BUFORA Bulletin No. 21 — May 1986

This issue of the BUFORA Bulletin, dated May 1986, serves as a record of the British UFO Research Association's activities, research, and obituaries. The bulletin opens with an extensive obituary for Dr. J. Allen Hynek, the founder of CUFOS and former astronomical consultant to the USAF's Blue Book Project, highlighting his transition from a skeptic to a leading figure in ufology. A significant portion of the bulletin is dedicated to a report by Cynthia Hind on a UFO sighting in Zimbabwe in July 1985. This incident involved two Zimbabwe Air Force pilots who observed a bright, orange, star-like object that was also tracked on radar. While the author concludes that the object was likely a high-altitude space balloon launched by the French space agency, she notes several anomalies, such as the object's hovering behavior and rapid movement, which were not fully explained by the balloon hypothesis. The bulletin also features a transcript of a debate on LBC radio between Jenny Randles and Ian Ridpath regarding the existence of UFOs, reflecting the ongoing tension between ufologists and skeptics. Additionally, Clive Potter provides a detailed case history of a sighting in Hinckley, Leicestershire, in July 1984, where a metallic, saucer-shaped object with turquoise lights was observed by multiple witnesses. The bulletin includes technical discussions on the misidentification of astronomical objects as UFOs, with Steuart Campbell providing tables of first-magnitude stars to assist investigators in ruling out celestial bodies. Finally, the bulletin addresses internal organizational matters, including the resignation of Norman Oliver as Membership Secretary and the appointment of Leslie Sallis as the new Secretary, alongside updates on BUFORA's compliance with the Data Protection Act.