Weird California sighting

Hey guys I haven't posted on here in a while, but I always follow the threads dealing with unidentified aircraft, mainly because I am air force reserve (inactive ready reserve now) just a med-tech, but a big aviation, UFO, tech geek. Anyway I am from the Dayton, OH area where Wright-Part AFB is. As I remember reading there was extensive research done with the scramjet engine done in the air force research lab 2-3 years ago, around the time of testing in California, and that FBI contractor post for JP-7 fuel.
It seems to me that the air force was not just testing scramjets for missle/interceptor purposes, but also those of a new propulsion system altogether. We didn't know about the SR-71 for years and years.
So my best bet is that the plane that was seen was the SR-72/Aurora/Star Ship etc that all the buzz is about. The Air Force has been salty ever since people started saying "The Chair Force" they're just waiting for the day they can rub it in everyone's faces (especially the other branches of the military) that they do indeed have a frickin STAR SHIP!

Just thoughts..have a good one guys
P.S. too bad they don't test more things "above ground" here in Dayton, OH I need to get out west!

I don't post much but this really interests me. I love following black programs. So earlier someone said a certain air frame was being tested over Wyoming, something with a low or no sonic boom. Which part of Wyoming is it being flown over?

a reply to: timewraith117

Every time I saw it, it was along the I80 corridor.

a reply to: JediMindTrek

I appreciate your service sir in the Air Force, but I'm afraid it will be the Navy at the helm of those star ships.
After all, almost every word used to reference traveling among the stars is nautical in heritage (ships, helm, navigate, crew men, hull, ect.).

a reply to: Zaphod58

Crap. I'm too far north of that too see it but thanks for the reply.

originally posted by: awakendhybrid

originally posted by: Astr0

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Astr0


There have been at least two threads on it, neither one generated much interest.

Yet when I mention triangles and graphene / derivatives of said material, the whole of ATS suddenly is an expert and can argue the toss all night over why a three mile long airframe made of many smaller units cannot possibly exist..

Why are they up there? I assume that they are not big/thick enough to travel between like modules on the space station and that they are not even able to be connected to each other in that way so, they're just...chillin' up there?

And, going back to one of your first posts, what do you mean by "the destination"? That sounds more like a monitoring thing or a...I dunno...a dimensional thing.

If I may be so bold/rude to answer for Astr0 based on my following this thread and asking the same question; It means just that. The question then is whether or not you are willing to accept that answer. At least that is what I understood from the replies in this thread.

originally posted by: sputniksteve

originally posted by: Astr0

originally posted by: Tajlakz

Are these triangles and compounded shapes used for space exploration as well? If so, what do they use for thrust?

No they are not. They are however used to explore the destination.

Are. Is that supposed to be an "are" or a "will" or an "have"? Or is that too descriptive? Because the implications.

a reply to: Sammamishman

I agree, I'm a big trekkie, and navy would be the obvious choice to head up a ship that was capable of interstellar travel. Though with the recent decades of joint commands working together on combat, research and the like..the final frontier would require a new branch of service, classified beyond military service. So you very well my have a veteran navy navigator/helmsmen and an air force officer with a degree in physics on the same bridge. Seeing as how of we ever did get a fleet off the ground different ships would have different missions such as combat/tactical, deep recon, and scientific research. Though I could envison the first a colaboration of them all with top people in their fields from all over the world, maybe not military at all. If its in the air, and pushing the limits into space, its probably made its way through some part or computer of the air force blue lab at wright-patt.

Also if I might add, someday, maybe not in our lifetimes, there might not be a need for a military at all. All this fighting makes my head spin

originally posted by: Zaphod58
Something just jogged my memory for some reason (don't ask why because my memory is a victim of Random Rabbit). In 2009, we moved to Alabama. We originally moved to above Fort Payne, with a move that followed to the Collinsville area (both are in the NE corner of Alabama near the Tennessee line with Alabama).

When we lived in Collinsville, we decided to go to Walmart in Centre, about 20 miles South of us. Really easy drive, that we had done a bunch of times. This night though, was going to be a lot more interesting.

