From: Santiago Yturria <syturria.nul>
Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 00:53:55 -0500
Fwd Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 09:18:42 -0400
Subject: Mexico's FLIR Rep On AF UFO Case


As part of the investigation, the FLIR representative for
Mexico, Mr. Gilberto Rocha, was interviewed by Jaime Maussan
regarding the images recorded by the FLIR STAR SAFIRE II aboard
the Mexican Air Force Merlin airplane during the March 5, 2004
incident over the Campeche area.

NOTE: The comments and opinions expresed by Mr. Gilberto Rocha
are his own, based on his experience and knowledge of the FLIR
STAR SAFIRE II operational functions and do not necesarely
represent FLIR Systems, Inc.'s opinion and points of view.

Question: Mr. Rocha, you just have reviewed some images recorded
by the Air Force during an anti-narcotics operation over
Campeche on March 5, 2004. What is your opinion about them?

Answer: These are interesting images because they are not
common. I will try to explain myself. The human eye perceives
certain light frequencies that the sun emits. Beyond these
frequencies the human eye doesn't have the capacity to perceive
those images. The infrared source or the infrared rays can only
be detected with the FLIR or with special cameras that can
detect infrared radiation.

The equipment the Air Force is using has the capacity to detect
visible images and infrared images. The images that we saw from
the Air Force footage correspond to objects that emit
temperature - they are emitting heat and they are emitting
radiation to the exterior and the camera is reading this.

These images may have low resolution because of the distance
that we are measuring, but represent round-shaped objects that
cannot be compared to any known object that we have been looking
for in our air space.

Question: Could these have been any kind of conventional
aircraft?

Answer. No, because conventional aircraft have very well defined
temperature in their turbines and in front where friction is
registered, therefore they could not be seen as rounded lights.

If we haa a closer image of the objects, perhaps we could have a
better definition of the shape of these objects but due to the
information we have, these objects are round-shaped and we
cannot consider them as airplanes.

Question: Any posibility of the objects being a helicopter?

Answer: No, it's the same case: the turbine and blades would be
the point of highest temperature defining the shape of the
helicopter and it would be always a known shape not a round-
shaped object.

Question: If these objects are not any known aircraft what do
you think they are?

Answer: In the strict sense of the word, avoiding any distortion
or confusion, these are objects that fly and we can not identify.

Question: Is it posible that the FLIR could have been giving us
false information, that these high temperature readings were
non-existent?

Answer: Negative, because in the images we are seeing clouds
that have a higher temperature than the ambient average
temperature, and we can see the cloud silhouettes because the
FLIR is detecting their infrared frequency.

The objects that we are seeing are the points of higest
temperature there. Personally, I have never seen anything like
this. My experience with these cameras is completely industrial,
we analyse a whole variety of industrial appliances as well as
for the electrical industry, but for me the case of the Mexican
Air Force is very unusual.