Within Parramatta 1868
Was the ark really a flying machine idea?
Birmingham's later flying-machine ideas show how the ark vision blended religious imagery with early aviation speculation.
On this page
- Ships, arks and pre aeroplane language
- The 1875 air navigation letter
- From vision to invention attempt
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Introduction
The most intriguing aspect of Frederick William Birmingham’s 1868 Parramatta “ark” vision is not the sighting itself but what happened afterwards. Unlike many nineteenth-century visionary experiences, Birmingham appears to have tried to turn the idea into a practical engineering project. Later material linked to him shows that he did not merely remember an aerial ark; he attempted to work out how such a machine might achieve “navigation through the air”. In that respect, the Parramatta story sits at an unusual crossroads between religious vision, colonial engineering and the wider Victorian fascination with flight. [theozfiles.blogspot.com]theozfiles.blogspot.comthe 1868 ufo vision of frederickThe 1868 "UFO vision" of Frederick William Birmingham12 Dec 2023 — A long letter he wrote in 1875 describing his efforts of applying his…
For readers interested in New South Wales UFO folklore, this matters because it helps explain why the case is sometimes remembered as more than a dream narrative. Birmingham’s later writings suggest that the ark became, in his mind, a model for a future flying machine. That does not make the original experience a UFO in any modern sense, but it does show how nineteenth-century people could interpret strange visions through the language of invention and technological progress.
Ships, arks and pre-aeroplane language
One reason the Parramatta account feels unusual to modern readers is that the object was described as an ark or vessel rather than as anything resembling an aeroplane. Birmingham reportedly remarked that the machine looked better suited to water than to air. The shape was essentially nautical. [theozfiles.blogspot.com]theozfiles.blogspot.comthe 1868 ufo vision of frederickThe 1868 "UFO vision" of Frederick William Birmingham12 Dec 2023 — A long letter he wrote in 1875 describing his efforts of applying his…
That description becomes less surprising when viewed in its Victorian context. Before powered flight existed, many inventors imagined aerial travel using familiar maritime ideas. Proposed flying machines were often called aerial ships, airships or flying vessels. Designs regularly borrowed from boats, complete with hulls, cabins, steering positions and crew compartments. In the nineteenth century, the distinction between a ship for water and a ship for the air was often conceptual rather than visual. [newenglandaviationhistory.com]newenglandaviationhistory.commcdermott flying machine30 Mar 2021 — An illustration of his idea depicts a boat supported by four balloons with a sail to provide forward motion. From the late…
The ark imagery therefore carried two meanings at once:
- A biblical and religious meaning, reflecting the visionary tone of Birmingham’s experience.
- A technological meaning, reflecting contemporary attempts to imagine how humans might travel through the atmosphere.
This combination helps explain why later UFO enthusiasts sometimes see the Parramatta account as strangely modern while historians tend to see it as distinctly Victorian. The object was not described using twentieth-century aerospace language because that language did not yet exist.
The 1875 air-navigation letter
The strongest evidence linking Birmingham’s vision to aviation ideas comes from a letter he wrote in 1875. According to surviving discussions of the document, Birmingham described efforts to apply his engineering knowledge to the problem of aerial travel and explicitly referred to “navigation through the air”. The machine he discussed reportedly retained major features from the earlier vision, including an ark-like form and a pilot house. [theozfiles.blogspot.com]theozfiles.blogspot.comthe 1868 ufo vision of frederickThe 1868 "UFO vision" of Frederick William Birmingham12 Dec 2023 — A long letter he wrote in 1875 describing his efforts of applying his…
This is a significant detail because it suggests continuity between the 1868 experience and Birmingham’s later engineering thinking. The ark was not simply remembered as a supernatural spectacle. It became a design concept.
The timing is also noteworthy. The 1870s were a period when flight remained a largely theoretical ambition. Inventors and scientific societies in Britain, Europe and North America were debating whether controlled aerial navigation was achievable at all. The Aeronautical Society of Great Britain had already been founded, and pioneers such as Sir George Cayley had established important principles of flight, but practical powered aircraft were still decades away. [Wikipedia]WikipediaFrederick BreareyFrederick Brearey
Against that backdrop, Birmingham’s interest in aerial navigation places him within a broader Victorian culture of experimentation. His ideas were not mainstream engineering solutions, but neither were they entirely isolated from contemporary discussions about flight.
From vision to invention attempt
The most interesting historical question is whether Birmingham treated the vision as inspiration or as instruction.
Later versions of the story describe him entering the ark and seeing papers covered with figures, calculations or formulae. Whether understood literally, symbolically or as part of a dream narrative, these details resemble a common nineteenth-century theme: the revelation of hidden technical knowledge. [theozfiles.blogspot.com]theozfiles.blogspot.comthe 1868 ufo vision of frederickThe 1868 "UFO vision" of Frederick William Birmingham12 Dec 2023 — A long letter he wrote in 1875 describing his efforts of applying his…
Birmingham appears to have taken that aspect seriously enough to pursue practical thinking about flight. The available evidence does not show that he built a successful aircraft, nor is there evidence that his designs influenced later aviation developments. However, the surviving references indicate that he attempted to bridge the gap between vision and engineering. [theozfiles.blogspot.com]theozfiles.blogspot.comthe 1868 ufo vision of frederickThe 1868 "UFO vision" of Frederick William Birmingham12 Dec 2023 — A long letter he wrote in 1875 describing his efforts of applying his…
This distinction is important when assessing the story’s place in New South Wales UFO history.
