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Inside Oddities: Hunting for UFOs in Connecticut

Michael Panicello didn’t initially set out to become the State Director of Connecticut’s Mutual UFO Network chapter. When he first joined the organization, abbreviated as “MUFON,” he was looking to satisfy a curiosity stoked by cable documentaries and a desire to dig deeper into the unexplained.

“I was looking into my own topics that I found interesting and I hit a wall and I needed to ask people who knew the field better where to look for this kind of information,” he recalls. “I remember seeing on some of these documentaries about people from MUFON and I found the chapter and I attended one of the meetings, and they were very nice. They’re very friendly. They helped me out.

He started as a Field Investigator to be the “tip of the spear” for local UFO sightings. 

“If something is going to crash in Connecticut, the Field Investigator would go and find out what it is,” he says.

What started as a casual hobby, however, quickly turned into a more serious pursuit.

When the former director left the position only six months after his first meeting, Panicello decided to step up and took over as the director in June 2013. The chapter was still very young at the time and only three members were left, himself included. It was an opportunity to pursue a passion and help make improvements.

Since then, the chapter has grown, added members, and meets regularly. Recently they’ve been stepping up their game, bringing new equipment and expertise into their search.

While the hunt for UFOs – and extra-terrestrial intelligence – might conjure images of tinfoil hats and X-Files reruns, for Panicello and his compatriots, it is a search for truth and an opportunity to correct some of the misperceptions about their work.

The Truth is Out There

MUFON was founded in 1969, as attitudes toward UFOs were changing. Starting in the late 1940s, government research into aerial phenomena was normal. The U.S. Air Force launched its own investigative unit called Project Blue Book in 1947. The group was tasked with researching reports of UFOs to determine their origin as a means of protecting national security during the first half of the Cold War. 

In two decades, more than 12,000 UFO sightings were reported to Project Blue Book. In a memo from the former Secretary of the Air Force in 1969, 701 of them remained unidentified and none had posed a threat to national security.

In 1969, researchers at the University of Colorado published an in-depth report called “Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects” compiling information about UFO sightings and investigations from the previous two decades. As the study circulated in the media, the Air Force decided to shutter Project Blue Book,  and larger public interest and support of similar projects dwindled.

With shifting attitudes and shifting needs, a Midwest UFO researcher named Walt Andrus decided to break away from the larger Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (ARPO) to form his own smaller, less centralized group. That group was originally called the Midwest UFO Network, a grassroots effort that included UFO investigators in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, and Missouri.

Over the decades, MUFON grew, branching out well past the borders of its original midwestern region into a hub and spoke model. Each state supports its own chapter whose president reports individual findings to the main office which is still based in Missouri.

The Connecticut chapter of MUFON serves as a small part of a much larger network. Each chapter works to advance research into UFOs and increase data collection, as well as provide outreach and education. Members can participate in a variety of ways but the most important is to follow in Panicello’s footsteps as a Field Investigator.

These investigators do pretty much what the name suggests, investigate possible UFO sightings to determine their cause. Panicello says often sightings turn out to be something easily explained, perhaps a plane, satellite, space debris, or even natural phenomena like ball lightning.

“They’ll contact the witness if they can get a hold of the witness,” he explains. “We’ll look at the public record, the flight tracking data, Air Traffic Control recordings, local media, other websites that report and monitor sightings. We might file FOI requests, if it warrants, to get additional information from the government. We might inquire with the local police station or emergency services.”

Panicello says that based on the data they’re able to collect, they determine whether the object can be identified or if it falls under the category of Unexplained Aerial Phenomenon (UAP), a more recent and more accepted term for UFO. 

More often than not, the objects Field Investigators chase down are easy to identify. Panicello says about 95% of reported sightings turn out to be manmade objects or naturally occurring phenomena. Of the 5% that remain unexplained, he’s not quick to jump to extra-terrestrial conclusions.

“Of that 5%, maybe a quarter of it is classified information,” he says. “MUFON only has public data, we can only get what’s in the public domain. And especially when you get into the states that have military research areas, a lot of the projects are classified but they test them.”

Panicello goes on to cite several military aircraft over the years that have sparked UFO sightings. And truly, they did qualify as Unidentified Flying Objects, but they were objects that could later be explained. Today, they could be drones.

“Maybe 2% is truly unknown, where it might be extra-terrestrial in origin or something that’s not of this world,” says Panicello, explaining that these are usually the type that move in unconventional patterns, zipping back and forth and shifting position faster than known aircraft. “When we have crafts and have those kinds of characteristics we would probably say, ‘yeah, it’s truly an unknown craft,’ but it’s really hard to say 100% that they are of extra-terrestrial origin.”

