Apache Formations (by A.Buckley & J.Lyons) ~ 2006

Case History
JULY 14th 2003
The Woodborough Bridge Crop Formation
Andrew J Buckley, with additional comments by Jim Lyons

Andrew J. Buckley has been researching and investigating the UFO and crop circle phenomenon since 1972 and has been a member of the British UFO Research Association [BUFORA] and the Centre for Crop Circle Studies [CCCS]. He has published several articles on crop circles and UFOs in UFO Magazine; UFO Reality and the Circular / Cerealogist magazines and has participated in various documentaries on these subjects including 'Sightings'; 'Contact' by Bert Janssen and 'Crop Circles- Crossovers into another Dimension' by Terje Toftenes. He works as an artist and graphic designer, and is currently living in Cheshire, UK.

uk2003bmOn the morning of July 14th 2003, I witnessed the creation of a crop formation close to the Kennet & Avon canal, about half a mile due south of Woodborough Hill, near Pewsey, Wiltshire UK. The formation appeared within a period of a few minutes or less, coinciding with the close proximity of two unmarked, probably military helicopters. Some of this incident was captured on film and the following report details what I experienced over a period of three hours.

On the morning in question, I had decided to walk to woodborough Hill, after leaving my car parked in Woodborough village at 09.15 hrs. This walk normally takes about thirty minutes and the route is via the Kennet & Avon canal and Woodborough Barns along a public right of way.
On reaching the canal bridge [known as Woodborough Bridge], I stopped to take in the view and scanned the surrounding crop-fields to the north. This I repeated at regular intervals until I reached the summit of Woodborough Hill at 09.45 hrs.

I can confirm with absolute certainty that there were no unusual ground markings / crop formations present in any of the fields south of Woodborough Hill, which would have been easily visible either from the canal bridge, the farm track, or the summit of the hill. From this location, at about 10.00 hrs, I noticed two dark coloured helicopters manoeuvring at very low level near Woodborough canal bridge. Through binoculars they appeared to be Apache Longbow 'gunships' as deployed by the Army Air Corps. In order to obtain a closer look, I  ran down the track towards the canal, but after a period of only several minutes both helicopters flew off in the direction of Warminster to the south-west.

I arrived at the canal bridge at about 10.30 hrs and almost immediately became aware of a very loud rumbling noise which seemed to be approaching from the west. Suddenly, two very large helicopters appeared, black in colour with no obvious markings or serial numbers, and fully armed. I was quickly spotted by the pilots and one of the aircraft flew towards me and took up a very low-level hovering position near the canal bridge. Feeling very vulnerable, I took cover behind some bushes adjoining the bridge. My attention was drawn to the other helicopter which had descended to ground level about several hundred yards over the field to my right. The crop below the helicopter was swirling violently as a result of the downbeat of the rotor blades and I noticed that an unusual apparatus was hanging beneath the fuselage which was about five feet in diameter, black in colour, spherical in shape with a short tube like protuberance beneath it and pointing at the ground.

After a few seconds, I was somewhat taken aback to see and hear what appeared to be an explosive updraft of colourless steam or water vapour from the surface of the crop directly underneath the fuselage of the helicopter, which covered an area of approximately one hundred feet. This was accompanied by a loud hissing or sizzling sound, similar to that of rapidly cooling steam under pressure. The effect of this rising 'vapour' was to forcefully hit the underside of the helicopter, causing it to pitch and sway. Perhaps for safety reasons, the pilot rapidly ascended to a slightly higher altitude. After a matter of several seconds, the 'vapour' dissipated leaving an indistinct mark in the crop. I barely had time to deploy my video recorder, which had been packed away in my rucksack. Glancing at my watch, it was apparent that about four minutes had elapsed since the appearance of the helicopters.

With my video camera now deployed, I ran down the track in order to obtain a clearer view of the incident. Almost immediately, the helicopter carrying the sphere-like apparatus swiftly gained altitude and moved off in the direction of Pewsey to the east. Meanwhile, the remaining helicopter, which had been making repeated low-level passes, perhaps in order to distract me from observing his colleague, also flew off in the direction of the military ranges over Salisbury Plain to the south. At this point I distinctly remember checking the the time-clock on my video camera which read 10.41 hrs.

