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Silent Black Helicopters, Prison Ghosts and Bigfoot: Derek Condit’s Encounters with High Strangeness
Season 5, Episode 4 • October 28, 2026
Three black helicopters pass overhead—but one reportedly makes no sound and produces no rotor wash. What did Derek Condit encounter while working the night shift outside a Washington State prison?
Michael Ryan interviews author, U.S. Army veteran and former correctional officer Derek Condit about the experiences that drew him into the world of high strangeness. Derek describes mysterious spirals in the sky near the Washington State Reformatory, an unsettling encounter in the woods near his barracks in Germany, and the prison’s “Baker Unit Ghost.”
He also recounts seeing an enormous, hair-covered figure cross a Washington highway in just three strides—an experience that changed his views about Bigfoot.
If you would like to look at or purchase any of Derek Condit's books go here.  If you would like to find out more about Derek Condit go to his website here. 
Also in this episode:
• Michael investigates a possible connection between a newly released government UFO report from Catalina Island and a 1979 APRO Bulletin account describing a sighting reportedly witnessed by 300 Boy Scouts. Why do important details differ, and where are the letters and sketches listed in the government file?
• Christine Scott discusses unusual lights filmed over West Kelowna and a heavily redacted FBI report describing a dark, triangular aerial object.
• Upcoming UFO events in Edinburg, Texas, and Fredericton, New Brunswick.  If you would like to find out more about the Edinburg UFO Festival go here.  If you would like to find out more about the Fredericton UFO Conference and Holistic Fair go here. 
• Our listener shout-out visits Gimli, Manitoba, with a tempting stop at Sugar Me Cookie Boutique.
• Our dramatized UFO Moment revisits a reported 1966 encounter at Nha Trang Air Base in Vietnam.
• Joy presents Canadian Civil Aviation Anomalies from the October 12–23 CADORS reports, covering incidents that occurred in May, June and July.
Were you at Camp Fox on Catalina Island in the summer of 1952, or do you have family letters, photographs or memories connected to the reported sighting? Contact UFO Talker at ufotalker@bell.net.
Visit www.ufotalker.ca for more information.
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To buy UFO Talker merchandise follow this link here.
Female announcer:  Joy Ryan
Male announcer: Andrew Helbig
The National UFO Records Center link here
Christine Scott's Centennial Books 1230 Broad Street. Regina, Sask.

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What Did Frame 300 Capture? The Cote UFO Photo
On September 4, 1971, a Costa Rican government mapping flight photographed something unexpected above Lake Cote. Nobody aboard reported seeing it, but one frame contained a mysterious disc-shaped image that would become the subject of decades of investigation.
Michael Ryan interviews filmmaker Adam Pillon about his documentary, The Cote Photo, made with Megan Woomer. Adam shares the story behind the film, from researcher Esteban Carranza’s fascination with the photograph to meeting Sergio Loaiza, the cartographer who was aboard the mapping flight.
They discuss the enormous nine-by-nine-inch film negative, Michael Strickland’s high-resolution drum scan, and what photographic analysis can—and cannot—tell us about the image. Beyond the technical questions, the conversation explores the people whose lives have been touched by UFO experiences and why their stories matter.
Also in this episode:
Michael and Christine continue their discussion of Battelle, nonprofit research organizations, and questions about classified research and public access.
Christine looks at other UFO reports surrounding the famous 1967 Shag Harbour incident.
Strange lights over New Jersey turn out to have a musical explanation.
This week’s listener shout-out goes to Boylston, Massachusetts, with a tempting stop at Darby’s Bakery.
Our dramatized UFO moment revisits a sighting near Batawa, Ontario, and unidentified radar targets at Canadian Forces Base Trenton.
Joy presents Canadian aviation anomalies from CADORS reports, including unexplained collision avoidance warnings, navigation problems, and reported drone encounters.
More information:
If you would like more information on the Lake Superior Paranormal Convention click here.
If you would like more information on the Halifax Paranormal Symposium click here.
If you would like more information on Richard F. Haines and Jacques Vallée’s analysis of the Cote photograph in the Journal of Scientific Exploration click here.
