GLOSSARY

AF. Air Force.
AFB. Air Force Base.
ATIC. Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio. Home of the Project Blue Book UFO Investigation.
Blip. Spot on radar scope indicating the presence of an aircraft or other object.  Also called return” or “target.”
CAA. Civil Aeronautics Administration; now the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA).
CIA. Central Intelligence Agency.
CIRVIS. Communications Instructions for Reporting Vital Intelligence Sight­ings; intelligence network detailed in order by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, JANAP-146 (see below).
Contactee. A person who claims to have contacted a “spaceman;” usually in­volving alleged intelligent communication.
E-M case. Electro-magnetic case; see Appendix E.
Fact sheet. In the context of unidentified flying objects, refers to periodical Air Force publications by that name giving statistical summaries of re­cent UFO sightings.
Fireball. Very bright meteor.
Flap. Originally an Air Force term indicating general confusion; now connotes periods in which large numbers of UFOs are reported in a short period of time.
Foo-Fighter. Name given to unidentified flying objects which paced allied and enemy planes in World War II.
Fortean. Adjective implying odd or unusual happenings, such as the events chronicled by Charles Fort.
GCI. Ground Control Intercept (radar).
GOC. Ground Observer Corps; plane spotters formerly linked with radar networks for air defense.
Intercept(ion). Flying term for an attempt to overtake or head off unidentified aircraft or objects.
JANAP. Joint Army-Navy-Air Force Publication; specifically JANAP-146 out-lining secret transmission of UFO and other reports of objects considered to be a potential threat to the country.
Mother ship. A carrier aircraft that launches and receives onboard smaller aircraft or missiles in flight.
PIO. Public Information Officer.
RAF. Royal Air Force (Great Britain.)
Scramble. A rapid take-off of fighter aircraft to attempt interception of un­identified aircraft or objects.
Skyhook. Large plastic research balloon, translucent, generally teardrop-shaped.
Temperature inversion. Common weather phenomenon in which a layer of heated air lies below a layer of cooler air, sometimes forming a lens that bends light rays from the ground or air, making the original light source appear to be in a different position.
Theodolite. A telescopic instrument for measuring horizontal and vertical angles.
UFO. Unidentified Flying Object.
UFOlogy. The study of unidentified flying objects.
Unknown. The Air Force term for UFOs which could not be explained in conventional terms after thorough investigation.
See also  The Challenge of Unidentified Objects - Foreword

 

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