What happened next is still not entirely clear because the last thing I remember is noticing a new crop formation [the Woodborough Bridge formation] precisely where the second helicopter had been hovering and beneath which the 'water vapour' had risen from the crop. The following forty-five minutes were completely lost to me, because at 11.30 hrs I again found myself standing on the summit of Woodborough Hill without any memory of having walked to the hill from the canal bridge. Interestingly, the time-clock on my video camera inexplicably 'jumps' from 10.41 hrs to 11.24 hrs in a single frame. This is definitely not an edit or as a result of having paused or stopping the camera. The time-clock had been accurately set and tested three weeks previously and I had installed a new lithium battery. Despite this confusion, what is certain is that between 10.30 hrs and 10.41 hrs on the morning of 14th July 2003, coinciding with the presence of two unmarked helicopters, one of which deployed what appeared to be some exotic form of technology over the surface of the crop, a new formation appeared in a matter of seconds, which definitely wasn't there before 10.30 hrs.

It is possible that the pilots, whether military or otherwise, were vectored to this location because they had prior knowledge of the imminent appearance of this formation, possibly in order to record or participate in its creation, for reasons we do not yet fully comprehend. Enquiries with the Ministry of Defence would no doubt prove fruitless, although there can be little doubt that the military are implicated in incidents involving the crop circle phenomenon, evidence of which has accumulated over the years through research and video recordings.

Later on the morning of 14th July, I was able to make a thorough ground survey of the formation which was fairly typical of other similar 'pictograms', with a neat and tidy ground or floor 'lay' with very little obvious damage or breakage of the crop stems and seed heads. There was no evidence of any mechanical pressure having been applied via the use of stomping boards or garden roller. I would be very interested in contacting other researchers should they have further information regarding this formation, particularly aerial photographs, detailed ground surveys and perhaps more importantly, any results of crop sampling and testing from this formation. I would be happy to exchange research material, and would be intrigued if anyone else has also witnessed the above incident or obtained video footage, or has experienced harassment from low level military helicopters in Wiltshire or Hampshire. I can be contacted at the following email address:

andrewjb68 (at) hotmail.com
Copyright 2006. AJ Buckley

CASE HISTORY
THE 'DOLPHIN' CROP FORMATION, GOLDEN BALL HILL, nr ALTON BARNES, WILTSHIRE
25th JULY 2004

by Andrew J. Buckley

uk2004brThe 2004 crop circle season was rife with disinformation, rumours and inaccuracies circulated via internet websites and miscellaneous journals and publications. My suspicions were aroused when one particular website branded the 'dolphin' crop formation a hoax before even bothering to check the facts and interview other witnesses, such as myself, who had taken the time and trouble to thoroughly examine this formation and obtain good photographic and video evidence. For example, two self proclaimed 'researchers' declared the formation to be a hoax purely on the basis of a brief binocular observation made from a road a quarter a mile away [in front of several witnesses], without actually having conducting a ground survey. So, here is my own account which I hope will dispel some of the myths surrounding this formation.

On the evening of Sunday, 25th July 2004, I decided to conduct an all night skywatch from the summit of Golden Ball Hill, near Alton Barnes, Wiltshire. I arrived at the hill at approximately 21.30 hrs, noting several vehicles belonging to campers / skywatchers situated in the Knap Hill car park below. I quickly ascertained that there were no unusual markings or crop formations in the fields directly below to the south. I unpacked my binoculars and night-vision scope [ a Cobra Ranger 2202 with a 600 metre viewing range], leaving my Panasonic video camera in my rucksack to protect against dew.

The following few hours were rather uneventful, apart from the occasional commercial and military aircraft on a night sortie. Despite the darkness, there was reasonable low-light ambient visibility and through the night-scope I could clearly see the surface of the crop in the fields below. There was no evidence of any unusual torches / lights / sounds or the presence of any suspicious individuals in the immediate vicinity. At approximately 02.25 hrs, the atmosphere changed very dramatically when I became aware of a pair of flashing green and red lights approaching from the south-west at extremely low level. Through the night-scope I quickly confirmed that these lights were attached to what appeared to be two Apache Longbow army helicopters. As they drew level with my position, one of the aircraft abruptly veered off to a point almost directly below me, descending to hover over the surface of the crop at an altitude of 20 - 30 feet. The other helicopter positioned itself to the rear of two large copses at the foot of Golden Ball Hill.

