Episode Title: Ghosts at 30,000 Feet Are the skies haunted? In this episode of SpookyCoop, Paul and Michelle climb aboard for a lighthearted but chilling tour of aviation’s strangest ghost stories and unsolved disappearances. They explore the reported apparitions connected to Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, the WWII Navy blimp L-8 that returned to California with its crew missing, Frederick Valentich’s unnerving final radio call over Australia’s Bass Strait, and the enduring mystery of D.B. Cooper’s nighttime parachute escape. The episode closes with tales of phantom paratroopers said to linger around WWII drop zones in England and the Netherlands. Fasten your seatbelt, keep an eye on the cabin lights, and try not to worry if the passenger beside you is wearing a vintage pilot’s uniform.
Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 — The 1972 Everglades crash and the reported appearances of Captain Bob Loft and flight engineer Don Repo aboard other Eastern L-1011 aircraft.
The Ghost Blimp L-8 — In 1942, a Navy blimp landed near Daly City, California, with its two officers missing and no definitive explanation for their disappearance.
Frederick Valentich — The young Australian pilot whose 1978 report of a strange aircraft over Bass Strait was followed by a mysterious radio sound and his disappearance.
D.B. Cooper — The unidentified hijacker who parachuted from a Boeing 727 over the Pacific Northwest in 1971 and was never conclusively identified.
Phantom Paratroopers — Folklore surrounding WWII-era spectral soldiers and parachutists near Salisbury Plain and former Operation Market Garden sites in the Netherlands.
Michelle’s UFO story — Michelle shares her own strange encounter from a flight home from Los Angeles.
NTSB report: Eastern Air Lines Flight 401
The Ghost Blimp L-8 — National Naval Aviation Museum
“Lady Be Good” — National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
FBI update on the D.B. Cooper investigation
The Ghost of Flight 401 by John G. Fuller
ABC Australia: The disappearance of Frederick Valentich
Have you experienced something strange in the sky—or on the ground beneath it? Send your haunted travel stories, UFO sightings, and suspiciously ghost-filled airport encounters to SpookyCoop.
Until next time: keep your eyes on the skies, and your parachute packed… unless you have an alien pickup scheduled.
[00:00] speaker1: This week on Spooky Coop, episode number 48, Paul and Michelle take to the skies to talk about paranormal and ghostly air travel. Hi everyone, I'm Paul. speaker2: And I'm Michelle. speaker1: And you're in speaker2: the spooky coop. speaker1: Welcome to the spooky goo. Hope you're not chicken. Hello, Michelle. speaker2: Hey, Paul. How's it going? speaker1: Oh, tonight is going to be a fun night. We're taking the haunting to new heights. speaker2: Are we? Which is a phrase airlines probably don't want you to hear. speaker1: Not in their marketing materials anyway. speaker2: Not really. speaker1: So, folks, come on. Fly with us now with Extra spirits. speaker2: Oo. Does that mean we get a second glass of wine? speaker1: Probably not. speaker2: Uh, gotcha. Uh, anyway, this episode tonight is about haunted airplanes, ghostly parachutes, and a blimp that somehow manages to be like one in a classic horror movie. One coming home with no trace of its crew. speaker1: Ooh, these are real aviation incidents, disappearances, and reported paranormal accounts. We'll keep this the history straight, but we're also going to leave a little room in the overhead compartment for mystery to hide. speaker2: And if you hear a strange sound during this episode, don't worry. It's probably just Michelle or I opening a complimentary bag of nuts directly in front of the microphone. speaker1: Uh, that's right. I mean, they might think we're the complimentary bag. speaker2: We are the complimentary nuts of the airlines. So, let's put all of our seats in the upright position. Fasten our our seat belts, pretend we've taken off, and put our seats back and relax. And let's go. We begin with one of the most famous ghost stories in aviation history. Eastern Airlines Flight 401.
