On 19th September 1952, during a NATO exercise, 2 RAF officers and 3 aircrew at RAF Topcliffe observed a strange object which appeared to be following a Meteor Jet. In a written statement Flight Lieutenant John Kilburm wrote.
"The Meteor Jet was crossing from east to west when I noticed the white object in the sky.This object was silver and circular in shape, about 10,000ft up some five miles astern of the aircraft. It appeared to be travelling at a lower speed than the Meteor but was on the same course.
I said 'What the hell's that?" and the chaps looked to where I was pointing. Somebody shouted that it might be the engine cowling of the Meteor falling out of the sky. Then we thought it might be a parachute. But as we watched the disc maintained a slow forward speed for a few seconds before starting to descend. While descending it was swinging in apendulum fashion from left to right.
As the Meteor Jet turned to start its landing run the object appeared hung in the air rotating as if on its own axis. Then it accelerated at an incredible speed to the west, turned south-east and then disappeared.
It is difficult to estimate the objects speed. The incident happened within a matter of 15 to 20 seconds. During the few seconds that it rotated we could see it flashing in the sunshine.It appeared to be about the size of a Vampire jet aircraft at a similar height.
We are all convinced that it was some solid object. We realised very quickly that it could not be a broken cowling or parachute. There was not the slightest possibility that the object we saw was a smoke ring or was caused by the vapour trail from the Meteor or from any jet aircraft. We have, of course, seen this, and we are all quite certain that what we saw was not caused by vapour or smoke.
We are also quite certain that it was not a weather observation balloon. The speed at which it moved away discounts this altogether. It was not a small object which appeared bigger in the condition of light. Our combined opinion is that , it was something we had never seen before in a log experience of air observation."
This along with other reports during 1952 caused the RAF to officially recognise UFO's.
