Transcript
A (0:01)
You're listening to a Tenderfoot TV podcast. Hey y', all, it's Maggie. I hope you're enjoying up and Vanish weekly. Here's a sneak peek of next week's case.
B (0:18)
It's the Evening of Saturday, October 21, 1978 on the southern coast of Australia. 20 year old Frederick Valentich is diligently inspecting his Cessna 182L, part of his routine pre flight safety check. He slowly makes his way around the small aluminum bodied craft before grabbing several life vests. Frederick quickly fuels up and prepares for departure. Moments later, he climbs aboard and readies himself for takeoff. According to the flight plan he shared, Frederick is en route to meet up with some friends on nearby King Island. It's a one hour flight over the Bass Strait, an area highly traveled by planes and boats. As he begins to taxi down the Runway, he receives the all clear for takeoff. It's roughly 6:20pm When Frederick departs Moorabbin Airport, located in the suburbs of Melbourne. He begins to gain altitude. The conditions are calm and clear as the sun is setting over the horizon. As Frederick settles in, he routinely monitors the various gauges and dials on the dash in front of him. The flight to King island should be a breeze even for a new pilot like Frederick, and despite the heavy traffic expected on his flight path, he doesn't anticipate any major delays. But a short time into the flight, Frederick makes a radio transmission to air traffic control in Melbourne and the nature of the message sends a shockwave.
C (1:53)
Melbourne, this is Delta Sierra Juliet. Is there any known traffic below 5000? Im seems to be a large aircraft below 5000. It is full bright. It seems to me like landing lights.
B (2:09)
Over the next several minutes, Frederick continues his transmission and what he shares paints a very startling picture. He describes a large, unidentifiable craft with strange movement rapidly approaching him. And then the transmission abruptly ends. In the days that followed, rumors ran amok about what may have happened in the skies above Australia. While many suspect it was a series of mistakes made by a novice pilot, others claim he encountered something otherworldly. But one thing is clear. Whatever happened to Frederick Valentich, many details have yet to be explained.
A (2:51)
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D (3:18)