The sound from these helicopters was deafening and I could feel updrafts of turbulent air from their rotor blades. Suddenly, the pilots extinguished all navigation and cabin lights and assumed a 'stealth mode', where the engine noise is cut. I thought of switching on my video camera; however this seemed rather futile because of its limited low-light capability and the fact that I was obtaining a greater result through the night-scope.

My attention was drawn to the helicopter over the field, partly due to the somewhat strange manoeuvres it was making. Whilst maintaining a fixed altitude of about 20 - 30 feet, it began very slowly to turn around in a clockwise motion for about 2 - 3 minutes, then become stationary for 30 seconds, before repeating the manoeuvre. Simultaneously, I became aware of a very faint blue - white 'glow', rather similar to phosphorescence, which appeared to emanate from underneath the fuselage of the helicopter.

Initially, I took this to be an optical illusion, however, through the night-scope, it was possible to indeed confirm the presence of this 'glow', although of course its colour was distorted through the scope. I was also concerned that the vastly superior avionics aboard the helicopters may have already detected me, as I was situated in a rather exposed position on the side of the hill, albeit attempting to hide behind a small bush! Resuming my observation of the helicopter hovering over the field, I was astonished to see what appeared to be a large circular shape, which had literally appeared within a matter of seconds beneath the aircraft, where I had noticed the unusual 'glow', which by now had faded. This 'marking' was quite nebulous and initially difficult to focus on. Also, it was difficult to obtain a clear view because the feature was partially obscured by the helicopter. Fortunately, after a few minutes, both aircraft flew off to the south, in the direction of the military ranges over Salisbury Plain and were lost to sight.

I now had a good, unobscured view, and through the night-scope I could clearly see the 'marking' in greater detail.This took the form of a large, circular depression in the crop which, of course, was later to be described as the 'dolphin' crop formation. As far as I could see, the formation was in a state of completeness, and had appeared over a period of approximately 3 - 5 minutes, the time now being 02.40 hrs. Still recovering from the shock and excitement of witnessing such an unusual event, I made the point of checking whether there were any other possible individuals / witnesses in the vicinity, but as far as I could see, I was still alone on the hillside. I continued to skywatch until dawn, when I was able to confirm the presence of the formation which was situated about 100 yards inside the field between Golden Ball and Knap Hill. I was immediately able to enter and record the formation and had an interesting conversation with the estate manager / farmer regarding the crop circle phenomenon.

The formation was extremely impressive at ground level and had many outstanding features including delicately woven standing centres and a beautiful ground lay. There was very little evidence of damage to the crop stems and seed heads or use of stomping boards or other mechanical equipment being used.It seems likely from my observations that the crop formation could have been created by one or more of the helicopters, given their close proximity to the scene of events, the phosphorescent blue white 'glow' derivative of some exotic energy device deployed by the pilots.

Alternatively, the helicopters, whether military or otherwise, could have been vectored to this location because they had prior knowledge of the imminent appearance ot the formation in order to record its creation for reasons we do not yet fully understand. What can definitely be ruled out is the 'official' explanation that the formation was constructed by a team of hoaxers. And it also casts serious doubt on the credibilty of other so-called researchers who claim they saw 'hoaxers' leaving the field in question on the morning of Monday, 26th July 2004, and those who chose to subsequently accept these stories as 'fact'.

Throughout the night I had not noticed any suspicious individuals either in the fields below or in the vicinity of the hills around me, despite my use of a very powerful night-vision scope. And given that several people were camping and skywatching from the Knap Hill car park it wouldn't have been surprising  if some of these individuals were inadvertantly observed walking in the area.

The 'dolphin' crop formation, whatever its meaning and purpose, together with the controversy surrounding it, can provide a litmus test for future research, because incidents of a similar nature will no doubt occur again, as will the inevitable chorus of disapproval, disinformation and deceit. The next time, be prepared and be vigilant! You owe it to the phenomenon and the truth.

I would be very interested to contact other researchers who may have also witnessed the above event or have any further information regarding the 'dolphin' crop formation, especially details of ground surveys, aerial photographs and more importantly, results of any crop sampling. I can be contacted at:

andrewjb68 (at) hotmail.com.

