Sep 30, 2008
To living-pterosaur investigators and to those interested
[bracketed text is edited, not in original email
newsletter]
****************************
CONTENTS
Introduction
Lines of Influence
Near Collision over Indonesia
Investigation
in Georgia (U.S.A.)
****************************
Introduction
Living-pterosaur investigations (including,
but not limited to, sighting
investigations)
continue. These
cryptozoological studies began
around 1994, when Carl Baugh (of the Creation
Evidence Museum, in Glen
Rose, Texas) and
missionary
Jim Blume interviewed nationals
(natives) on Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea.
Baugh was assisted by
Paul
Nation (also of
that area of Texas) in the 1994 expedition.
In 2004, the investigations continued with
the
expeditions of Jonathan
Whitcomb, David
Woetzel, and Garth Guessman, who explored
Umboi and interviewed many eyewitnesses.
In late 2006, Paul Nation
returned to Papua
New Guinea, but not to Umboi Island. He was
flown into a remote mountainous area of the
mainland by the pilot Jim Blume.
Nation had
several night sightings of what the local
villagers call "
indava." He videotaped two
lights that were similar to the glowing
forms
of Umboi Island (these kinds of creatures
seem to have a bioluminescence).
In
recent years, most investigations involve
sightings in North American, especially the
West Coast of the U.S.A.
See the archive
of the previous
newsletter (011)
(about a Southern California investigation and
about the
bat-ropen connection).
****************************
Lines
of Influence
Jim Blume interviewed many natives (late 20th Century).
Blume was interviewed, by telephone, by Garth Guessman.
Guessman
gave a copy of the audiotaped interview to Whitcomb.
Whitcomb included much of Blume's information in his book.
The book ("Searching
for Ropens") encouraged investigators to continue.
Garth Guessman and David Woetzel began a new investigation . . .
Guessman & Woetzel [influenced
Scott Norman to search, and he saw a
large pterosaur one night.]
Reports of Norman's sighting were believed
by some cryptozoologists.
Living-pterosaur investigations now have more credibility in cryptozoology.
Jim Blume assisted Carl
Baugh with interviewing on Umboi Island.
Baugh brought Paul Nation along on one of the expeditions.
Nation returned, alone, to Umboi,
in 2002, strengthening friendships.
The friendly villagers (natives on Umboi) assisted Whitcomb in 2004.
Whitcomb updated Guessman and
Woetzel on conditions on Umboi.
Guessman and Woetzel arrived and interviewed other natives on Umboi.
Those two Americans obtained much
information, leading to a scientific
paper [written by Woetzel (Creation Research Society Quarterly).]
Woetzel's paper
introduced living-pterosaur ideas to scientists in the U.S.
Woetzel's published paper lead Whitcomb to write for the same journal.
Readers
of the journal better realized the depth of the investigations.
(Lines of influence are still to come in the scientific community)
Paul
Nation instructed and prepared Whitcomb to explore Umboi Island.
Whitcomb explored Umboi Island and interviewed eyewitnesses.
Info.
from Whitcomb's interviews were published in 1st edition of his book.
Book (1st ed.) influenced a businessman to help finance Nation's
2006 trip.
Paul Nation's 2006 expedition resulted in videotape of indava light.
Information on Nation's 2006 expedition was put into
2nd edition of the book.
Paul Nation obtained video footage of indava lights.
Footage of indava lights was later analyzed by physicist
Cliff Paiva.
Paiva's analysis encouraged Whitcomb to write more web pages.
Substantial number of web pages attracted attention
of more eyewitnesses.
New eyewitnesses enabled Whitcomb to continue interviewing: more data.
Paul Nation's videotaped indava
lights encouraged Destination Truth.
Destination Truth team obtained their own video of "ropen" light.
Broadcast of Destination
Truth introduced many Americans to the ropen.
More American eyewitnesses are now open to being interviewed.
attention of] Carl Baugh.
Hodgkinson's
account [was accepted, encouraging more communication.]
Hodgkinson contacted Whitcomb (2004) and told him much information.
Whitcomb
was encouraged to go to Papua New Guinea (Umboi). . . etc.
Hodgkinson's openness allowed Guessman to give him a videotaped
interview.
A portion of that video was put onto YouTube (online) by Whitcomb.
Many thousands of YouTube watchers were introduced to
living pterosaurs.
Some YouTube viewers told Whitcomb about their own sightings.
(These are just a sample of many lines of influence.)
****************************
Near Collision Over Indonesia
A few weeks ago, the pilot of a small plane
reported a large flying creature: Just this past
June, it
nearly collided with the plane. It was
about 150 miles southeast of Bali, Indonesia,
at 6500 feet. Immediately after the near collision,
both the pilot and co-pilot said, "pterodactyl!"
I (Jonathan Whitcomb) received emails from both
men. They are both former navy
pilots and I found
their testimonies credible, without any sign of
a hoax and without any sign of a predisposition
to promote the concept
of living pterosaurs. They
do not seem inclined to either disparage or promote
our investigations.
Although this sighting off the
coast of Indonesia
was too brief for the men to be sure of many details
of appearance, the size of the creature (at first
the pilot
thought it was another plane) and altitude
seem inconsistent with common
birds or bats in the
southwest Pacific. It could have been
a ropen.
This sighting is not given as independent evidence
of living pterosaurs; it is appreciated, however,
in context with all
the sightings of giant pterosaur-
like creatures reported in the southwest Pacific:
Perhaps large ropens can fly above 6000 feet.
For
more information, see:
****************************
Investigation
in Georgia (United States)
I've been communicating, by email, with an eyewitness
in Georgia. Two flying creatures were seen within
a
period of less than two weeks; one was larger than
the other, but they were in the same general area.
The sightings were just this
past summer (2008).
From the drawings the lady sent to me, I am calling
this apparent pterosaur "Hammerhead Ropen." The head
appendage
is somewhat similar to that of the creatures
seen by Hodgkinson and Hennessy; but the beak and the
appendage seem more like one continuous
head-structure.
The head-appendage has a somewhat curved shape. Both
beak and head-appendage are more blunt than is in the
sketches
of the Hodgkinson-Hennessy creatures.
The tail ends in a "flat, thick, heart-shaped pad."
Fortunately, this eyewitness is an artist;
the drawings
are better than almost any others that I have seen.
I will be talking with her about the possibility of
letting the world
see her sketches. (She is still an
anonymous eyewitness.)
****************************
Archives Contents of the first eight issues
of this newsletter
****************************
Thank you for your interest in living pterosaurs.
Please forward this email
to anyone who might be interested.
And please send me email addresses of those who might
be interested in living-pterosaur reports.
Thank you.
###