Frederick Valentich was born on June 9, 1958 in Melbourne, Australia. He grew up in the suburbs of this metropolis, specifically in Avondale Heights. He lived with his parents and three siblings. It was a normal, loving Australian family. Frederick's plans for the future seemed quite unusual.
His biggest dream was to become a pilot. He twice tried to join the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), but was rejected due to lack of appropriate qualifications. However, Valentich was very determined and did not intend to give up. He decided that since he had failed with military aviation, he would try his hand at being a commercial airline pilot.
So the young man started a course during which he spent about 150 hours in the air. However, here too there were difficulties. During one of the flights, Frederick found himself in the airspace of Sydney airport, even though he was not supposed to be there. Thus, he endangered the lives of dozens of passengers on other planes.
In two other cases, he flew into the clouds, although he could not perform such maneuvers at the stage of training at that time. Frederick also failed five exams in his pilot training course. Despite all this, Valentich was considered a pretty good pilot. Frederick's girlfriend, Rhonda Rushton, flew with him several times and always felt safe. The instructors also praised the young man.
On October 21, 1978, at 6:19 p.m., Frederick took off from Moorabbin Airport on the outskirts of Melbourne. The 20-year-old was scheduled to take a short flight to King Island. It is a small island approximately 80 kilometers off the coast of Tasmania.
When the young pilot boarded the Cessna 182 and began his journey, it was already dark. Although controlling the plane after dark is more difficult than during the day, the man could not complain about the weather conditions. The sky was cloudless and there was a light wind.
The flight continued normally for about half an hour. Everything changed a few minutes after 7 p.m. Valentich then contacted the air traffic control tower in Melbourne. He gave his location and asked if there should be another plane in the nearby airspace.
Steve Robey was on duty at the time and verified the matter and replied that there were no aircraft in the area. This further upset Valentich, who began to describe the situation in detail. The pilot testified that a large illuminated object flew just above him. It had four lights that looked like landing lights. After a while, Frederick added that he had the impression that the pilot flying next to him was playing cat and mouse with him.
The next announcement made the air traffic controller's blood run cold. Valentich reported that the ship was orbiting just above him. He described its surface as shiny and metallic. The lights were supposed to emit a green glow. Immediately afterwards, the terrified 20-year-old said "it's not a plane." The connection with Robey lasted several more seconds. Frederick, however, did not utter another word. Instead, only ominous crackling noises could be heard. Then contact with the pilot was lost.
The confused air traffic controller immediately notified the appropriate services and Valentich's relatives. A search for the man and his plane began. The action involved a Lockheed P-3 Orion military aircraft, eight civilian aircraft, and an ocean ship. Search operations were interrupted on October 25. No trace was found in the water or airspace.
If it weren't for the strange conversation with the air traffic controller, the simplest explanation would be that Frederick made some mistake during the flight that had tragic consequences. Due to the lack of extensive experience and previous incidents, such a scenario cannot be ruled out. It was also Frederick's second solo flight after dark, and his first over water at night. Additionally, the man did not feel confident with the ocean beneath him. He didn't like water and was a poor swimmer.
It is also worth adding that the reason why Valentich went to King Island in the first place turned out to be unclear. He told air traffic control that he intended to take some friends from there and return with them to Moorabbin. He told his relatives that he was going to go crayfish hunting. Subsequent investigation revealed that both of these reasons were trumped up. No one had arranged a flight with Frederick. It was also not the season for crayfish, which did not occur on the island at that time.
Moreover, Valentich did not inform King Island airport officials in advance that he planned to land there that evening. This was important because this airport did not have its own control tower. Planes rarely took off and landed there, so the runway was not constantly lit. Frederick may have simply forgotten to contact the airport staff, or he may have wanted to fly somewhere else from the very beginning.
There were several theories that tried to rationally explain the disappearance of the 20-year-old. One of them assumed that the man had faked his disappearance. The Cessna 182 he was flying had a large supply of fuel. The man could fly 800 kilometers without refueling. The 20-year-old's plane was also not detected by radar. Thus, the only source about its actual location was Valentich's own account.
Another interesting hypothesis is that the man lost orientation in the air and flew upside down. It seems unlikely, but apparently such situations happen, even to more experienced pilots. If this was the case, Frederick could have seen the lights of his own plane reflected in the ocean.
Such a scenario could also explain the plane's technical problems. Valentich told the air traffic controller that there was probably an engine failure. On the other hand, experts said the Cessna 182 would not have been able to fly 180 degrees for as long as Robey's conversation lasted.
Another rational explanation seems to be that the young pilot was under the influence of alcohol and/or other psychoactive substances (e.g. drugs). All Frederick's relatives and friends unanimously ruled out this possibility. The man apparently drank very rarely and always approached this issue very responsibly. When he was planning his flight, he hadn't touched alcohol for at least a dozen hours. He also did not use any stronger stimulants.
Another logical theory could be suicide. However, none of Valentich's loved ones knew any reason why the 20-year-old would want to take his own life. He had a loving and supportive family and a girlfriend with whom he had a successful relationship and planned a life together. He also did what he loved. It was true that he had to fight against adversities to become a pilot, but it seemed that he was on the right track.
Of course, there are many cases where seemingly happy people committed suicide, surprising their family and friends. Even if that were the case, there is again at least one element that doesn't add up - what about the pilot's unusual report of a strange flying object following him?
According to his relatives, Frederick was interested in UFOs. He became particularly interested in this topic after the premiere of the film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". It premiered at the end of 1977, less than a year before the man disappeared. Steven Spielberg's work quickly became one of Valentich's favorite films.
Another strange coincidence seems to be the peculiar words that the 20-year-old allegedly told his girlfriend shortly before his disappearance. He told the man that "if a UFO ship landed in front of me right now, I would go in, but never without you."
Another aspect of this case pointing to possible extraterrestrial interference was the report by Roy Manifold. This man wanted to photograph the sunset. At the same time, he captured an unusual flying object in the photo. The photo was taken around 6:47 p.m. near the Cape Otway Lighthouse. Frederick was somewhere in this area before his disappearance.
More witnesses also reported to the police who claimed to have seen a strange ship in the sky that was glowing green. This is important because information about this detail was made available to the public more than three years after Valentich's disappearance. These observers could not read about it in the newspapers or hear about it on television.
The UFO theory is certainly controversial. Not everyone believes in extraterrestrial beings. Valentich himself certainly believed in them and wanted to experience their presence one day. Who knows, perhaps this dream came true unexpectedly on the evening of October 21, 1978.
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