If you would like more information on Adam Pillon’s documentary, The Cote Photo, including how to watch it click here.
New episodes of UFO Talker arrive every other Wednesday. Find That Human Said What? and our mini documentaries on YouTube at UFO Talker Network.
Visit www.ufotalker.ca to learn more and support the podcast through Buy Me a Coffee.
Season 5 is dedicated to the memory of Frank Thayer.
Support the show
To buy UFO Talker merchandise follow this link here.
Female announcer:  Joy Ryan
Male announcer: Andrew Helbig
The National UFO Records Center link here
Christine Scott's Centennial Books 1230 Broad Street. Regina, Sask.

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The Secret Ruppelt Tape: Battelle’s Hidden UFO Connection
UFO Talker returns with the premiere episode of Season 5—and we are beginning the new season with one of our most revealing historical investigations.
Michael Ryan and Christine Scott examine a remarkable recording from a confidential 1952 meeting featuring Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, the first director of the U.S. Air Force’s Project Blue Book. Rather than hearing Ruppelt speaking for the press or writing years later for the public, we hear him discussing the UFO problem directly with a largely military audience while the investigation was still unfolding.
The recording reveals that the Air Force had already rejected several easy explanations for the UFO phenomenon. Ruppelt discusses reliable reports that remained unexplained, concentrations of sightings near sensitive locations such as Los Alamos, White Sands and Oak Ridge, and the reluctance of airline pilots to report unusual objects because they feared ridicule or damage to their careers.
The most important clue comes when another participant asks Ruppelt about the Air Force’s relationship with the Battelle Memorial Institute. That brief exchange leads us into the largely forgotten story of Project STORK, Battelle’s scientific and intelligence work for the Air Force, and the statistical study that eventually became Project Blue Book Special Report No. 14.
We also investigate the mysterious role of Battelle scientist Howard C. Cross and the January 9, 1953 memorandum later found in the files of Project Blue Book consultant Dr. J. Allen Hynek. That document shows Cross making recommendations about how the Air Force should investigate unidentified aerial objects—and what Project STORK should disclose to the forthcoming CIA scientific panel.
Was Battelle simply providing independent scientific assistance, or could its long history of classified government research have placed it much deeper inside the UFO mystery than the public realizes? There is no proof that Battelle was deliberately used to conceal UFO information, but its involvement raises important questions about private contractors, missing records and investigations conducted beyond the reach of the original Project Blue Book office.
This Season 5 premiere also includes UFO news, Canadian civil-aviation anomaly reports from CADORS, an important announcement about UFO Talker coming to 101.3 FM CJAI Island Radio, and details about the podcast’s new every-other-Wednesday release schedule.
The entire fifth season of UFO Talker is dedicated to the memory of Michael’s journalism professor and mentor, Frank Thayer. The episode also remembers respected Canadian UFO researcher Harry Tokarz.  Read Project Blue Book Special Report No. 14 here   The Anomalous Coalition is here.  The Link for the UFO Experiencer meetup in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia is here. 
Listen to UFO Talker every  Saturday night at 10:00 p.m. on 101.3 FM CJAI Island Radio.
Visit: https://www.ufotalker.ca
Email: ufotalker@bell.net
YouTube: Search UFO Talker Network
Support the show
To buy UFO Talker merchandise follow this link here.
Female announcer:  Joy Ryan
Male announcer: Andrew Helbig
The National UFO Records Center link here
Christine Scott's Centennial Books 1230 Broad Street. Regina, Sask.

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UFO Talker Returns for Season 5
For more than four years, UFO Talker has explored UFO reports through research, investigation, and conversations with the people closest to the stories. Michael Ryan and Christine Scott look for compelling cases that deserve a closer look, including accounts you may not have heard before.
In Season 5, we’ll bring you more witness interviews, new guests, and the questions that keep these cases open. Join us as we follow the evidence and let the people involved tell their stories.
Subscribe now so you won't miss a single episode. 
Support the show
To buy UFO Talker merchandise follow this link here.