Copyright 2006. A J Buckley

Apache Formations - Jim Lyons

Strange and potentially suspicious activities by Apache helicopters are well recorded. {how about www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/23/ebay_black_helicopter/}. They are known for special missions activities in which a variety of sensor packs and weapons are carried. So what, if anything, is there a potential link with the crop circle scenario? The suggestion is there could well be!

Crop Circle formations are basically a natural phenomenon, having had various `outbreaks` in the first half of the 20th century. Examples are the 1920s events in North Yorkshire and the South Downs formations during WW 2. With no media hype, they remained largely un-noticed except by the local communities. Since around 1990, there has been increasing serious investigation into the processes involved. Not surprisingly, there is remarkable connectivity with ancient sites, particularly Stone Circles - they share a common earth energy heritage. There are two key elements associated with their creation.

The first is the Energy Line System associated with their formation. These patterns are cosmic in Nature and are highly active in terms of their movement at both Equinoxes and Solstices. In fact the directional nature of energy in these lines dictates which directions the crop flows ( Newark`s Rules)

The second is the earth acupuncture point structure(Chakra). This is in the form of a Spider`s Web pattern detectable in the earth. The form of this which is well understood dictates the basic pattern of the formation. The third but separate feature of Crop Formations is the underground water. There is always water - usually a blind spring, associated with a naturally made formation. This is more than often slightly offset from the centre of the formation (if apparently circular). Similar to Stone Circles, no formation is truly circular though the basic shape is very well defined and emerges directly from the physics involved.

With this background, it is now possible to comment on distinguishing between natural phenomena (Mother Nature), Man made and Machine made formations. Man made ones are readily filtered out since they do not generally obey even the basic rules. Attempts to comply with some published rules however can never create energised crop. Distributions of  the energy density across formations follows well established rules. Conventional laboratory tests can confirm the energisation process. The Machine made formations are in a slightly more nebulous category. In principle, they  should comply with the guidelines defined by the creation of natural formations. The building blocks to achieve this are now beginning to be well understood.

The basic mechanism is the release of energy from the hydrogen/oxygen bond of water under pressure. A high voltage electrical strike such as seen in lightning triggering the ground, discharges into the water within the blind spring and releases the embedded energy. This anomalous discharge creates toroidal shaped bubbles which rise to the earth`s surface. The pressure drop as it breaks the surface, similar to bubbles in lemonade are responsible for pattern creation. The resulting pattern depends on the waves circulating the toroidal shaped bubble. This pressure change is analagous to a local change in gravity and accounts for the crop flattening process. The way the bubble grows as it rises is a consequence of its buoyancy. Since it grows in diameter as it rises, its outer edge follows a conical pattern. This cone shape is characteristic of internal gravity waves. The basic process is already established in Nature — whales demonstrate this basic process when blowing their spouts, see www.bubblerings.com/bubblerings/links.cfm In plasma physics, the creation of plasmoids follows a similar process and the toroidal shape is a natural consequence of the ambient force-free field conditions. Estimates of plasma ion density and lifetime are compatible with the formation creation time, usually well within 30 seconds.

The triggering of the water breakdown- see Refs.1, 2. creates short bursts of heat (water vapour present)which dries the crop and on occasions blows the stem  nodes. The crop and soil `record` the effect of the creating force by storing it much like a video recorder tape exposed to changing electrical signals. It is these permanent crop changes that we can determine in terms of stored energy density.

From what is reported about the Apache helicopters, they could create the triggering mechanism, something that theoretically and practically can be done; see plaza.ufl.edu/rakov/review1995.htm Triggering can be electrostatic or possibly by laser. Since no direct measurements of an `Apache formation` appears to have been published, there is no further evidence to link the possible results with natural earth energy patterns. There would also be some debate over the resulting field pattern - how were the initial conditions established?

The mechanical creation of Crop formations is more than a theoretical possibility. Whether Apaches are used for this purpose is still open to question. However, perhaps of even greater significant is, if they are capable of formation creation, why do it anyway?

References
1. Graneau, P , Graneau. N Newtonian Electrodynamics. World Scientific Co Pte Ltd. ,1996; ISBN 981-02-2284-X
2. Graneau, P & Graneau, PN (1985), "Electrodynamic explosions in liquids", Appl. Phys Lett, 46:470.