Within Flight 105
How Flight 105 Shaped UFO History
Flight 105 helped transform the 1947 flying saucer reports into a national conversation about unknown objects in the sky.
On this page
- The summer 1947 flying saucer wave
- Public reaction to airline reports
- The case's lasting historical role
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Introduction
The 1947 UFO wave turned reports of unusual objects in the sky from scattered rumours into a national and aviation story, and United Air Lines Flight 105 became one of its most influential episodes. The sighting on 4 July 1947 was important not because it proved what the objects were, but because it placed the “flying saucer” phenomenon in a setting that was difficult to dismiss: a commercial airliner, experienced pilots, a flight crew witness, and a report that rapidly reached newspapers across the United States and beyond.[Project 1947]project1947.comProject 1947PROJECT 1947: UAL Flight 105, July 4, 1947 - Capt E. J. Smith…
Flight 105 occurred only days after Kenneth Arnold’s 24 June 1947 sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington, an event that helped trigger the modern wave of flying-saucer reports. Within weeks, sightings were being reported across the United States, creating a new public debate about unidentified objects in the air.[Project 1947]project1947.comProject 1947PROJECT 1947 - 1949: PROJECT SAUCERApril 27, 1949… The United Airlines case became a defining example because it connected that wider cultural moment with professional aviation testimony.
The summer 1947 flying saucer wave
The 1947 wave developed rapidly after Arnold, a civilian pilot, reported seeing a formation of unusual objects near the Cascade Mountains. His account received extensive press attention and helped popularise the expression “flying saucer”, although the objects he described were not necessarily shaped exactly like a conventional saucer. The subsequent increase in reports created what newspapers and later researchers described as a nationwide “saucer” phenomenon.[Project 1947]project1947.comProject 1947PROJECT 1947 - 1949: PROJECT SAUCERApril 27, 1949…
By early July 1947, the subject had moved beyond isolated eyewitness stories. Newspapers carried accounts from pilots, police officers, military personnel and civilians, while public discussion focused on whether the reports represented misidentified conventional aircraft, secret technology, natural phenomena or something unknown. The volume of reports also attracted government attention, eventually contributing to formal investigations such as Project Sign, the first United States Air Force effort dedicated to collecting and evaluating flying-disc reports.[CIA]cia.govHow To Investigate a Flying SaucerHow To Investigate a Flying Saucer - CIAJanuary 21, 2016…
The timing of Flight 105 gave it unusual importance. The sighting occurred on 4 July, during one of the most intense periods of the 1947 wave, when flying-saucer stories were already dominating public conversation. Unlike many reports from the period, it involved observers whose professional roles required familiarity with aircraft and air operations.[Project 1947]project1947.comProject 1947PROJECT 1947: UAL Flight 105, July 4, 1947 - Capt E. J. Smith…
Why Flight 105 changed the conversation
United Air Lines Flight 105 was a DC-3 passenger aircraft flying from Boise, Idaho, towards Seattle on the evening of 4 July 1947. Shortly after departure, First Officer Ralph Stevens noticed unusual objects and initially considered the possibility that they were another aircraft. Captain Emil J. Smith and Stevens then examined the objects and concluded that they could not identify them as ordinary aircraft.[Project 1947]project1947.comProject 1947PROJECT 1947: UAL Flight 105, July 4, 1947 - Capt E. J. Smith…
The crew reported seeing multiple objects in formation, with descriptions including disc-like shapes and unusual movement. Stewardess Marty Morrow was called to the cockpit and also reported seeing the objects. The observation lasted several minutes, and the crew attempted to treat the event as an aviation matter rather than simply a strange sighting: they reported what they had seen through normal communication channels.[Project 1947]project1947.comProject 1947PROJECT 1947: UAL Flight 105, July 4, 1947 - Capt E. J. Smith…
The case attracted attention because Captain Smith had previously expressed scepticism about flying-saucer reports. Contemporary accounts highlighted the contrast between his earlier doubts and his later willingness to report his own experience. This change in attitude made the case especially persuasive to many members of the public who viewed trained pilots as more reliable observers than anonymous witnesses.[Project 1947]project1947.comProject 1947PROJECT 1947: UAL Flight 105, July 4, 1947 - Capt E. J. Smith…
However, the impact of Flight 105 came from the credibility of the observation, not from a definitive identification of the objects. The witnesses could establish that they had seen something unusual, but the available evidence did not determine whether the cause was an unknown aircraft, a misidentification, an atmospheric effect or another explanation. Later UFO researchers continued to discuss the case precisely because it represented the difference between a well-attested observation and an identified phenomenon.[Project 1947]project1947.comProject 1947PROJECT 1947: UAL Flight 105, July 4, 1947 - Capt E. J. Smith…
Public reaction to airline reports
Flight 105 helped shift the flying-saucer debate from a question of individual perception to a question involving aviation expertise. A report from a commercial flight crew carried a different weight from many civilian accounts because pilots were trained to recognise aircraft, judge distance and operate in complex visual environments.