[02:00] speaker2: Mhm. speaker1: On December 29th, 1972, flight 401, which was a locked L1011 Tristar, was flying from New York's JFK airport to Miami. There were 176 people on board. As the aircraft approached Miami, Late at night, the crew noticed that an indicator light for the front end landing gear was not lit, which meant that the front end landing gear hadn't descended and locked into place. Not good. speaker2: No. speaker1: The double plus ungood. Before the crew tried everything they could to get the landing gear down and before realizing it was likely just a problem with the light. speaker2: Don't you hate that? Yeah. You think your landing gear is down, you're coming into the airport, it turns out. It's just the light bulb. speaker1: It's like thinking your your brakes are broken. And wasn't that a problem at 3M Island? The light didn't work. speaker2: Ah, I don't think so. speaker1: Oh, no. That was The China Syndrome. Pardon me. speaker2: Yes. Different movie. speaker1: Different movie. Different idea. The crew tried everything they could they could to get the landing gear down before realizing it was the light. And then the transcript from the black box tells us that the cockpit crew, assuming uh the plane was an autopilot and in direct communication with the nearby airport, they they thought they were all set. They seemed more interested in trying to replace the burnt-out bulb than focusing on flying on the plane. The last two transmissions from the plane were from first officer Albert Stockstill. We're still at 2,000 ft, right? And Captain Bob Loft replies, "Hey, what's happening here?" Followed by a loud click, six fast beeps, and an impact. speaker2: Yeah, those six fa fast beeps got faster and faster. They said it was the altimeter. Um speaker1: alttimeter. speaker2: Altimeter. Uh yeah, but my plane has an altimeter. They um speaker1: those with speedometer. speaker2: That was the uh plane going faster and faster before it hit. speaker1: And that was beyond horrible. But what makes it more tragic, while everyone in the cockpit concentrated on this very tiny light, the airplane gradually descended until it was too late and Flight 401 crashed into the Florida Everglades. 10 one people died speaker2: and it was I think 73 um speaker1: 75 speaker2: 75 I can't do math 75 people experienced that like terrible fear speaker1: unbelievable fear speaker2: yeah being like some of them were strapped in their seats some of them were you know a lot of them were injured like in the Everglades alligators dark night speaker1: no pythons yet speaker2: no I don't think they had pythons speaker1: and all this because of a simple little light bulb Mhm. That's unbelievable. A light bulb. speaker2: Yeah. This was long before LED lighting.
[04:00] speaker1: Yeah. speaker2: Apparently, speaker1: this is But this is just where the story begins. I mean, it's bad enough, but it turns into a different type of story at that point. At that point, it becomes a paranormal story cuz moving through the uh um Eastern Airlines, many many employees and passengers uh who are flying through Eastern flights on L uh L1011s um start reporting seeing men who look just like Captain Bob Loff and the flight engineer Donald Dawn uh Repo uh both who were victims of that flight that crashed in the Ne Everglades 401. They start seeing them on planes. speaker2: Yeah, that's true. It was happening on planes that had been repaired with salvaged usable components recovered from Flight 401. It seems like the objects were carrying the ghost of the crew attached to the parts for speaker1: for example like as the as um uh uh I'm sorry for example the captain um who was on an L1011 using salvage parts. Now he's on a different one obviously cuz the 401 crash he was asked by cabin crew to come check a passenger who was dressed in a pilot's uniform. He was very pale. He was refusing to speak to anyone and moreover he wasn't even on the passenger list and they asked a captain to come talk to him because he was like not talking to any any of the crew of the you know stewardises or anything. So the captain went back to talk to him and um he was stunned absolutely stunned because he clearly recognized him as Captain Bob Loft. He knew the captain. He knew him. He had flown with him many times. times and so he just stood there and when he stood there he tried to talk to him and all of a sudden the embodiment of Captain Loft just faded and was gone. speaker2: That is enough to do anybody in. speaker1: Yeah. And sometimes almost identical things happen like Paul was telling me about uh on two different flights with two different people. Um speaker2: yeah. Yes. Twice a passenger found themselves sitting next to a man of the same exact description. After trying to talk to the man both with no reply, one woman reported touching his hand. It was cold as ice and sent a shiver through her and both decided to flag down the cabin staff when the second person arrived. She, the person sitting next to the pale uniform man, and most of the passengers sitting in the area reported watching as the uniform man simply disappeared. On one of these occasions, the stewardist clearly identified the uniform figure as Captain Bob Loft. Now, that's got to be absolutely just stunning to be looking at a human being and then they just fade out and disappear. That would do your paradigm right in and affect people psychologically in a way that you just you have to experience speaker1: and they recognized him. These people had flown with him before. Another story comes from a flight engineer who was getting ready to take off. You know, he was doing the pre-flight check. speaker2: Mhm. speaker1: And he said halfway through his flight check, uh Dan Repo, the flight engineer from the ill- fated 401 speaker2: walked up to him. Just walked up to him and said, and I quote, "You don't have to worry about the pre-flight. I've already done it." speaker1: The guy thought he thought he was crazy. His head was spinning. He was in a panic. He knew Dawn personally, but he also knew that Dawn was dead. He had actually like, you know, been to the funeral and stuff, and he couldn't, his head couldn't work out what he was seeing. And as he was standing there looking at Dawn, Dawn just vanished. speaker2: Mhm. Yeah. There there's too many stories to tell here. It could and might be its own episode. You never know. It's like some ghosts are there to do nothing or everything from fix this or you're going to crash or you might want to check your coffee supply.
