Ep 200: The Disappearance of Frederick Valentich Part 2
“It seems to me that he’s playing some sort of game. He’s flying over me two, three times at a time, at speeds I could not identify.”
– Frederick Valentich - 7:08 pm, somewhere over the Bass Strait in Australia, October 21st, 1978
Description:
When the facts about a paranormal event yield no more answers, investigators and the public alike tend to turn their attention to the experiencer's character to ascertain its authenticity. So what kind of person was Frederick Valentich? A once-lost aircraft accident report from Australia's Department of Transport, which resurfaced in 2012, has shed some light on Valentich's behavior and state of mind leading up to the moment of his disappearance. Through extensive interviews with his family, friends, associates, and the flight personnel he came into contact with, a picture emerges of Valentich's disposition. Although there were some puzzling actions and statements by the young pilot, overall, he appeared to be a dedicated and serious student of aviation. Yet if a paranormal cause of his disappearance is off the table of consideration, then the answer must lie in one of his shortcomings, right? This has led to speculation that Valentich intended to abscond with the aircraft and start a new life, or he planned a mysterious suicide, or that as a UFO enthusiast, he simply mistook stars and planets for a UFO and crashed trying to avoid it. As we delve further into the details and analysis from the official report in part two of our series, we're joined by listener and lifelong Melbourne resident Chris Tyler. Being quite familiar with the case, Chris will lend his own insight into the mystery and illustrate this enchanting Australian backdrop's prevailing attitudes and characteristics.
Location:
Moorabbin Airport, where Frederick Valentich took off from on October 21, 1978, headed for King Island across Bass Strait.
Reference Links:
“UFO suspicions still cloud disappearance of Frederick Valentich” from Melbourne’s Herald Sun
The “PPRuNe” forum or “Professional Pilots Rumour Network” discussing Valentich's radio transmission
“10 Truly Bizarre Incidents From The Bass Strait Triangle” from Listverse
“Race Tragedy Tale / Oracle CEO tells all to St. Francis Yacht Club” from SFGate.com
“Capturing the Light” – The true story of Dorothy Izatt on Amazon Prime
Close Encounters of the Third Kind feature release date information on IMDb
The Frederick Valentich case on the original Unsolved Mysteries, Season 5, Episode 2 on Amazon Prime
“Last Light: the Valentich Mystery” from The History Listen with Kirsti Melville on ABC.net.au
“Valentich Case Files Finally Released” by Kandinsky on AboveTopSecret.com
“The Valentich Abduction/Disappearance: 40th Anniversary” by MirageMan on AboveTopSecret.com
Complete episode on the Valentich disappearance from The Unexplained Files on the Discovery Channel
Valentich’s missing aircraft report online, from the National Archives of Australia
“Biography of Bette Nesmith Graham, Inventor of Liquid Paper” on ThoughtCo.com
“What C.S. Lewis and Martin Luther Would Say About Our Coronavirus Panic”
“Plague was one of history’s deadliest diseases—then we found a cure” on NationalGeographic.com
Related Books:
Suggested Listening:
Melbourne Marvels podcast – “a podcast about true stories from Melbourne” CLICK HERE to listen to their episode on “The Unresolved Disappearance of Frederick Valentich”
Check out our good friend Gledders’ paranormal podcast, ANOMALY, where he, his co-host Steve Freestone, and Forrest discuss some of the more weird and wild events of 2020 and more in his latest 2-part series. Click here to subscribe and listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, the website at anomaly.co.uk, or anywhere excellent podcasts are found.
And then after that, check out Gledders’ “80’s Mix Tape” for the best in 1980s music, Saturdays, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the UK, or stream anytime at Huntingdon Community Radio HCR 104 FM!
SPECIAL OFFERS FROM OUR SPECIAL SPONSORS:
FIND OTHER GREAT DEALS FROM OUR SHOW’S SPONSORS BY CLICKING HERE!
Credits:
Episode 200: The Disappearance of Frederick Valentich Part 2. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel. Sound Design by Ryan McCullough; Tess Pfeifle, Producer, and Lead Researcher; Research Support from the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2021 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.