Omar Fowler

Omar Fowler was a British UFO researcher who dedicated over thirty years to investigating unidentified aerial phenomena, establishing himself as one of the UK's most systematic and prolific documenters of close encounter cases. His particular focus on the "Flying Triangle" mystery made him a central figure in European UFO circles and contributed significantly to the international discussion of anomalous craft sightings.

Early Life and Military Background

Fowler developed his interest in the possibility of extraterrestrial visitation while serving with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm in the 1950s. After his naval service, he held positions at the Empire Test Pilots School and the Royal Aircraft Establishment Farnborough, bringing him into contact with aviation and aeronautical engineering expertise that would inform his later investigative work. His transition from military to civilian life in the early 1960s coincided with growing public interest in UFO phenomena in Britain, and Fowler began channeling his professional background and analytical mind into systematic UFO investigation.

Founding SIGAP and UK UFO Research Leadership

In 1967, Fowler became a founder member of the Surrey Investigation Group on Aerial Phenomena (SIGAP), serving as its chairman for over a decade. SIGAP established itself as one of Britain's most methodical civilian research organizations, adopting rigorous investigative protocols influenced by scientific methodology—a rarity in UFOlogy at the time. Under Fowler's stewardship, SIGAP documented hundreds of sightings across southern England, distinguishing itself from sensationalist UFO groups by insisting on corroboration, witness credibility assessment, and elimination of prosaic explanations before considering anomalous interpretations.

Fowler's work through SIGAP earned respect from both serious researchers and skeptics; he was known for rejecting unverifiable claims and for maintaining correspondence with scientific institutions and military liaison officers. His leadership of the group reflected a conviction that UFO research could be conducted with the rigor of academic inquiry, even if mainstream academia had not yet embraced the subject.

Flying Triangle Research and Publications

After leaving SIGAP, Fowler relocated to Derbyshire and founded the Phenomenon Research Association, through which he pursued his most specialized and lasting contribution: the systematic documentation of the "Flying Triangle" UFO phenomenon. Beginning in the 1970s, reports of large, silent, triangular or delta-wing-shaped craft began accumulating across Europe and North America. While some skeptics immediately attributed these to classified military stealth aircraft testing, Fowler took seriously the possibility that at least some cases represented genuine anomalies warranting investigation.

He authored multiple publications on the flying triangle mystery, including The Flying Triangle UFO's: The Continuing Story, assembling sightings from across the United States, Europe, and beyond. These works compiled witness testimony, physical evidence claims, and situational analysis in a format designed to allow readers to reach their own conclusions rather than impose a predetermined narrative. His publications circulated through UFO research networks internationally and established him as an authority on this particular class of sighting.

Fowler also served as a director of the long-established magazine Flying Saucer Review and held editorial roles with other UFO publications, using these platforms to promote data-driven investigation and to distinguish serious scholarship from folklore and hoaxes. He lectured regularly at the Staffordshire UFO Group and other research organizations throughout the 1990s and 2000s, engaging new generations of British UFO researchers with his emphasis on methodological rigor.

Legacy and Death

Fowler remained active in UFO research into his final years, maintaining correspondence with investigators across Europe and continuing to collect reports of anomalous aerial phenomena. He died in June 2017, leaving behind a body of documented case research and methodological frameworks that continue to inform UFO investigation practices in the UK and Europe. While he never achieved the international prominence of figures like J. Allen Hynek or Stanton Friedman, Fowler's quiet, systematic approach to UFO research—and his particular focus on the flying triangle phenomenon during a period when such sightings were becoming more frequent and more widely reported—represented an important strand of serious civilian UFOlogy.