Unexplained

Could this Air Marshal have flown into the future?

Air Marshal Sir Victor Goddard knew a thing or two about flying.

During the First World War, he led reconnaissance flights over the Somme, he commanded a bomber squadron in Iraq and, in 1935 when he was 38, he was appointed Deputy Director of Intelligence at the Air Ministry.

That same year, Victor Robert Goddard claims he travelled through time.

It started as a routine mission. He was to fly from his base in Andover, Hampshire, to Edinburgh.

And he’d pilot the small Hawker Hart military plane solo.

Nothing could be more straightforward. The Hawker Hart could reach a speed of 160mph. He’d be at the Edinburgh base in no more than three hours.

Approaching Edinburgh, Victor flew over an abandoned airfield near the village of Drem.

The RAF hadn’t used the airfield in years, and weeds had pushed up through the asphalt

Grass was growing in the hangar, and cows and sheep roamed the once-busy airbase.

Victor didn’t think twice about it. He landed at the Edinburgh base. And, two days later, he was ready to make his return flight.

Except, soon after take-off, Victor hit a storm – strong winds, heavy rain,thick cloud. But not the kind of cloud Victor had seen before. These were yellow…

Victor became confused, disoriented, started to lose control of his biplane.

Then, just as quickly as it began, the storm was over. Within seconds, it cleared and Victor could see the ground again.

He realised at once that he was again flying over the Drem airbase.

Only, this time, it looked very different.

There were no weeds, grass or livestock. In fact, the Drem airbase looked as good as new. Victor could see RAF mechanics working busily, the distinctive insignia sewn onto their uniforms. But there was something strange about those uniforms… Normally, RAF mechanics wore brown. These men were in blue. And the four RAF planes they were working on were bright yellow – a livery Victor had never seen on an RAF plane before. He flew on, hitting another storm that lasted all the way back to Andover. All the way, he couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d seen. And, landing at his base, he told the other airmen about it. His RAF colleagues were baffled. The Drem airbase hadn’t been used in years… Victor filed a report, detailing everything he’d

The Drem airbase hadn’t been used in years…

experienced, then thought no more about it… At least, not for the next four years.

On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland. And, two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany.

Britain was ready for war.

And so was the RAF – earlier that year, it’d completed a modernisation and expansion project.

New, blue uniforms had been issued to the mechanics.

And the RAF started using bright-yellow monoplanes.

To Victor Goddard, it seemed he’d had a glimpse into the future. How else would he have known these details?

Some years later, he wrote a book in which he claims he travelled through time.

Could it have been a time slippage? There are scientists who believe it could have happened.

But just how it did remains a mystery – albeit one that, for Victor Goddard, seemed very real indeed.

How else would he have known these details?