Fleet, Near Farnborough, Hants, UK 1992 – 1994
[2nd Publication 19/10/2019]
Location of Sighting: Fleet (nr. Farnborough), Hampshire
Date of Sighting: 1992 – 1994
Time: 12-12:30 (Lunchtime)
Witness Name: *.*.*******
Witness Statement: I've lived in Farnborough since 1971, and I've witnessed a few strange things at night (humming noise and lights) but this one event stands out and it's always bothered me, it's a great mystery.
It happened way back in the early 1990's, I think between 1992 and 1994. It was a sunny day with clear blue skies, so I guess it was somewhere between Spring and Autumn.
It was my lunch-hour, between 12 and 12:30, I was driving towards the multi-storey (Albert Street) in Fleet to do some shopping; the car park was up the road on my left, in the direction of Farnborough (and the RAE) which was about 2 miles away.
The first thing I noticed were the cars in front of me slowing and stopping, some people even getting out of their cars and pointing excitedly and anxiously up the road towards the horizon. I looked, and saw a large dark disk shape (possibly very large, it was hard to tell the distance). It was moving very, very slowly and silently from left to right with it's nose pointed up at about 45 degrees.
This was a very strange altitude for an aircraft, and this looked nothing like any aircraft I'd ever seen.
Was it an Airship (or Dirigible) I momentarily wondered? A likely explanation given Farnborough's aviation history; but no, I've seen enough of them in my time, this thing looked nothing like an Airship, it seemed solid, metallic even, had no signs of outboard motors powering it, and was a perfect saucer shape.
I'm convinced it was no Airship.
I saw dozens of people staring in utter disbelief, mouths wide open, some looked scared, others excited and jumping up and down. One man walking along the pavement stopped suddenly with a start and dropped both his shopping bags; it was almost like something out of a movie.
I didn't just get a fleeting glimpse of this UFO, I watched it for about 1 minute (possibly shorter, but certainly at least 30 seconds) along with everyone else.
I'd stopped in traffic to observe, mouth wide open in disbelief, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
As if this wasn't enough, with a sudden roar, 2 black military helicopters (I think they were Gazelles) flew in, straight up the road from behind me heading directly for''the disc'... as if on an intercept course.
Then it seemed I'd lose sight of the strange object over the horizon, but I just had to see what would happen when the helicopters reached it; so I quickly drove up the car parks' circular ramp, made my way to the top (open air) floor (only 1 storey up) so I'd get a good look at it.
So I lost sight of it for all of about 1 minute. I flew out my car and rushed to the side of the car park for a good view, I was excited but also anxious and kind of a little scared.
But, I saw nothing. The UFO had disappeared, and there was no sign of the helicopters.
From where I was, I should have got a perfect view but there was absolutely nothing to be seen. Everything felt very weird and wrong, the cars that had stopped and all the excited people had already moved on... it was as if it never happened!
It's plagued me for years, did I dream it? No; I told a UFO enthusiast at work about it the moment I got back from lunch and it's something they regularly bought up in conversation for several years. Whatever I saw I saw that lunchtime, in my car - I wasn't asleep at the wheel!
All the people that I witnessed looking at it, and yet nothing appeared in the local press.
Things to take away: I'm a professional engineer and a totally normal rational person, I got a good look at this; not just a fleeting glimpse... my eyes were not playing tricks, lots of other people saw it and were similarly gob-smacked by what they were seeing.
I've always lived in Farnborough. What I saw was NOT normal or easily explained.
And the helicopters? Black, maybe unmarked, military helicopters, racing towards it at full speed.
What was it all about? And why am I the only one (possibly) who seems to remember it?