Scanning The Skies

Technology has come a long way since the last 1960s and these days, field investigators have an additional weapon in their arsenal: the Multiple Anomaly Detection and Automated Recording project – or MADAR III – is a new piece of technology being put to use in various locations across Connecticut.

Armando Landrian is the go-to guy for Connecticut’s MADAR system. He was the first person in Connecticut to purchase his own system for about $250. That first unit is still running at his house.

Two years later, he decided to buy a second one to set up as a field unit.

“It’s a good system,” he says. “It’s the only system out there right now for the early detection of UFOs, and it is a worldwide system.”

There are nearly 150 MADAR units positioned around the globe. Approximately 120 of them are currently functional. The purpose of MADAR is to provide verifiable data to detect and corroborate potential UFO sightings. Think of it like your local weatherman’s doppler, but for aerial phenomena instead of low-pressure systems.

“It’s basically designed to detect changes in the magnetic field,” explains Landrian. “It does that two ways. One, with a magnetometer, which is one of the sensors that is in there. It also has a built-in compass.”

Magnetic changes will affect the position of the compass which can be viewed and monitored on the central MADAR map. Small disturbances, which may register from things like consumer electronic devices, are ignored but larger ones are recorded.

One of the Connecticut MADAR III units set up as a field recorder. Credit: Armando Landrian

Each node – there are four nodes currently in Connecticut – is about the size of a deck of cards. The nodes compile data and send it back to MADAR’s central headquarters in Indiana where analysts determine whether there are events that require further investigation.

Sometimes, the data can inform state groups when a potential UFO sighting might have happened but other times it can confirm that a reported sighting did have unexplained characteristics, such as one event witnessed by Landrian and his wife in January 2021.

“My wife and I spotted a triangle here in Newington,” he says. “It was at tree top level, and it was making a weird turn. It looked like it was heading west at tree top level, then banked to the north in a kind of corkscrew maneuver and down. We were able to see it clearly and it was late night. It was a black triangle, with two white lights underneath, and a smaller light on the bottom, and it was somewhat back-lit by the lights in Hartford.”

Anecdotal or first-hand experiences aside, Landrian says the fact that the MADAR system is based on data is what drew him to the system in the first place. It doesn’t rely on fuzzy photographs or eyewitness reports but compiles data points that are sent back to a central system and compared to provide a clearer picture and build a more compelling case.

The other draw? It gives the power to monitor the skies to anyone with an interest, rather than leaving it in the hands of radar operators or professional pilots.

“It’s affordable, and the average person that is interested in ufology can just purchase one of these and be part of the team,” he explains.

Breaking from the Fringes

Though they share an interest in one day being the ones to confirm alien visitation, both Panicello and Landrian are sensitive to the way UFO hunters are perceived by the public at large. They’re hoping that by approaching the subject as scientifically as possible, they can help more people see ufology as a worthwhile pursuit of knowledge.

“I was pushing very hard to make sure that we do proper scientific investigations. That we don’t say everything is a UFO when we close a case, and if we do, we really have to have an explanation of why we’re saying that,” says Panicello. “I’m trying to show that there’s evidence behind it. We’re not just saying this is a UFO because we want to believe it is. We’re saying this is an unknown object for these reasons. This is our evidence.”

Both Panicello and Landrian credit recent efforts by the CIA and other parts of the U.S. government to declassify UFO sighting reports from across the country dating back decades — as well as declassified cockpit footage from Navy aircraft — with helping to turn the tide of public opinion. 

In a landmark report on UAPs in 2021, the Director of National Intelligence flipped the official script on these sightings, acknowledging that reports of mysterious flying objects in the night sky seem to be at least somewhat credible. What was lacking, said the report, was adequately detailed observation and reporting to truly understand their nature.

Following that report, Pew Research found that the majority of Americans (65%) say they believe in intelligent life somewhere in the universe and 51% believed that UFOs could be a sign of that intelligence. Most, however, do not believe that UFOs pose any threat to national security.

“It’s changing a little bit now that you see it a little more on the main news channels,” says Landrian. “They’re actually showing the videos from the planes. They’re starting to take it a little bit more seriously. They’re saying that this is the U.S. military. These are the best planes we have out there and that’s what they’re recording. You should not have any reason to doubt what they’re being told. The pilots are giving interviews and talking and I think that’s what you’re going to see for now.”

