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could have generated the undulating flame-colored lights that Terauchi described. It would also explain why the undu- lating lights would periodically and sud- denly disappear and then reappear as cloud conditions ahead changed. When the aircraft finally outflew the ice clouds and the initial “UFO” disappeared for good, ferauchi would search the sky for it, spot Jupiter further to the left, and conclude it was the original UFO. This case is likely to become a classic in the UFO inventory because many peo- ple assume that a senior airline captain could never mistake a bright planet or other prosaic object fora UFO. Yet when the late Dr. J. Allen Hynek re-analyzed UFO reports in the USAF files, he found that pilots were as readily misled by prosaic objects as persons in other pro- fessions. Numerous air-accident-investi- gation reports by the National Transpor- tation Safety Board confirm that even experienced pilots are not infallible. I am indebted to astronomers Nick Sanduleak and C. B. Stephenson, of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, for their valuable assistance in computing positions and bearings of bright celestial bodies relative to the JAL 747 airliner at the time of the November 17 incident. ¢ Philip J. Klass, who was a senior editor with Aviation Week & Space Tech- nology magazine for nearly 35 years until his partial retirement in June 1986, has been investigating famous UFO cases as a hobby for more than 20 years. His most recent book is UFOs: The Public Deceived, published by Prometheus Books. Help Further the Cause of Skepticism Mention CSICOP in Your Will LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT eco vowwe eweieas ecaocca ® = eocoendn coe e-sluce e272 2 a cew et eso ewvenvrde will. Your support for the work of CSICOP can continue after your death. You can leave all or part of your library to CSICOP or make a bequest in your For further information, please contact Mark Plummer, Executive Director, CSICOP, Box 229, Buffalo, NY 14215-0229, atone The Unmasking of Psychic Jason Michaels Richard Busch n the early months of 1986, Jason Michaels, of Grove City, Pennsyl- vania, had reached his psychic peak. He had made the most of the nationwide publicity resulting from his apparent ability to predict the future. His most notable supposed predictions were the DC-8 Gander, Newfoundland, air tragedy the previous December, which killed 248 American soldiers, and the Challenger space shuttle disaster in January, in which the crew of seven died. While any performer is expected to appear on stage and entertain, Michaels was claiming real powers and doing so from TV and radio newsrooms and through the wire services. Our Paranormal Investigating Committee of Pittsburgh (PICP) in fact first heard of Michaels on the KDKA-TV news. While we believed that such precognition might be possible, we wondered if Michaels was employing physical or psy- chological deception. Would he agree to be tested? And what, if anything, would be proved? When I reached Michaels by phone, the first question I asked him was, “Are you a true psychic or do you entertain with trickery?” His answer then and in subsequent signed statements was firm and clear: His psychic powers were real despite any showmanship used on Stage to entertain. Yes, he wanted to be tested by us, although he waived any rights to PICP's offer of $10,000 for validation of a psychic feat under controlled condi- tions, claiming he could easily win any such prize if he wanted to. We believe that a letter of scientific validation from our Committee members would be worth much more than $10,000 in publicity and credibility. Michaels agreed, in writing, never to consider the Committee an audience and never to use showmanship. He would “not engage in trickery, magic tricks, or deception of any kind in any manner, not even once, for any reason” in his work with PICP. His psychic power, he asserted, was “not dependent at all, in any way, on magical techniques or any deception or trick.” He would never “cheat in any way for any reason in order to achieve a positive result.” Everything done would be “real.” He also agreed that the Committee's presence in the test- ing areas would not inhibit his abilities or create any negative vibrations. Thus Jason Michaels, who, in his words, wanted “worldwide fame” and to be “bigger than Uri Geller,” began his campaign to convince us of his claims. According to Michaels, he had already been tested and validated by Berthold E. Schwarz, a psychiatrist and psychic re- searcher in Vero Beach, Florida. Our testing of Michaels was essen- tially accomplished in three parts: a pre- liminary interview in the office of Donald McBurney, a University of Pittsburgh " psychologist; a formal taping session in psychologist Mark Strauss’s infant- development laboratory at the university; and dozens of phone conversations be- tween Michaels and me. It seems he found me “comfortable” to be around. He said he could work with me more easily than with almost anyone he had ever met in his life. He invited us to con- sult a local magician to verify his honesty and even agreed to pay $5,000 to any magician to duplicate what he does under identical conditions. He did insist, how- ever, that James Randi be kept away. Michaels was evidently quite pleased with his work with PICP. He mentioned us not only to others in the field around the country but to reporters as well. He 297