Flying Humanoids: a retrospective

One of the most intriguing forms of UFO sightings are the cases of so-called flying humanoids.

Why do I find it so?  Well it certainly isn't for the amount of evidence.  While the pictures are most intriguing there remains a dearth of physical support for the accounts (with the possible exception of one police officer whom you can read about at the link.)  Perhaps it's the question of how it fits (if at all) with all other UFO phenomena.  I mean, if you look at the pic above, the "humanoid" is ostensibly using a propulsion device of one sort or another.  Then again, maybe it's my deep affinity for comic books.  You know, "you too will believe a man can fly." In fact, at least one of the videos of a sighting shows a humanoid figure "standing" in the sky while wearing a cloak that flutters about him.  Real or not, it's still one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

The post I did previously as well as the pic above come from cases in Mexico.  But as this piece at Cryptomundo points out, the phenomenon is not exactly a new one.  In fact, the article first takes us back to Van Meter, Iowa in 1903.

It was in that small town where witnesses claim to have seen a humanoid entity with membrane wings and a glowing horn on its head rise from a mineshaft.  The seemingly subterranean origins of the humanoid led the writer of the piece to imply a possible connection to the Hollow Earth.  You know, the idea that there is an entire civilization underground?  There are those who say UFOs originate there and that Admiral Byrd's plane was captured by a UFO during his polar expedition.

Oh boy, is this GREAT.

Sorry.  I'm having too much fun.

Then there's Owlman.  As a young lad I had read about this creature, but this is the first time I've seen its name in recent memory.  First reported in 1976, Owlman frequents the Cornwall region of England.  It is said to have the body of a human, and the head of an owl. There have been sightings off and on over the years and there's not much more to it than that.  Well, that and it is said that if you see Owlman that you will soon suffer a death in your family.  So there's that.

The Cryptomundo piece cites a 2012 sighting of a pterodactyl in Madisonville, Tennessee.  The named witness was Lisa Letanosky.  Aside from that, the article states that there were other witnesses involved and that therefore makes Lisa's story credible.  Guess that's all it takes.  Besides, a flying dinosaur is not exactly a flying humanoid so I'm not sure what it's doing on the list.

Of course we can't neglect Mothman.  While most known for the absolutely bizarre occurrences around Point Pleasant, West Virginia as chronicled by the legendary John Keel, Mothman has apparently been seen in California as well.  A number of witnesses reported seeing the flying humanoid atop the Tower Bridge in Sacramento.  As you may know if you've read Keel's Mothman Prophecies, the presence of Mothman does not usually bode well for bridges.  The one Sacramento, however, is still standing.

If you're interested in reading more on the subject (and come on, who isn't?), you can check out Encounters with Flying Humanoids: Mothman, Manbirds, Gargoyles, and other Winged Beasts by Ken Gerhard.

"Manbirds." Kinda like the sound of that.

 
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