Willis T. Sperry
The interview with Willis T. Sperry can be read here: Transcription
Captain Willis T. Sperry began flying at the age of eleven with his older brother, and by 1939 was a pilot with American Airlines. On May 29, 1950, he and co-pilot Bill Gates, along with Flight Engineer Robert Arnholt, were enroute from Washington DC to Nashville when they observed a brilliant bluish light ahead of them, growing rapidly bigger. To avoid collision they banked sharply off course to the right while the UFO passed by on the left, briefly silhouetted against the nearly full moon. As the cigar-shaped object passed behind the wing the pilots returned to their course to discover the object pacing the aircraft off the right wing, as though it had circled behind and come up after them. Banking to the right in order to get a better view, the UFO suddenly accelerated to the east and disappeared at a high-rate of speed.
This interview was conducted at Capt. Sperry’s retirement home in California with the kind assistance of his daughter, Avalon Hill. Sperry was 98 years old at the time. Several months following the interview Sperry passed on.
Captain Willis T. Sperry.
Bill Bodenlos, Willis Sperry and Frank Gross in front of the Gross F-5 sailplane. In 1935, Bill Bodenlos and Willis Sperry flew the first towed glider flight from Akron to Columbus carrying U.S.Mail in a Gross 4-Place glider, designed by Frank Gross. More info: http://www.soaringmuseum.org/landmark/nls03/nls03.html.
×
Envelope carried on the 1985 re-enactment flight. More info: http://www.soaringmuseum.org/landmark/nls03/nls03.html
×
