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. |