Fort Macleod: RCAF pilot photographs disc
On August 27, 1956, RCAF pilot Robert Childerhose photographed a bright disc-shaped object at lower altitude while flying at 36,000 feet near Fort Macleod, Alberta. Analysis indicated it radiated over a gigawatt of power.
Background
Witness and Circumstances
Robert James "Chick" Childerhose, a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot, was flying in formation with four F-86 Sabre jets almost due west over the Canadian Rocky Mountains near Fort Macleod, Alberta on August 27, 1956 at 19:20. He was in second position on the left side, at 36,000 feet and a ground speed of around 460 mph, as he approached a large thundercloud (cumulonimbus).
Sighting and Photography
At a much lower altitude, Childerhose noticed a bright, sharply outlined, disc-shaped light that looked like a gleaming silver dollar lying flat. He took a colour photograph of it. The image was later analysed and indicated that the object was radiating more than a gigawatt of power within the film's spectral range.
Sources and Analyses
The event is documented in sources such as NICAP reports, articles by Michael E. King (Flying Saucers, 1958), an interview with Childerhose (Toronto Telegram, 1965), and studies by Phil Klass, the Condon Report, Jacques Vallée, Bruce Maccabee, Peter A. Sturrock, Richard F. Haines, Chris Rutkowski, and Geoff Dittman. It is regarded as a significant case with physical evidence in the form of the photograph.