[06:00] speaker1: Yeah, it's really weird. Some of them seem to have a purpose. speaker2: Yeah. If you want to read more about Flight 401, John G. Fuller's book, The Ghost of Flight 401, uh presents accounts from people connected with the airline and helped make the story a permanent part of of American ghost lore. speaker1: Yeah, it's a re actually it's a really good book if you can find it. Now, you know, for our next encounter, we head to California in the year 1942. The US was in the middle of World War II and the coast was on alert for the for enemy submarines. Different than last episode, but just as weird. speaker2: On the on the morning of August 16th and Navy US Navy blimp called L8. Took off speaker1: L8. It was late. speaker2: Late. L-8. Late. Took off from Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay on an anti-ubmarine patrol. speaker1: You know, a blimp feels like it's too friendly to be involved in a mystery. speaker2: It does, doesn't it? speaker1: You You look at a blimp and you think that thing sells tires, not that thing is about to become the flying equivalent of the Mary Celeste. speaker2: Yeah. When you think of a blimp, you think of uh sort of a kind of silly friendly thing up in the air, not doing anything. Maybe flashing by bud, you know, but uh LA was actually a serious wartime thing on a serious wartime mission. On board was Lieutenant Ernest Dwit and Cody. Ernest Dit Cody, sorry, and Enson Charles Adams. They were experienced officers who flew blimps for a long time. Their assignment was to patrol the waters near what was that? Felon Island. speaker1: Fereralon Islands. speaker2: Fereralon Island. Um, for things like submarines, you know, cuz a blimp could be very quiet and it could go over the ocean without getting a lot of attention and it could see down through the water for the enemy. speaker1: I I am ignorant, but I don't know if if periscopes look up either. I think they have a speaker2: I think they just look forward. speaker1: They have a an an angle of uh speaker2: 90° sort of. speaker1: Uh, no, it it's go up slightly at I don't know what angle up to. speaker2: Well, I don't think it goes straight up speaker1: anyway. You know, not straight up. No, you know what I mean. Anyway, um the blimp was seen coming out of dock by local fishermen and two military ships. They wanted they wanted it to go out to sea. Not long after it was out, it called in that it w that it saw an oil slick on the ocean surface, which would likely indicate a Japanese submarine. speaker2: One with an oil leak. speaker1: Yes. A ship was sent out for backup, and the blimp was told to drop a depth. charge a bomb on it. The blimp started to circle and start its maneuver, but it never finished it. Instead, it quickly flew straight up into the air and far under the clouds and was gone. Not even radio contact. speaker2: Yeah. And I don't think blimps were really made to go straight up like that.
