 2012 he
gave a presentation at the International UFO Congress
We also had a chance to interview General Bermudez after his lecture at the conference.
When witnesses are involved their identities are usually kept confidential. Witnesses complete
a feedback form and then CEFAA conducts an interview if necessary. Once all the information
relating to the investigation is collected and analyzed a report is filed and the case
is labeled "resolved", "pending" or "unresolved/UAP". In 2011 out of 183 cases, only 12 were considered
unresolved.
In 2010 the CEFAA representative from the Chilean Army, Major Rodrigo Bravo published
"Ufology Aeronautics - a new concept in the study of UFOs". It's the first book published
by a military pilot in Chile who is currently in active duty. Bravo is not new to the study
of UFOs, back in the year 2000, he wrote an official thesis titled, "Introduction to Anomalous
Aerial Phenomena and its Implications for Aerospace Security." He also maintains a blog
called "Contingency UFO" [ecobufon.blogspot.com]. Major Bravo is also well known in the U.S.
as a panelist at the National Press Club event organized by filmmaker James Fox and journalist
Leslie Kean in November 2007
He is also one of the contributors in Kean's book, UFOs -- Generals, Pilots, and Government
Officials Go On the Record.
Earlier this year the Center for UFO Research collaborated with Kent Senter and Leslie Kean
to present a more evidence-based approach to researching UFO sightings. The result was
the Symposium on Official and Scientific Investigations of Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon. We were
able to interview CEFAA researcher Jose Lay at the symposium.
Former NASA research scientist Dr. Richard Haines founded the National Aviation Reporting
Center on Anomalous Phenomena (NARCAP) in 1999. In December of 2010 the CEFAA and NARCAP signed an official joint research
agreement. Reports from this joint research effort can be downloaded from the CEFAA website.
The website also contains photos and audio recordings from other unsolved cases. Historical
cases, news and current events are also featured. The case known as "El Bosque" is very fascinating.
General Bermúdez presented the details of this case at the International UFO Conference
in 2012 and Leslie Kean followed up with series of articles on huffingtonpost.com that explain
the analysis of the investigation.
On the morning of November 5th 2010 at El Bosque Air Base in Santiago during a Change
of Command ceremony, a group of fighter jets performed an air show. 7 different spectators
filmed the fly by and the same anomalous object appeared in each of the 7 videos. Images show
it as a dome-shaped, flat-bottomed object with no visible means of propulsion. The rounded
top reflects the sun and appears metallic; the bottom is darker and flat. The object
emits some form of energy, which is visible in photo analysis. Infrared studies show the
entire object radiating heat like the jets. Although some Chilean Ufologists and skeptics
have suggested that bugs and insects were flying near the cameras, General Bermúdez
does not accept that explanation. He stated via email, "At this time, this incident cannot
be scientifically explained. As agreed by those who have studied the videos, we can
affirm that there is an unidentified aerial object present. We do not know what it is
or where it came from."
When it comes to official UFO disclosure, Chile is now leading the way. Let's hope that
other nations will also join and work together to solve these captivating mysteries. You
can find additional information on CEFAA.cl or search OpenMinds.tv
For your need to know I'm
Tina Goodson