The immediate publicity was substantial. The Flight 105 story was distributed widely through news services, becoming one of the best-known reports from the 1947 wave. Project 1947’s historical compilation notes that the account appeared in major newspapers and even reached international audiences, demonstrating how quickly aviation-related UFO reports could become part of global news coverage.[Project 1947]project1947.comProject 1947PROJECT 1947: UAL Flight 105, July 4, 1947 - Capt E. J. Smith…
The case also influenced how later UFO reports were discussed. During the late 1940s, government agencies increasingly treated unidentified aerial reports as a matter requiring organised evaluation rather than simply newspaper curiosity. The Air Force’s later investigative efforts reflected concerns about national security, aviation safety and the possibility that some reports might involve unknown technology.[CIA]cia.govHow To Investigate a Flying SaucerHow To Investigate a Flying Saucer - CIAJanuary 21, 2016…
At the same time, airline reports created a recurring tension in UFO investigations. A professional witness could strengthen confidence that an unusual observation genuinely occurred, but expertise alone could not eliminate all possible errors in perception. Pilots, like all observers, still had to estimate distance, speed, size and shape under changing lighting and atmospheric conditions.
The case’s lasting historical role
Flight 105 became a landmark within the 1947 UFO wave because it linked three developments: the sudden growth of flying-saucer reports, the involvement of aviation professionals, and the beginning of official interest in unidentified aerial phenomena. Its importance lies less in being a solved mystery and more in showing why the subject became difficult to ignore.
The sighting helped establish a pattern that would continue throughout UFO history: some of the most influential cases were not necessarily those with physical evidence, but those involving credible witnesses, unusual circumstances and unresolved explanations. Flight 105 became a reference point for later discussions of pilot sightings because it represented a high-profile example of trained observers encountering something they could not immediately classify.[Project 1947]project1947.comProject 1947PROJECT 1947: UAL Flight 105, July 4, 1947 - Capt E. J. Smith…
Within the wider history of the 1947 wave, the case also marked a transition. Before June 1947, unusual aerial reports existed but had not formed a sustained public phenomenon. After Arnold’s sighting and incidents such as Flight 105, “flying saucers” became a major cultural and institutional issue, eventually leading to formal investigations including Project Sign and later programmes.[CIA]cia.govHow To Investigate a Flying SaucerHow To Investigate a Flying Saucer - CIAJanuary 21, 2016…
The enduring historical value of Flight 105 is therefore not that it settled the question of what was seen over Idaho in July 1947. Its significance is that it helped define the modern UFO era: a period when reports from ordinary observers and professional aviators alike forced governments, scientists and the public to confront the challenge of explaining unidentified events in the sky.
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Endnotes
1.
Source: project1947.com
Link:https://www.project1947.com/fig/ual105.htm
Source snippet
Project 1947PROJECT 1947: UAL Flight 105, July 4, 1947 - Capt E. J. Smith...
Published: July 4, 1947
2.
Source: project1947.com
Link:https://www.project1947.com/fig/projsauc.htm
Source snippet
Project 1947PROJECT 1947 - 1949: PROJECT SAUCERApril 27, 1949...
Published: April 27, 1949
3.
Source: cia.gov
Title: How To Investigate a Flying Saucer
Link:https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/how-to-investigate-a-flying-saucer/
Source snippet
How To Investigate a Flying Saucer - CIAJanuary 21, 2016...
Published: January 21, 2016
4.
Source: project1947.com
Link:https://project1947.com/fig/47docdex.htm
5.
Source: project1947.com
Link:https://www.project1947.com/shg/condon/s5chap02.html
6.
Source: project1947.com
Link:https://project1947.com/fig/jic.htm
7.
Source: project1947.com
Link:https://project1947.com/fig/schulgen.htm
8.
Source: project1947.com
Link:https://www.project1947.com/roswell/twinng47.htm
Additional References
9.
Source: archives.gov
Link:https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/project-blue-book-50th-anniversary
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December 5, 2019 — PUBLIC INTEREST IN UFOS PERSISTS 50 YEARS AFTER PROJECT BLUE BOOK TERMINATION By Jonathan Marker | National Archives N...
Published: December 5, 2019
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Source: archives.gov
Title: 50 Years Ago: Government stops investigating UFOs | National Archives
Link:https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2020/nr20-19
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November 20, 2019 — 50 YEARS AGO: GOVERNMENT STOPS INVESTIGATING UFOS Press Release · Wednesday, November 20, 2019 Washington, DC To mark...
Published: November 20, 2019
11.
Source: thedebrief.org
Title: Smith, took off from Boise, Idaho, at just after 9:00 pm
Link:https://thedebrief.org/summer-of-the-saucers/
Source snippet
Summer of the Saucers - The DebriefJune 21, 2022 — UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 105 On July 4th, just eleven days after Kenneth Arnold’s sighti...
Published: June 21, 2022
12.
Source: wired.com
Title: how ufo sightings became an american obsession
Link:https://www.wired.com/story/how-ufo-sightings-became-an-american-obsession
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The period following his sighting saw a surge in UFO sightings across the U.S. This surge, or "flap," is linked to societal fears of inva...
13.
Source: airandspace.si.edu
Title: 1947 year flying saucer
Link:https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/1947-year-flying-saucer
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si.edu1947: Year of the Flying Saucer | National Air and Space MuseumJune 24, 2022 — Image: Black and white image of a man standing in fr...
Published: June 24, 2022
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Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01sVLTO8xmo
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Published: June 1947
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UFO Roswell Incident (Full Episode) | Undercover History Updates | National Geographic...
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1947: The Kenneth Arnold Sighting | Weird History Ep. #5...
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Source: disclosurearchives.com
Link:https://disclosurearchives.com/project-sign