Ulrich Magin, born 13 November 1962 in Germany, lives as an author and translator near Bonn.

Main interests are cryptozoology (mainly water monsters), all folklore associated with bodies of water, UFOs (especially historic reports, close encounter cases, and USOs), and alternative archaeology (esp. geomancy). He considers himself a fortean sceptic, and has been or is correspondent or columnist of major fortean magazines, such as Fortean Times, INFO Journal, Strange, Pursuit, Ley Hunter, CENAP Report and the Journal für UFO-Forschung.

He has published many articles, book chapters, and books on his research. Books include Kontakte mit Außerirdischen im deutschen Sprachraum (two editions), Von Ufos entführt, Trolle Yetis Tatzelwürmer, Geheimwissenschaft Geomantie, Ausflüge in die Anderswelt, Magischer Mittelrhein, Geheimnisse des Saarlandes, Pfälzer Mysterien, Magische Mosel, Der Tatzelwurm, Rätsel und Mysterien der Eifel and Der Ritt auf dem Kometen (a biography of Charles Fort).

Position Statement

I do not accept eyewitness reports as indicators of reality, I think they tell us more about human perception and its cultural reworking than strange phenomena – in short, I belong to the psychosocial school. Yet, as a fortean, I doubt any weltanschauung that is too self secure, and believe that even science can only approximate reality, but never grasp it.

Current research

Historic reports of forteana from Germany, continental European lake monsters, and UFO close encounter cases in Germany.

Dr.-Ing. Danny Ammon, medical computer scientist, passively interested in UFOs and other potentially anomalous phenomena since the time of the German reunification. Member of the Gesellschaft zur Erforschung des UFO-Phänomens (GEP e.V.) since 2003. Since 2004 member of the German Society for Anomalistics (Gesellschaft für Anomalistik, GfA).

Current Activities

• second chairman of the GEP
• editor of the GEP’s bimonthly Journal for UFO-Research (Journal für UFO-Forschung, jufof)
• board member of the GfA
• webmaster of the GfA homepage
• several publications in jufof, Zeitschrift für Anomalistik, and other German journals and books
• co-author of an encyclopedic article on UFO sightings in the german-language Handbook of Scientific Anomalistics
• advocate of a critical, theoretically and methodologically sound, interdisciplinary study of the UFO phenomenon

Links

• Website of Danny Ammon with list of publications
• Mail to Danny Ammon
• Danny Ammon on Twitter
• Danny Ammon on Facebook

Born 1945 in Helsinki, Finland. Married with one daughter.
Education: Dipl. ekon 1969 (Master of Science in Business Administration and Economics) from the Svenska Handelshögskolan in Helsinki.
Lives in an apartement in Helsinki wintertimes, and in an old summerhouse in the Aland Islands (situated between Finland and Sweden) summertimes.

Some jobs and hobbies:
-One year as photoeditor at Lehtikuva Oy (Sanoma Oy), Scandinavia’s biggest newspaper company.
-For 12 years chief of auditors at the Board of Customs (Excises and Company revenues).
-For 30 years owner and CEO of Borgship, a shipbroking company dealing with small vessels in Finland. Only Finnish vessels, not to conflict with interests of the Board of Customs.
-For 4 years shipowner of an oceangoing cargoship.
-Published 5 books about Finnish cargo and navy ships (The ‘ Laivastokalenteri’ books).
-For 20 years (1960’s and 1970’s) maritime correspondent for Jane’s Fighting Ships in London with the Soviet Navy as speciality.
-Inventor and always interested in big machines and therefore also interested in UFOs.

Ufological committments:
-Finnish coordinator for Olmos’ FOTOCAT since 2007.
-Member of FUFORA – the Finnish national UFO organization – and voted its Chairman since 2009. He’s currently acting as Chief of Investigations as well.
-The Finnish TV-Channel FST5 has been filming him now for 3 years for a documentary about him and his organization FUFORA. The documentary will air in 2012.
-Numerous interviews for different newspapers and radiostations, the latest of which has been published on 28/12/2011 by the newspapers Helsingin Uutiset, Länsiväylä, Vantaan Sanomat and Kiuruveden Lehti, while the following day he was interviewed by the radio station Radio Nostalgia in Helsinki.

For a list of his ten UFO books, see Björn Borg’s Bibliography

E-mail: b.borg@kolumbus.fi
Address:
Somerovagen 8 L 118
00550 Helsinki
Finland

Born 19th September 1943 in Russia. Yulii Platov studied in Moscow Physical-Technical Institute from 1960 to 1966. He continued his postgraduate training at the same institute, studying Plasma Physics until 1968. He was doctorate of Physical-Mathematical Sciences in 1972. Now, he is Leading Research Scientist at the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation, Russia.

The fields of his scientific interest are: solar physics, physics of the upper atmosphere, optical atmosphere phenomena, spectroscopy.

Yu.Platov has published more than 80 scientific papers with about 20 concerning the physics of paranormal phenomena, with one monograph entitled The UFO and Contemporary Science.

F. Boitte was born January 10, 1940 in Brussels (Belgium).

During the 1954 belgian Ufo-wave, he discovers Aimé Michel in articles in Moustique Magazine (now TV Moustique) which lead him to found an “Investigations Ufo Study Committee” of which he is the sole member. Acting as the president, secretary and archivist, he collects clippings and exchanges letters with some of the time authored early ufologists such as Marc Thirouin.

