Rocket-Man spotted over Cannock skies

Feb 19 2009 By Mike Lockley

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No, our readers are sure it was a man, flying without wings across the skies over Gentleshaw Common.

Five locals have contacted The Post after witnessing the figure travelling, seemingly unaided, over houses at around 11am on Sunday, February 8. One described it as a ‘Superman’ moment - a clear case of ‘to Chadsmoor and beyond.’

But eagle-eyed Boney Hay villager Clive Wright believes those who reckon they witnessed something supernatural are talking a load of kryptonite. The 68-year-old, who spotted the flying man from the living room window of his Sunnymead Road home, believes the pilot was travelling with the aid of a jet pack - a strap-on engine made famous in the 1965 James Bond movie, Thunderball.

Clive’s wife, Janet, 68, and 14-year-old grandson Nicholas also witnessed the Chase’s own rocket man.

Clive said: “To say it was strange would be an understatement. And the ‘bottle’ didn’t come into it because none of us drink.

“At first I was watching quite a number of seagulls and noticed what I thought was one in the middle moving quite slowly. I got up to take a closer look and realised it was a flying man. I searched the sky for the plane he had baled out of, but could see nothing.

“All I could see was this man travelling in a controlled, straight line, travelling from Ryecroft shops across to Gentleshaw Common. I immediately went upstairs to get my binoculars and went out on the backyard, but he was gone. Some kind of Dan Dare spaceman - that’s what it looked like.”

He added: “The only explanation is that he was wearing a jet pack, although I was surprised he was travelling over a densely populated area.”

One householder, who asked to stay anonymous, said: “I don’t know where he’d been drinking, but they certainly serve some pretty strong stuff. Either that, or I witnessed the world’s worst case of wind.”

Did you spot the rocket man? Are you the rocket man? email mike_lockley@mrn.co.uk