[08:00] speaker1: Well, why why not? It would be hard, but you know, because of the wind and everything, but speaker2: Yeah. No, no, I don't think that they go absolutely straight up. They might glide forward enough. speaker1: I see what you're saying. Yeah, but they don't go absolutely straight up. speaker2: Right. So anyway, hours later, it came down off the coast of Daily City, which is south of San Francisco. The depth charge was gone and the blimp itself was mo was mostly deflated. It blew into the front of the town, then came to land on the buildings. But when people reached the gondola, the crew compartment, the two officers were gone. speaker1: Yeah. The gondola's door was open. And those things lock for, you know, they lock. Um, the aircraft carried its equipment. Its parachutes were there. Its life jackets were there. There was no sign of any violence or struggle. No maydays were called out. No traces of either men were found. The Navy searched, the Coast Guard searched. Neither found either Cody or Adams. Nothing. Nothing. No traces. It leaves us with the uh image that refuses to go away. Hey, nothing was behaving normally. Nothing at all. Uh then a you know nothing. This huge blimp flying beyond its capabilities then coming out of the fog coming basically out of nowhere right into this city, you know, speaker2: right? speaker1: You know, this is sort of like uh you know you know that movie The Gone Girl. Well, these could be the Gondola guys. Sorry. So Imagine being a person on the ground that day. You look up and see a large Navy blimp drifting towards your neighborhood. You assume it has a crew. You assume somebody's driving the thing and it's going to stop before it hits the city. speaker2: Yeah. Oh, well, believe it or not, the L8 was uh repaired. speaker1: The late was repaired and it went to fly went on flying again eventually moving to civilian you use. They sold it, you know, after the war they sold it to civilians, but It's uh two officers uh never reappeared. It didn't become like a mystery ship like the Flight 408. Um as far as we know, no one ever came and was found floating in it. No ghost, speaker2: but it did earn the name the ghost blimp. speaker1: And this was one of those cases where the haunting isn't necessarily an apparition. It's the emptiness. A vehicle made for two people returning from the sky with neither one aboard. speaker2: That's the kind of story where a blimp is like, I don't want to I I just don't want to talk about it. speaker1: So, moving on to our next segment. Frederick Valentic and the strange voice over Bath Strait. speaker2: Yeah, that's in Australia, isn't it? speaker1: None of that sentence makes sense. speaker2: The best straits in uh Australia. speaker1: Yes. Yeah. So, we're going now to Australia and a disappearance that sits at the crossroads of aviation mystery, UFO lore, and the the unsettling possibilities of a radio transmission speaker2: from a radio transmission maybe
[10:00] speaker1: from a speaker2: who knows speaker1: there too four on October 21st 1978 20 20-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich was flying a rented Cessna 182 over Bass Straight the stretch of water between mainland Australia and and Tasmania that's on the southern side speaker2: how much it cost to rent a plane back then speaker1: I have no clue speaker2: maybe a$150 speaker1: they didn't have pay whatever you do Don't give him 350. On to you, Michelle. Please continue. speaker2: Before I make any other stupid comments, speaker1: I think I was the one who made the stupid comment. Thank you. speaker2: He was Yeah, he was on that flight. Um, and he was he he uh speaker1: it was from Muraban Airport, right? speaker2: Yeah. Anyway, he reported seeing this unidentified craft near him. speaker1: You know, it looked like kind of like a a object with lights along the side, sort of an oblong object. He said even though it was this oblong object which you think wouldn't you know have this maneuverability, it was circling him speaker2: and it was going around him really fast all over the place. And when he called in to they he told them that this thing was circling him and it had these lights around him. It they didn't seem to know they didn't seem to confirm it. I guess it wasn't showing up on their radar. And um he started saying them that it was that he started telling him this object that came from the southwest seemed to be dodging with him and playing with him like it was playing some kind of game maybe I don't know playing chicken with him or something right speaker1: and um next thing you know he on the radio um he started he was trying to talk to them and he said something especially unriv to play a game with me speaker2: and um Mhm. speaker1: Not a sentence you want to hear on a radio while flying alone over dark water. speaker2: Yeah. Especially if it's coming too close and you feel like you're going to hit it, you know. And um speaker1: so the controller asked Valent describe the other aircraft. He continued trying. Then the radio transmission ended with a metallic scraping and droning sound. speaker2: Yeah. speaker1: After that, no trace of Valentine was found. speaker2: That's true. And the vision, like Paul said, they tried to the they tried to figure out what's going on. Officially, they said that they didn't know what happened, that he probably crashed in the water and, you know, all those explanations, but no one ever was able to identify the object flying near him, too. And his final radio call left a permanent chill on on people who heard it. The pilot was calm, and he was steady and calm enough. No panic, no stress. no fear in his voice. He wasn't seeing something that he wasn't seeing something we, you know, that was horrifying,