Female announcer:  Joy Ryan
Male announcer: Andrew Helbig
The National UFO Records Center link here
Christine Scott's Centennial Books 1230 Broad Street. Regina, Sask.

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THE FORGOTTEN UFO INVESTIGATOR: WILLIAM STEINMAN, AZTEC AND THE SECRETS OF WHITE SANDS
This week’s summer rerun is a very personal episode for host Michael Ryan.
Our guest is the late Dr. Frank Thayer—author, UFO researcher, professor emeritus at New Mexico State University and co-author of The Aztec UFO Incident. Long before appearing on UFO Talker, Frank was Michael’s journalism professor and mentor at Centennial College in Toronto. The lessons Frank taught him about journalism, writing and searching for the truth have remained with Michael throughout his career.
Since this interview was originally recorded, Frank Thayer passed away on June 28, 2026, at the age of 86. In recognition of Frank’s lasting influence, the entire upcoming fifth season of UFO Talker will be dedicated to his memory.
In this interview, Frank discusses William Steinman, the determined but largely forgotten researcher who investigated the alleged 1948 UFO recovery near Aztec, New Mexico. Steinman followed the trail left by Frank Scully’s controversial 1950 book, Behind the Flying Saucers, travelled to New Mexico and located what he believed was the Aztec recovery site.
Frank describes Steinman as an intelligent, fact-based and tireless researcher who continued defending his conclusions until the end of his life. According to Frank, Steinman possessed additional information that never appeared in his published work, and his collection of research papers may have been lost following his death.
The conversation also explores Steinman’s correspondence with Dr. Robert Sarbacher, including Sarbacher’s statements about scientists who may have been connected to classified UFO crash-recovery work. Frank recounts claims that Steinman was warned against publishing his research, suffered professionally after doing so and later believed he was being watched.
Frank also explains why he considered the alleged Aztec recovery potentially even more significant than Roswell. Unlike the badly damaged object reportedly recovered near Roswell, the Aztec craft was said to have arrived largely intact, with 16 bodies allegedly discovered inside. Frank discusses the extensive work undertaken by Scott and Suzanne Ramsey to locate witnesses and determine how such a large craft could have been transported from the mesa to Los Alamos.
The discussion then moves to the mysteries surrounding White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Frank recounts reports of unidentified objects flying alongside experimental missiles, a landed translucent craft, automobile engines stopping beneath a hovering object, unusual V-2 missile incidents and other disturbing stories associated with the restricted military range. Some of these accounts remain unverified, but together they form a fascinating and little-known chapter of UFO history.
Highlights include:
William Steinman’s investigation of the alleged Aztec UFO recovery
Why Frank Thayer believed Steinman deserved greater recognition
Steinman’s important correspondence with Dr. Robert Sarbacher
Claims that Steinman was warned not to publish his findings
The possibility that Steinman’s unpublished research archive was lost
Witness testimony associated with the alleged Aztec recovery
How an intact craft could reportedly have been transported to Los Alamos
UFOs allegedly observed near missiles tested at White Sands
Strange aircraft and missile incidents in southern New Mexico
Frank’s friendship with Stanton Friedman
Frank’s years teaching journalism at Centennial College
His memories of teaching future Canadian comedy legend John Candy
The story behind the traditional journalism sign-off “30”
At the conclusion of the interview, Michael explains that the number “30,” heard at the end of every UFO Talker episode, has always been a quiet tribute to Frank and everything he taught him. In traditional journalism, “30” signalled the end of a transmitted news story—confirmation that there were no additional pages to follow.
Appropriately, Frank delivers the final words of this episode himself:
“30. That’s a wrap.”
Frank Thayer will be deeply missed, but his voice, his work and the knowledge he passed on to generations of students will continue.
Visit: www.ufotalker.ca
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Keep watching the skies.
From the UFO Talker Summer “Best Of” Repeat Series
Season 2, Episode 9
Originally aired November 1, 2023
Support the show
To buy UFO Talker merchandise follow this link here.
Female announcer:  Joy Ryan
Male announcer: Andrew Helbig
The National UFO Records Center link here
Christine Scott's Centennial Books 1230 Broad Street. Regina, Sask.