The DisneyWorld Encounter
Scott, Florida, USA
April 1998
First, I'd like to preface this story by saying that I still DO NOT believe in UFO's as vehicles with which little green men from Mars, or any other planet, visit the Earth. Interstellar space travel is a fun concept but it exists solely in the realm of science fiction, sort of like time travel or world peace. I believe Carl Sagan's assertion that if any alien races exist anywhere in the far reaches of space, interstellar contact will take the form of radio signals and not intergalactic space cruisers buzzing through the cosmos - fun stuff but hardly rational.
Having said that, this is what I saw...
It was 1989. At the time, I was employed as a limousine chauffeur with a company that was (and still is) contracted to provide transportation service to the DisneyWorld Resort in Orlando Florida. I was working the graveyard shift that night - it was a beautiful, clear, calm summer night and I was parked just off to the side of the front entrance to the Swan hotel. It was about 3:00am and there was nobody in sight - not even the doorman. I was just standing outside my car, leaning up against it and enjoying the serenity around me and not expecting anything out of the ordinary. As I stood there, I glanced over toward where they were putting the finishing touches on the soon to open Disney/MGM Studios when I noticed something in the distance. I couldn't make it out but it seemed to be something in the sky heading in my direction at a very slow pace. I paid it little mind and went back to my peaceful ruminations. After a minute, I glanced back toward where I'd seen the object - it was still there and was continuing its slow and unwavering approach. Now I was more intrigued; "What is that?" I began to wonder. By now, my interest was fixed on the object and I watched without taking my eyes off of it as it got closer, and closer, and closer. And the closer it got, the more puzzled I became, because, I began to try to figure out what the hell I was seeing...and I couldn't. It continued its approach until it was directly over my head giving me an excellent view; it was triangular in shape and looked to be made of metal. There were several factors about the sighting that contributed to my inability to classify the thing: first, it was traveling very low, no more than 200 ft. in altitude. I could've heaved a rock and hit it, that's how low it was flying. Secondly, it was traveling at an impossibly slow rate - maybe 7 mph. - about the speed of a brisk walking pace - much too slow to generate lift for any aircraft to remain aloft. Thirdly, it didn't make a sound - it was absolutely, totally and utterly silent. Based on what I could see of it, I began to try to rule out everything it was not: it wasn't a hang glider despite the fact that it was triangular in shape like a hang glider, but, as I mentioned, unlike a hang glider, it was clearly made of metal, had no pilot dangling beneath it to fly it, was flying where there were no thermals to keep it aloft and was following an absolutely unwavering, rock steady flight path, like a powered vehicle, unaffected by even the gentle breeze that was blowing. It wasn't a balloon either for all of the same reasons. Nor was it an aircraft, since no aircraft can move that slowly and remain airborne nor can an aircraft travel in absolute silence - and I mean, no engine noise whatsoever. I continued to watch the object until it continued off into the distance toward the Yacht and Beach Club hotels where it vanished in the distance never once slowing down, speeding up, or altering its course. The whole sighting lasted about 10-12 mins. When it was gone I was left with the disconcerting feeling that I was now one of those kooky people who could claim to have seen a UFO. I resolved not to tell too many people, and didn't.
Then, about a year later, something interesting happened.
I frequently made extra money working in video production as a technician and had returned on Halloween of 1990 from a shoot in the Caribbean. I was tired and didn't want to go out so I was relaxing at home watching the Discovery Channel's special Halloween night line-up of documentaries about ghosts, legends, UFO's, etc... One segment was showcasing a number of UFO photos that had been subjected to rigorous testing by NASA to establish their authenticity. They were showing the various photos that had been easily discredited as frauds and then they broadcast the few photo that the scientists had labeled as "Genuine UFO" - unable to classify. One of the photos was of three triangular shaped craft flying in a group. I sat bolt upright - THEY WERE THE SAME VEHICLES I HAD SEEN THE PREVIOUS YEAR!!
With NASA confirmation to support my sighting, I felt better about telling the story to people over the years and it's made me something of a celebrity to the people who've heard it. I still don't believe it was a vehicle from another galaxy, or spacemen or whatever. In fact, I don't have a clue what it was - neither does NASA. But if they were men from Mars I can only assume they came to DisneyWorld to ride "Space Mountain" - I can't imagine anyone traveling all that way just to experience "It's a Small World".