[12:00] speaker1: but he was seeing something. speaker2: But he definitely was seeing something and then all of a sudden he was gone. speaker1: The paranormal and UFO communities have long treated the Valent case as a likely encounter with something unknown. Let's say it was an encounter with something unknown. speaker2: Well, of course it was. speaker1: No one knows what it was. speaker2: And even if you Don't leap straight to visitors from another world. There is an uni undeniable creepiness to the recording. A young pilot alone in the night speaking into a radio describing lights that moved around him. speaker1: You know, I was once on a plane that had a object flying alongside of it. I was speaker2: That's right. Yes. speaker1: I was on my way to Los Angeles and um actually I was on my way home from Los Angeles. speaker2: You just you just done that paranormal show. speaker1: Yeah. It was an evening flight and um and then it went into tonight. And the whole time off the wing, I was on the right side of the plane. And the whole time off the wing, there was a a it was silver as the sun went down. And then it was a a light that it was a golden light flying not far from the wing, end of the wing of the plane. speaker2: And I was looking at it and I said to the gentleman sitting next to me, "What do you think of that?" And he said, "What? I've seen those. He was a businessman. He says, "I've seen those before. I've seen those a lot." And um we started talking about it and I asked him what he thought they were and stuff. And he he had more of a prosaic thing. He thought they were sparks coming off the edge of the airplane, but it kept moving away and closer and then it would disappear, then it would go really fast and, you know, it kept moving around speaker1: and then at night um it started, you know, really coming in close and it started doing all these fast out of nowhere and then fast back in and then you know the it started doing these amazing things. It got long and then it got short and you know it was just really amazing and and it shot straight up and shot straight down and speaker2: you know and I felt very safe. speaker1: Sparks. speaker2: No, it wasn't sparks because speaker1: dynamic sparks speaker2: because we had a problem with the plane um with landing And really speaker1: yeah, there had been some problems with the aircraft. speaker2: And um speaker1: and so it was very comforting to have it there. And as I was looking at it, three times the Studist came over and slammed, not close, slammed the window closed in front of me. She didn't close the windows around anyone else, but she slammed the window in front of me and said, "I think you should get some sleep. It's an overnight flight,
[14:00] speaker2: and I think you should get some sleep." And And she only did that in front of me. And then every time she was gone, I'd open the window and she came back and shut it in front of me. speaker1: That's curious. speaker2: Yeah. And when we got closer to Boston, speaker1: the the light came in closer and that's when it turned out that all of a sudden um the plane started having issues and the airport speaker2: uh tower speaker1: um went out and the radar and the airport tower went out and we had to circle around so much and then the um and then a fog had come in and finally the pilot said um we're running out of fuel so we're going to attempt a landing. Everybody hold on. speaker2: Um I we're not going to be see we're not terrifying. speaker1: Yeah. Terrifying. We're not going to see the runway probably till the last minute, but we have good electronics so we know where it is. Hang on. speaker2: Mhm. speaker1: And this was in 199 three or four. It was pretty scary, but we did land. And when we landed, I saw the little light go away and I didn't see it anymore. speaker2: Wow. speaker1: Yeah. speaker2: Someone was looking over you or somebody caused the radar to go out, which speaker1: No, I think there was a storm in Boston. A really big storm just before we got to Boston. speaker2: Somebody knew something and was watching over you. speaker1: It I think it was just to make me feel better. speaker2: Yeah. speaker1: Anyway, that was that. speaker2: Right. So, moving On. Our next segment is about DB Cooper, the man who parachuted into legend. Take it away, Michelle. speaker1: Oh, yeah. Our next case is a Where was I? Um, speaker2: you were right here. Where it says, "Our next case is not known as a haunting." Exactly. But it is one of the great disappearing parachutist stories of the 20th century. You don't know all about it because some people believe there's a paranormal connection to it. Right. That's just it. A lot of people think they know the story, but they don't know the paranormal connection to it. speaker1: Okay. speaker2: It was on It was in November, wasn't it? Like the 24th in 1971. speaker1: Correct. speaker2: There was a man using uh a man named Dan Cooper who boarded a Northwest Airlines plane. It was a 727. Most people are aware of that. In Portland, Oregon. Um you likely know him as DB Cooper. This is one of the things most people don't don't know. Um but uh actually um did you know that he got that name by mistake? speaker1: No. speaker2: Nope. It was because of a local reporter uh had gone to the town where the plane came up came from and um interviewed a man named DB Cooper to see if he might have been a relationship of a Dan Cooper. And when he wrote the article, he mixed the names up.