Panicello and Landrian share an optimism for the future of their work and invite other to join them in the effort to uncover the cause of unexplained aerial phenomenon.

“People are starting to open up,” says Panicello. “Hopefully, that continues.”

Inside Oddities: Hunting for UFOs in Connecticut

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Tricia Ennis

An Emmy and AP award-winning journalist, Tricia has spent more than a decade working in digital and broadcast media. She has covered everything from government corruption to science and space to entertainment and is always looking for new and interesting stories to tell. She believes in the power of journalism to affect change and to change minds and wants to hear from you about the stories you think about being overlooked.

7 Comments

  1. John Levin
    November 13, 2022 @ 10:59 am

    UFO’s? Sure. Alien life visitng earth? Pretty unlikely, given the known laws of physics in our natural universe. Gentle reminder: there exists no evidence to support alien visitors. But I’m glad that Mr. Panicello has found community and purpose with MUFON. And it sounds like MUFON does some excellent work: “often sightings turn out to be something easily explained, perhaps a plane, satellite, space debris, or even natural phenomena like ball lightning.”

    Reply

    • Ro
      January 7, 2023 @ 10:01 pm

      research Dr. John Rather re UFOs

      Reply

      • Joyce Bagley
        March 2, 2023 @ 9:42 am

        I think it’s illogical NOT to believe that a possibility of other planets being inhabited by intelligent beings exists. After all, we’re here so why is it not likely that others are too?

        Reply

  2. James Bouck
    November 16, 2022 @ 2:38 pm

    John, I read your comments regarding the work of John Panicello and appreciate your response. I a;so appreciate the fact that you took the time to read about his work and that of MUFON’s even though youmar3 not a believer that we are beig visited by entities of alien nature.
    I just want to make my comment, not to rebuke you for your beliefs, but to encourage you to continue to keep an open mind and
    continue to follow the possibility that what we do and what we believe just might be true. Like John Panicello, i too joined MUFON years ago just out of curiosity and to learn more of what was being done by researchers and investigators. I too had worked my way up to becoming the State Director for MUFON for New York State. I since have retired.
    I would like to encourage you to do some research of your own. Buy a UFO book, read what has been found and what evidence there actually is. Read about some of the people who have witnessed UFOs and those that have had experiences with them, that they wished never had happened, but did.
    These are credible people who have put themselves out in the open to be criticized or applauded for their bravery in speaking out.
    I will mention, not so much for a plug, but I have written two UFO books myself. One is about the bravery of police officers who have witnessed UFO while on or off duty and filed reports even in the face of criticism or being laughed at. it is titled ‘UFOs Above The Law’. My other book ‘Alien Abduction: The Control Factor’ which deals with the many ways that Aliens might use to control those being abducted.
    Again, that’s for at least having an open mind and not criticizing Panicello or rebuking him.

    Reply

  3. Justine Simone
    January 24, 2023 @ 3:13 pm

    We don’t have to be “believers” or “non believers” but we all need open minds. I keep getting a strong gut feeling that we will meet our space brethren this year when they reveal themselves to us in good faith. I pray the reception will be peaceful.

    Reply

  4. Robert Gladstone
    January 25, 2023 @ 3:32 pm

    I don’t know about that. What I seen. That ball of light that looks like if you had a laser pointer pointing at the wall. It looks like a cornered something in the woods by my house…. People have come forward their sightings to me after mine. Two nights later me and my daughters was missed another event in the same place fireball that seem to stop and hover in the sky then move forward over our heads… 3 months later 2:30 in the morning headed to work. Something made me stop at my car and look up. And that star shut on and off on and off. I put it out of my mind and got in my car and went to work…. There is something definitely up there. And as crazy as it sounds I believe it has a consciousness

    Reply

  5. Luke Skywatcher
    February 14, 2023 @ 9:52 am

    Mufon is great for a community support system for people to report blinking lights in the sky like alcoholics anonymous is a place of community. They have been taking reports since the 1960s and still have gotten no where in this field. With the emergence of the UFO Discovery and Investigation Center located at Yale in New Haven CT have taken the UFO Investigation to another level. Instead of wasting 60 years chasing lights they have a more scientific approach and are currently training professional UFO hunters all over the world in investigative science. For anyone interested in being a part of this Special UFO Operations Unit you can email them at [email protected] and someone from their scheduling department will get back to you at their earliest convenience. With all the UFOsightings lately NOW is the time to get on board and make contact. Chief Executive Officer Luke Skywatcher

    Reply

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