WASHINGTON -- An airline pilot and flight crew spotted angels "floating in the clouds like hummingbirds" at 32,000 feet and in a confidential report to the Federal Aviation Administration, called it "a spiritual awakening unlike anything we have ever experienced." And far from being a mere hallucination or wishful thinking, a revealing black and white photograph [accompanies story] snapped by a co-pilot proves the angels were real.

That's the word from Bible scholar and angel expert Dr. Mark Janette, who flatly describes the phenomenon as dazzling new proof that the end of the world is near.

"This is a stunning example of the divine at work in the world we live in," said the expert, who is including the photograph and flight crew's report in his forthcoming book, Walking With God.

"Angel sightings are on the rise worldwide, of course, with thousands of ordinary people reporting encounters every day. But this particular sighting stands alone for several reasons.

"For one thing, we have a photograph that has been analyzed and re-analyzed by experts who insist that it is authentic. For another thing, the witnesses are professionals, trained to observe and seasoned by long experience flying above, below and through cloud formations that, as we all know, can look like just about anything, depending on who is seeing them.

"The fact is, these men and women saw angels that were as real as you and me. They believe it. Federal investigators believe it. And I believe it.

"Clearly, this is a sign and possibly even a warning from God. It is proof positive that the End Times are here."

Dr. Janette declined to name members of the flight crew under an agreement hammered out with the airline they flew for, which asked to remain anonymous pending the scheduling of a news conference to discuss the angel sighting.

The expert did refer to Flight 600 -- and said an estimated 175 passengers were aboard the jet when the angels appeared in the clouds as it flew from New York to Denver.

"A number of these passengers have been interviewed and I must say, they were as awestruck as the crew was -- and is," said Dr. Janette.

"And they all describe the band of angels the same way.

"For one thing, they all say the angels were 40 to 50 feet tall and included both male and female forms.

"They also reported that the angels were as white and billiant as the sunlit clouds themselves.

"The sighting lasted almost seven minutes before the jet flew out of the range of vision.

"The flight crew reported being excited at first, then afraid, then at peace as they came to realize the entities weren't a threat, but a sign from the divine."

A date for the airline's news conference remains a secret but insiders say the 19th or 20th of December is likely. Meanwhile, Dr. Janette continues his interviews with the flight crew and passengers as he finishes his book, which is tentatively slated for a spring release.

"I fully expect to hear of more sightings like this as we approach the year 2000," he said. "God is clearly at work in a world that is rapidly approaching its end."