Did anyone else see a 'UFO' last week?

[Phanerothyme 12]

Now calm down boys, don't be fighting on my thread!

 

Nevertheless, Halibut was right, I hadn't been to the pub: I ('she', not 'he'!) was working. I work with extremely vulnerable people, so never drink anything on the day/night of my shift.

 

Whatawaste: I saw some Chinese lanterns about 4 yrs ago, and did think there was an alien invasion at first. So did the rest of the street, until someone told us it was the 'Sharrow Festival of Light'. THIS was NOTHING like it at all [please people, no more mention of Chinese lanterns:gag:]!

 

You can laugh as much as you like at my crappy efforts to supply an image of the 'craft'....but not having any drawing software/hardware for my laptop, I had to use Paint!

 

http://i51.tinypic.com/2hrpah3.jpg

 

I'm certain that it's good enough for anyone who saw it to recognise, so that's cool with me!

 

chriscalcite: thanks for your intelligent post, and for posing the 'stealth aircraft' question. This was actually the next question I asked myself after "what the hell was that?" and "I definitely didn't imagaine that?".

 

However, I am very familiar with various stealth and non-stealth aircraft. Having spent five long summers selling binoculars at most of the UK's main airshows, I came to know them well! I know how they look when they are standing still, flying close up or far away, how they move in the sky, how they sound, how they do/don't shine when the light hits them, etc, etc.

 

The B2 and F117 were actually my favourites, even though I'm not really into aircraft. They were amazing things, and absolutely the same sort of shape as the 'UFO' I saw. Where this arguement falls down, is that: a) this was shiny silver (or maybe a bit less of a possibility, glowing), and not matt black; b) the 'thing' was no further away from the stealths I have seen at airshows, yet it made no sound whatsoever; c) the shape was very, very clear to me, and was NOT exactly the same as any stealth aircraft I'm currently aware of.

 

This leads me to wonder whether they (*insert your own answer here*) were test-driving a new one???

 

X

 

Looks like a kite or a descent parafoil/hang glider.

[chriscalcite 10]

Interesting picture... one thing struck me is that your image looks intrinsically aerodynamic. In other words it'd probably fly perfectly well with conventional engines without resorting to the secret and/or alien technologies beloved of the tinfoil hat brigade. After the Lockheed RQ-170 Sentinel, the closest shape that jumps immediately to mind is the BAe Taranis stealth drone that was due to begin flight trials this year. That's not one you'll have seen at an air show! It's quite possible you caught a test flight of something along those lines. The fact that it was silver is another 'tick' in the experimental box as they don't tend to paint them at the beginning of flight trials. And silent? It wouldn't be very 'stealth' if it couldn't cruise with very little noise when required, eh?

[Tony 10]

Looks like a newspaper blowing in the wind to me.

[stupid head 10]

Autumn la55, could you give some idea of scale here.

Could you have blocked the whole view of the object with your arm extended and your palm up, for instance. ?

[Tony 10]

Suggest that you check out this useful explanation

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vbd3E6tK2U

[autumn1a55 10]

Hey Chriscalcite, you may seriously be onto something here!!!

 

I googled the BAe Taranis stealth drone, and found this pic....

 

 

Now then, that is pretty damned close to what I saw:o

Wow, if that's what it was, then this is some amazing-looking bit of modern technology:love:

 

So, how come it was so shiny in a dark sky? Reflecting the moon perhaps?

 

Thanks so much for your help with this (everyone), but I definitely think this is the most plausible explanation I'm likely to encounter (thanks Chris). I'd still love to hear from anyone else who also saw the craft, or have encountered something similar.

 

X

[snappakippa 10]

I see these things most nights on my way home from the pub.

[barleycorn 10]

Autumn la55, could you give some idea of scale here.

Could you have blocked the whole view of the object with your arm extended and your palm up, for instance. ?

 

And how pray tell would that determine the difference between something which was small and close and something large and far away?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25N-4zrk390

 

jb

[stupid head 10]

And how pray tell would that determine the difference between something which was small and close and something large and far away?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25N-4zrk390

 

jb

 

It wouldn't, though if it was an aircraft it would give enough of an idea as to whether you'd be expected to be able to hear engine noise, stealth or not.

[chriscalcite 10]

So, how come it was so shiny in a dark sky? Reflecting the moon perhaps?

 

Now I am not involved with the aviation industry, so what follows is pure speculation on my part. However, if I were flight testing (i.e. testing the flying capabilities) of a remotely-piloted aircraft, the last thing I'd want happening was it disappearing from radar - it'd be a bit like the joke about the man who invented invisible paint but now can't find the tin

 

Now stealth aircraft are designed to scatter rather than reflect radar waves with their very shape. One way to get round that might be to increase what small reflection there is - which of course you can do by polishing. So maybe the flight test aircraft is very shiny, almost mirror-like? And it was merely reflecting the city lights back down at you? If you've ever flown over a town or city at night, it's amazing how brightly lit it can appear.

 

But that's a pure guess. I'd love to have seen what you saw 'cos it sounds like you had a rare experience.

[Tony 10]

Anyone involved in the aviation industry would realise that you don't test top secret weaponry over the 4th largest city in the UK.

[chriscalcite 10]

Anyone involved in the aviation industry would realise that you don't test top secret weaponry over the 4th largest city in the UK.

 

It's only the capabilities that are 'top secret'. The aircraft itself isn't - they had a press conference to announce the thing last year, for heaven's sake