As I was driving along, I glanced in my outside mirror, for any cars coming behind us. I caught a glimpse of a yellow light in the sky. I thought at first it was a satellite. It came up from behind us, going like a bat out of hell (a lot faster than any satellite I had ever seen), and crossed from horizon to horizon between 60 and 90 seconds, moving roughly N/S.

I came onto ATS, and asked about it, but people a lot more knowledgeable about satellites than I am, and despite several searches, there was nothing that matched up with my description, or that would have been moving as fast as this was, or been as bright.

A-ha! I finally found this post after combing over the thread again.

The husband and I spotted something that is nearly identical to your description of your sighting about 45 minutes ago. It was an unmistakable yellow light, we both saw it. We weren't sure how high up it was, even with trying to compare with the planes out of TIA & other area airports. We watched it coming across the sky from the SE, and as you described it, moving like a bat out of hell. This thing was hauling a**. It was heading NW for about 10 seconds at best or so, before it seemed to make an abrupt U-turn and headed back east over the Atlantic. It seemed like it's "departure" speed was faster than when we spotted it incoming. We both stood there pretty dumbfounded, we'd been discussing this thread's Mystery Bird a few minutes prior. Talk about eerie timing

Whatever it was up there, it was no meteor, no satellite, and damn sure wasn't civilian. None of those can move like this thing did. This was spotted in the Tampa metro area looking eastward.

Sorry to highjack, I wasn't sure if this was better off here or in the UFO forum (if it would be better off there, I'll gladly C & P the post over there & delete it here)

a reply to: Nyiah

It's fine here, and you're VERY lucky to see it. Not the same as the OP craft, but very interesting.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Nyiah

It's fine here, and you're VERY lucky to see it. Not the same as the OP craft, but very interesting.

*eyebrow raised in interest*
Definitely something not-yet-advertised, then? That would be the first thing I've seen that could be categorized as such, I feel lucky just getting my foot in the spotter door.

We were debating over whether or not it was manned at that tremendous speed. I know better than to grill for specs, but does your grapevine have any idea if it's manned or unmanned?

a reply to: Nyiah

It's manned, and definitely far from advertised. Like almost not in the same atmosphere as advertised.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Now that was smooth my dude! I can catch what you are throwing down!

a reply to: Nyiah
Where about are y'all?

I literally saw almost an identical light, this evening, as well.. At about 10:50pm, here in Atlanta... Yellowish-greenish-white. Hauling ass, from horizon to horizon, headed due east. I checked and it wasn't the ISS or the X-37... Certainly wasn't a meteor or a falling star.

Kinda took me off guard, to be honest.

originally posted by: weavty1
a reply to: Nyiah
Where about are y'all?

I literally saw almost an identical light, this evening, as well.. At about 10:50pm, here in Atlanta... Yellowish-greenish-white. Hauling ass, from horizon to horizon, headed due east. I checked and it wasn't the ISS or the X-37... Certainly wasn't a meteor or a falling star.

Kinda took me off guard, to be honest.

Tampa area here. We may have indeed seen the same thing then! The timing is close enough that I certainly wouldn't discount it at all. We'd still swear it was going SE to NW before the East turn, though. If we saw the same thing over 400 miles apart, that bird was flying a whole lot higher than I could have guessed. And jeebus, was that sucker booking it out of there or what?
I'm really surprised Zaph confirmed it as manned, I'd have expected that U-turn to have made a human pancake in the cockpit.


Edit: Derp, I saw it around 10pm, you saw it around 50 minutes later. A bit of a gap for the timing rather than close in it, but if it can zip around the globe fast enough and if perhaps is dropping in altitude over a specific area regularly, we still may have seen the same craft, only at different times.

originally posted by: Nyiah

originally posted by: weavty1
a reply to: Nyiah
Where about are y'all?

I literally saw almost an identical light, this evening, as well.. At about 10:50pm, here in Atlanta... Yellowish-greenish-white. Hauling ass, from horizon to horizon, headed due east. I checked and it wasn't the ISS or the X-37... Certainly wasn't a meteor or a falling star.

