devices or not, it seemed fairly certain there was more than one type
of saucer.

The more I studied the evidence, the harder it was to believe that
this was an earth-made ship. Such a wingless rocket ship would require
tremendous jet power to keep it in the air. Even our latest jet
bombers could not begin to approach its performance.

Going back over the Project "Saucer" preliminary report, I found
strong evidence that the Air Force was worried. In their
investigation, Project teams had screened 225 military and civilian
flight schedules. After nine months, they reported that the mysterious
object was no conventional aircraft.

On April 27, 1949, the Air Force admitted that Project "Saucer" had
failed to find the answer. The "space ship" was officially listed as
unidentified.

"But Wright Field is still working on it," an Air Force officer told
me. "Both Chiles and Whitted are responsible pilots, and McKelvie has
a reputation for making careful statements. Even without the Robbins
Field confirmation, no one could doubt that they saw something."

The Chiles-Whitted "space ship" was not the first of this type to be
reported. Another wingless aircraft was sighted in August 1947, by two
pilots for an Alabama flying service. It was at Bethel, Alabama, just
after sunset, when a huge black wingless craft swept across their
course. Silhouetted against the evening sky, it loomed larger than a
C-54. The pilots saw no wings, motors, or jet exhausts.