[16:00] speaker1: Ah speaker2: and he so uh Dan Cooper got known as DB Cooper and it stuck. speaker1: So now we know him as DB Cooper, not Dan Cooper. speaker2: Got it. speaker1: Yeah. speaker2: So after takeoff, Cooper told a flight attendant that he had a bomb. He demanded $200,000 and four parachutes. The plane landed in Seattle. The passengers were released and Cooper received the money and parachutes. speaker1: It's funny you wanted four. It always made me wonder if there were three other people who might have been involved, speaker2: but they got off. speaker1: I'm sure they investigated that. speaker2: Oh, I'm sure they either that or maybe he was a large man and they didn't tell us that. speaker1: That is very unkind. speaker2: I know. speaker1: Anyway, the plane landed in Seattle. The passengers are released. Cooper got his money and parachutes and he ordered the aircraft back into the air with a reduced crew. speaker2: Yeah. And during that flight south, somewhere over the Pacific Northwest, he lowered the rear stairs, put the parachute on, and jumped into the darkness off the aircraft. speaker1: Right now, there's a debate as to whether he could have survived the jump. I mean, he was he had that parachute, but it wasn't a steerable parachutes like the big parachutes they have today. speaker2: And he was jumping into a terrain that was dangerous, even if you jumped in it in daylight. speaker1: The FBI trackers couldn't find his body. They didn't find any trace of the parachute, any trace of his backpack, nothing. Independent trackers find nothing either. speaker2: Mhm. I wonder if he was splattered over 3/4 of a mile or something awful. Never find him. speaker1: I don't know. Anyway, he was never in conclusively identified or found. They they talked to over or they checked over 500 uh plus speaker2: 500 people. Over speaker1: 500 people. There were three that that were good. choices, but even they turned out not to be, speaker2: you know, speaker1: right? So, in 1980, some of the ransom money was discovered along the Columbia River, but the mystery remained. The FBI continued to investigate the case for decades before ending its active investigation in 2016. speaker2: Yeah, I always wondered why they didn't do some kind of DNA thing. Maybe they did. I don't know. speaker1: We didn't get to there. So, here's why he belongs in this episode. Imagine the view from that airplane. Rain, wind, cold November. darkness. A lone figure with a parachute and a bag of money stepping down into the night. Then nothing. No confirmed landing. No farewell note. Bye guys. Taking a lift. And no tiny ghostly business card saying thanks for flying Northwest. speaker2: Yeah, he didn't leave any feedback either. speaker1: Not even one star. speaker2: No. That's terrible.
[18:00] speaker1: Yep. Some people imagine Cooper as a clever criminal who vanished into a new life. Others believe the jump was nearly impossible to survive under those conditions. speaker2: But But speaker1: what if there was a third explanation? speaker2: A third explanation. speaker1: A third explanation. What would that be? speaker2: Yeah. speaker1: Um, only those who are paranormic. Paranormal. speaker2: Let me say it for you and then you continue. Only only though I can't even speak now. What the heck is wrong? Maybe we just need to not, you know, include speaker1: only those of the paranormal persuasion. speaker2: Yes, that's it. Thank you so much. They dare to ask, "What if he never made it to the ground at all? What if down was the opposite direction that he traveled in?" speaker1: Well, then he'd have to go up. That would be quite That would be quite an updraft. speaker2: Aha. Uh, with the way and the frequency UFOs seem to appear following aircrafts at night, what if DB Cooper was taken for a ride on the Alien Express? Maybe they kept him or maybe they put him down somewhere that allowed him to escape with or without his money somewhere safe. speaker1: You know, that's out there enough that I don't know that I would completely discount it because they have told us some very strange things they have done. speaker2: The aliens the aliens do some interesting things speaker1: and they do have a sense of humor. speaker2: That's right. What if they let him keep his money but put him down in a place where he had to burn it? for warmth. speaker1: Mhm. speaker2: You know, or use it as a kindling for a fire. speaker1: Or what if they didn't give it to him and they were like, "We'll put you back, but only without your money." And then they put him back, say, in another part of the country, but without his money. speaker2: Yeah. I just to attest to those who are cynical about the idea that the aliens may have a sense of humor, one of them told us that they were tricexual. They try everything. speaker1: Yeah. Or or um there was a an abductee in John Mac's uh support group Mhm. speaker2: who kept um the aliens kept saying to her, "We are real. Can't you get that through your head?" And then when they took her through a wall, she'd always bang her head before they brought her through the wall. speaker1: Ah. speaker2: And then they would say to me, "Sleep tight." And then they'd tuck me in so tight I couldn't move when they brought me back. speaker1: What a bizarre sense of humor. speaker2: Yeah, very bizarre sense of humor. Anyway, speaker1: so