In 1963, he meets P. Morlet, son of Ms. May Morlet, founder of BUFOI and on May 23, 1963 acquaints with George Adamski at a private meeting. He becomes quickly disappointed by the cultist atmosphere pervading the group and the lack of actual on-the-field investigations.

That same year he obtains a degree in Business Engineering at the Solvay High Business School of the University of Brussels and after the death of his father (1966), rules the family’s independent chartered accountant company.

In 1972, Boitte joins SOBEPS. Shortly after, and despite the offer made to him to collaborate to the construction of a computer cases data-base, he prefers to join the inquiry team, ruled by J.L. Vertongen, which leads him to interview and meet more than 250 witnesses during the next 20 years.
During this period, he does and files up SOBEPS archives with 84 Belgian Ufo investigation reports and a few additional ones abroad (France).

In 1975 he becomes a Computing Project Manager for a German multinational company to carry out programming computer management projects. In 1976, he gets an after-hour Bachelor of Science Management Diploma at the Saint Louis High Business Institute in Brussels.

In 1987 French ufologist Jean-Pierre Troadec let him consult his file of “Contactees/RR4 Reports”, which allows him to know and meet the woman that one year later will become his companion and on June 15, 2002, his 2nd wife.

In 1989 the Belgian wave begins, during which Boitte interviewssd dozens of witnesses and files up about 30 investigations reports. In 1992, he migrates to France where he is now living.

During the 5th Ufologic Gatherings held in Lyon (18 to 20th May 1991), and notwithstanding the opposition of the copyrighter of the picture, he exposes the state of current research and first analysis conclusions of the Petit-Rechain photograph, placing himself in favour of its authenticity.

In 2002 he becomes a member of the (skeptic) PARA Committee (Belgium) and SCEAU.

See Franck Boitte’s bibliography.

e-mail: franckboitte@orange.fr

David Sankey is currently an artist/illustrator living in the United Kingdom, having been fascinated with strange phenomena from an early age he has spent many years studying and working with a variety of organisations – he was an accredited Investigator and RIC (Regional Investigations Coordinator) for the South Yorkshire region and Secretary to the NIC (National Investigations Committee) with BUFORA the British UFO Research Association – and in 1996 he was awarded BUFORA’s Investigator of the year award at the Sheffield University conference. Over the years he has also played an active role as an Investigator/Researcher with organisations such as ASSAP (The Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena), UFOIN (UFO Investigators Network), and Quest International. David has a number of academic qualifications ranging from Astronomy & Earth Science, Psychology, 3D Max, Animation, Photoshop and Cinema 4D.

Preferring a low key role – David is still involved as an active Investigator/researcher and quite often offers assistance to other researchers around the world, primarily with Illustrative work to accompany their projects and research.
His main field of interest and study are primarily with CE3 and CE4 cases, focusing on the general physiology and descriptions of the occupants. At the moment David is currently assisting with work upon a five volume book project in the UK, with authors John Hanson and Dawn Holloway – with a working title of Haunted Skies the book project takes an in-depth chronological look at witness sightings and strange phenomenon reported extensively throughout the UK region from the early 1940’s through to the present.

Apart from David’s dedication to the study of Ufology he also has an active interest in the ‘Nose Art’ often painted on aircraft in WWII and through this he is currently working closely with the Tower Museum at Bassingbourn, England, wartime home of the famed 91st Bomb Group, with a series of Illustrations dedicated to the memory of USAAF bomber crews who flew from the base in WWII. Most of this work is available in the Tower Museum shop, the main proceeds helping towards the running costs of the museum. Bassingbourn base is still an active base and currently home to the Army Training Regiment.
In addition David is also a trained Archery coach and keen off road Mountain Biker.

Born in 1955, Gilles Durand is a professional librarian. He contributed to many French UFO groups (GEPA, CEPI, LDLN, AESV, GNEGU). He notably founded in 1981, with Michel Coste, the AIHPI (Association for the Historical Investigation of Unexplained Phenomena) and took part in 1983 in founding CIGU (Committee of the Ile-de-France UFO Groups) and in 1990 in founding SCEAU/Archives OVNI, of which he became general secretary.
He continues to enrich his HISTOCAT catalogue on pre-arnoldian cases and his newspaper clipping collection on UFOs (presently more than 5000 articles).
He is also interested in the crop circle phenomenon (he took part in 1990 and 1991 in VECA – French acronym for Field Trips to English Circles) and is preparing an history of the French UFO groups

Giancarlo D’Alessandro was born in 1957. After graduating in medicine at the University of Florence in 1984, he has since worked as an M.D. within the Italian Air Force (enrolled since 1975), presently serving in Milan as a Lt. Colonel.

In his teen years he was part of a local UFO group in Caserta which published the bulletin Orizzonti sconosciuti between 1974 and 1977, later merging into the CUN.

A member of CISU since 1986, he has investigated several close encounters and pilot sightings, some of them published in the journal UFO – Rivista di informazione ufologica, and he is coordinator of the Milan branch.

He is also a compulsive collector of UFO literature and gadgets of any kind. As a long-time philatelist, he is also cataloguing all UFO-related postmarks (as well as phone cards and banknotes or coins) into what he called PhilCat.

Mailing address: via Aurispa 7, 20122 Milano, Italy
Phone: +39 (02) 58325214
E-mail: ascaris@tin.it