If the account is read purely as a sighting report, the evidence is weak. It derives from a personal vision and lacks independent witnesses or physical corroboration. If it is read as an example of Victorian technological imagination, however, it becomes more historically interesting. It reveals how an educated colonial engineer could blend religious imagery, dreams and emerging ideas about flight into a single narrative.
Why the flying-machine interpretation remains limited
Some modern retellings present the Parramatta ark as a remarkably early description of an advanced aircraft. The surviving evidence does not support such a strong conclusion.
Several factors argue for caution:
- Birmingham himself described the original event in visionary or dream-like terms.
- The ark retained a ship-like appearance rather than displaying recognisably modern aeronautical features.
- The later aviation connection comes largely from Birmingham’s own efforts to interpret and develop the idea.
- No evidence shows that the machine actually existed or that any flight demonstration occurred. [theozfiles.blogspot.com]theozfiles.blogspot.comthe 1868 ufo vision of frederickThe 1868 "UFO vision" of Frederick William Birmingham12 Dec 2023 — A long letter he wrote in 1875 describing his efforts of applying his…
The historical value of the case lies elsewhere. It shows how unusual aerial narratives existed long before the flying-saucer era and how those narratives were shaped by the technology and language available at the time. Where twentieth-century witnesses might describe discs, spacecraft or advanced aircraft, Birmingham described an ark with a pilot house because ships and navigation provided the closest available framework.
What the ark adds to New South Wales UFO folklore
Within the broader story of New South Wales UFO history, Birmingham’s ark is best understood as an early example of pre-UFO aerial folklore. Its significance comes not from evidence of a mysterious craft over Parramatta but from the way it combines three nineteenth-century currents:
- Religious and visionary experience.
- Enthusiasm for scientific and engineering progress.
- Speculation about future air travel before practical aviation existed. [theozfiles.blogspot.com+2ICAO]theozfiles.blogspot.comthe 1868 ufo vision of frederickThe 1868 "UFO vision" of Frederick William Birmingham12 Dec 2023 — A long letter he wrote in 1875 describing his efforts of applying his…
That combination makes the Parramatta ark different from later UFO reports. Rather than anticipating flying saucers directly, it reflects a world in which the dream of flight was still largely imaginary. Birmingham’s later attempts to turn the ark into an air-navigation concept reveal how easily visionary experiences and technological aspirations could merge in Victorian Australia, creating a story that sits halfway between folklore, invention and the long prehistory of UFO culture.
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Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Was the ark really a flying machine idea?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The Wright Brothers
Connects visionary ideas about flight with the practical invention process that mirrors Birmingham's move from vision to engineering.
A History of Aerodynamics
Provides deep context on pre-airplane theories and the development of flying-machine concepts.
Progress in Flying Machines
Contemporary to the era discussed and directly tied to Victorian attempts to achieve air navigation.
Visions of a Flying Machine
Focuses on how imaginative concepts became workable flying machines, closely matching the article's theme.
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Endnotes
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Title: the 1868 ufo vision of frederick
Link: https://theozfiles.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-1868-ufo-vision-of-frederick.htmlSource snippet
The 1868 "UFO vision" of Frederick William Birmingham12 Dec 2023 — A long letter he wrote in 1875 describing his efforts of applying his...
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Source: icao.int
Title: aviation history the scientific visionaries or those men before the wrights
Link: https://www.icao.int/sites/default/files/postalhistory/aviation_history_the_scientific_visionaries_or_those_men_before_the_wrights.htmSource snippet
The Scientific Visionaries or those Men before the WrightsIn England, Sir George Cayley (1773-1857) is recognized both as the inventor of...
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Source: newenglandaviationhistory.com
Title: mcdermott flying machine
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30 Mar 2021 — An illustration of his idea depicts a boat supported by four balloons with a sail to provide forward motion. From the late...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Frederick Marriott
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Marriott -
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Frederick Brearey
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Title: Early flying machines
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Early flying machinesEarly flying machines include all forms of aircraft studied or constructed before the development of the modern a...
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1863 “Gravitational” Flight (motor-less) & The Great American Steam Airships of the 19th Century...
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machinessuccess can be hoped for in navigating the air with flying machines. He has engaged in the effort to work out the maintenance of...
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Air navigationAVe must use '^ air-cooled" methods for pathfinding in flight. Only by practical work in the air can one realize how utterl...
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Edward Teshmaker BuskEdward Teshmaker Busk was an English. Scientist and Engineer who pioneered early aircraft design at the Royal Aircra...
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UFO files: the inside story of real-life sightingsDavid Clarke reveals an array of startling stories from possible UFO reports hidden am...
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oz files: the Australian UFO story / Bill Chalker.The oz files: the Australian UFO story / Bill Chalker. Available at State Library of...
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TODAY IN AVIATION HISTORY [19 June 1894] Frederick...Lanchester, British aeronautical and automobile pioneer, announces his theory of ci...
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into history | State Library of New South WalesStudents explore sources showing how flying machines have changed over time...
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65_hs1-834228961_62-hq-83894_section_10.pdfthe National Academy of Sciences; past UFO studies; and Air. Force experience investigating UF...
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