[20:00] speaker2: if you're going to become a ghost story, that's uh really uh cinematic in nature. This is the way. speaker1: Why not jump out of a plane and get abducted? speaker2: That's right. On to our seventh segment. speaker1: Our final stop. I don't think it's our seventh segment, but anyway, it's our final stop. speaker2: Is it our final stop? speaker1: Yeah. speaker2: Oh, phantom paratroopers and the folk folklore of drop zones. Why can't we speak English tonight? speaker1: It's not f folklore. It's actual. speaker2: It's actual. That's right. speaker1: Yeah. speaker2: There. And and and Yes. So, for our final stop, we return to World War II and tales of phantom parachutists. We should change that to sightings of phantom parachutists. speaker1: Yeah. speaker2: Across Europe, especially in areas shaped by the Second World War, locals tell of spectral soldiers and parachutists appearing near former training grounds, battlefields, and drop zones. speaker1: Yeah. And you can hear the Hans from Hill upstairs barking. speaker2: Someone's been bad. We're going to have to talk to them after. Oh, forget it. We'll just give him a meaty bone and a big hug. speaker1: So, one type of story comes from Salisbury plane, Michelle, in England. speaker2: Climbing up on Salsbury Hills. speaker1: You know that's in Somerset, right? speaker2: What? speaker1: Salisbury plane is an enormous military training area. speaker2: Oh, in Salsbury Hills in Somerset. speaker1: I My bad. speaker2: So, there have been reports of lone World War II era parachutists, sometimes seen descending in the distance, sometimes standing in an oldfashioned in in old-fashioned military gear. Huh. Other stories in the Netherlands include descriptions of wartime parachute drops near where the fighting around Operation Market Garden left deep historical scars. Some locals describe the ghosts of Allied paratroopers seen near former drop zones or roads associated with the campaign. These reports varied and are fascinating but still have things in common. It's always allied paratroopers, although details can differ from person to person who see them. speaker1: Wow. But it can be that way. You know, Paul, speaker2: you know, these things can uh can always be that way. They have uh they have uh these places have like an energy that they hold. speaker1: It's left behind. When history is intense, those things can see the echoes. People who who have that sensitivity can see the echoes like the echoes of that energy are left behind. And those that can see the echoes of the energy Like in this case, they can see the parachutes blooming and opening in the evening sky. Uh like people who see soldiers marching through Gettysburg, speaker2: they experiencing they experience something other people can't see. Like the people who are who have the the I guess like the radio can be tuned in their in their being speaker1: to the tune of that echo, speaker2: that frequency.
[22:00] speaker1: Yeah. And some people aren't tuned to that, speaker2: right? speaker1: Yeah. So Especially when the past includes thousands of young soldiers arriving from the air carrying fear, hope, equipment, letters from home, and no guarantee they would return. All that human emotion, all that soul energy, and unfortunately all that death. speaker2: Yeah. And perhaps that's the most haunting part of all. Sometimes a place remembers remembers all of that. speaker1: Mhm. Anyway, tonight we met the ghost uh ghost who tried to protect flight. cruise. We met a blimp that returned without its pilots. Uh we speaker2: we met a pilot who reported strange lights before vanishing. speaker1: Parachuters who stepped into legend. Phantom soldiers who will be landing forever and ever in battlefields in Europe. speaker2: The factual events behind these stories are often tragic. The energy and pain left behind, the tragedies are destined to live on. Dark skies, unexplainable lights, and idiot idiom speaker1: and idiots like us speaker2: and idiots like us and idiomatic disappearances compel us to go beyond prosaic explanations and what most would think is beyond the conventional speaker1: we should say it together thank you for flying spooky coupe airlines the cabin lights are dimming the ghosts are seated and the mysteriously bright object off the left wing is our UFO companion. speaker2: No, you're not supposed to tell them the truth. speaker1: Oh. Oh, sorry. Let me correct that. Uh, hear me, passengers. I meant to say the object, the bright object off the left wing is actually the planet Venus. speaker2: That's better. speaker1: Okay. So, until next time, keep your eyes on the skies and your parachute firmly packed unless you have a very good alien pickup booked ahead of time. speaker2: Yeah. And you have to book those well ahead of time. So, good night spooky people. Thank you everyone for joining us speaker1: in speaker2: Be good, be safe. Until we see you next time. speaker1: Yep. speaker2: In the spooky coop. speaker1: We need to learn to sing better. My god, our brains are ones. I don't understand. speaker2: Do you want to try a bit of this?