During WWII, a Royal Air Force pilot flying from Southern Oman lost his way, having expended most of his fuel, and found himself hovering above the Empty Quarter. Realizing that he was running out of time, the pilot searched for a landmark to orient himself and spotted what looked like a small town. When he realized that the town was inhabited and that he could not land his aircraft, he continued his journey and landed near Sharjah. While there, he recounted his story to another RAF pilot called Raymond O’Shea who became fascinated by the pilot’s sighting and who became one of the many Western adventurers to have embarked on expeditions to find the lost “utopian” city of Ubar.