Disappearance of Frederick Valentich

Twenty-year-old Frederick Valentich disappeared while on a 125-mile (235 km) training flight in a Cessna 182L light aircraft over Bass Strait in Australia on Saturday, 21 October 1978.

The self confessed UFO enthusiast radioed Melbourne Air Traffic Control stating that he was "being tracked by a saucer shaped object," but that "no tea cup was (is) present."

Soon after this transmission a dull metal on metal sound can be heard and then static.

It's interesting to note that the metal on metal sound has nothing to do with the clash between Heavy and Death metals.

### Frederick Valentich

As a semi competent pilot Valentich had logged many flight hours and was training to be a commercial pilot, however he had failed several attempts along with being rejected from joining the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) due to what can be described "shear incompetents"

It was only after his alleged "Abduction" that his own father, Guido, ratted him out as a UFO enthusiast, which has added weight to his outrageous claims, albeit at the point of his suspected death/abduction/disappearance.

### Search and Rescue

A sea and air search was undertaken that included oceangoing ship traffic, an RAAF Lockheed P-3 Orion aircraft, plus eight civilian aircraft. The search encompassed over 1,000 square miles. Search efforts ceased on 25 October 1978, a mere 4 days after his disappearance.

### Proposed Explanations

Some have speculated that Valentich orchestrated his own disappearance in order to escape debtors who were seeking payment for illegal baby racing.

Another possible explanation is that he was drunk on power and crystal meth and simply imagined the whole event before ditching into the ocean.

Many believe that he was simply flying upside down and had seen his own lights reflected in the water "above him" This would account for grandiose comment heard at the supposed point of impact: "Ohh my gorgeous locks are filling the cabin like a waterfall!" However this could be construed as "drunk talk!"

### Ufologists

Ufologists have speculated that extraterrestrials either destroyed Valentich's aircraft or abducted him, asserting that some individuals reported seeing "an erratically moving green light in the sky" and that he was "in a steep dive at the time". Ufologists believe these accounts are significant because of the "green light" mentioned in Valentich's radio transmissions.

UFO group Ground Saucer Watch, based in Phoenix, Arizona, claims that photos taken that day by plumber Roy Manifold show a fast-moving object exiting the water near Cape Otway lighthouse.[10] Though the pictures were not clear enough to identify the object, UFO groups argue that they show "a bona fide unknown flying object, of moderate dimensions, apparently surrounded by a cloud-like vapour/exhaust residue".

UFO group Ground Saucer Watch, based in Phoenix, Arizona, claims that photos taken that day by plumber Roy Manifold show a fast-moving object exiting the water near Cape Otway lighthouse, being a plumber he is used to fast moving things leaving the water at speed. Though the pictures were not clear enough to identify the object, UFO groups argue that they show "a bona fide unknown flying object, of moderate dimensions, apparently surrounded by a cloud-like vapour/exhaust residue".