Kinda took me off guard, to be honest.

Tampa area here. We may have indeed seen the same thing then! The timing is close enough that I certainly wouldn't discount it at all. We'd still swear it was going SE to NW before the East turn, though. If we saw the same thing over 400 miles apart, that bird was flying a whole lot higher than I could have guessed. And jeebus, was that sucker booking it out of there or what?
I'm really surprised Zaph confirmed it as manned, I'd have expected that U-turn to have made a human pancake in the cockpit.

Edit: Derp, I saw it around 10pm, you saw it around 50 minutes later. A bit of a gap for the timing rather than close in it, but if it can zip around the globe fast enough and if perhaps is dropping in altitude over a specific area regularly, we still may have seen the same craft, only at different times.

Wow, well then.. I just checked my phone when I got an email just right after I saw that, and it was actually at 10:40pm, give or take a minute.

It very well could have been another bird... OR, it did a large 400 mile radius figure 8 over us? I don't really know, but it was definitely unlike anything I've seen before, and I've seen a lot, given that I'm just a civilian... Lol

Quite odd.

originally posted by: weavty1

It very well could have been another bird... OR, it did a large 400 mile radius figure 8 over us? I don't really know, but it was definitely unlike anything I've seen before, and I've seen a lot, given that I'm just a civilian... Lol

Quite odd.

Given that the diameter of the Earth is 12,700+ miles, and the X-37's top speed is . . . 17,000 MPH, I think? I think it's quite feasible that what we spotted could have circled the planet in that time 40-50 minute window between our sightings. We very well could have seen the same thing. I'm not 100% certain, Zaphod would have to weight in on the odds of it.
**Quick edit: Not saying it's the X-37. I'm assuming this is an equally fast, if not faster vehicle.

If this is an operational craft, and not a prototype, I wonder what the odds are of two being up there? Probably a lot less than it making good time making it around, I'd imagine.


Second edit: God, how the bleep did I mix up diameter & circumference? The Earth is 24,000+ miles around, not 12,000... Still, if it's fast enough...


Third & final freakin' edit: And my Mach conversion numbers are waaaay off too. Geez. Maybe it pulled a huge figure 8, like you suggested, because making that trip around in under an hour just doesn't seem feasible.
When I mess up stuff this simple, my brain is trying to tell me to hit the pillow.

a reply to: Nyiah

It's not orbital. Which is about the last I'll say about it.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Possibly related to anything? This just popped on RSOE EDIS

Event into space in New Zealand on Tuesday, 15 July, 2014 at 03:17 (03:17 AM) UTC.

A strange object spotted in the sky over Auckland's far-northern suburbs last night has residents scratching their heads. Orewa resident Ian Thomas spotted the object about 7.45pm last night as it headed north over Hatfields Beach towards Waiwera. "I thought it was small plane on fire at first it looked that big," he said. "Then I thought 'What's the army base doing?' - then final conclusion: I have no idea what it is. "It was dead silent which made it weird also." He recorded the sighting on a smart phone. "It was going in a straight line, but the phone was on max zoom which made it look shaky," he said. Thomas uploaded the video to Facebook in the hope that someone else saw it too, but also expected a lot of ridicule. Some people commented their doubts and thought it was just a torch being filmed. But Alana Hartley commented it had been seen over Pukekohe, and Sharon Pownall said her son had seen the same object for the past two nights. The police and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said they not received any reports of the object. CAA communications manager Mike Richards said anyone who wanted the authority to investigate could send information to [email protected]. The last reported sighting of an "unidentified object" the CAA investigated was three months ago., and it was found to be a remote-controlled hot-air balloon with bright coloured lights attached. "They are great for parties but quite often get blown away in the wind," Richards said. In West Auckland several residents reported on the Titirangi community Facebook page of hearing a "massive bang" between 11pm and midnight last night. Jolene McCartan commented saying she heard the bang in Kaurilands and other residents then reported hearing a "super-loud bang" in Glen Eden, Titirangi and New Lynn. Last month a series of loud bangs and rattling were felt by residents in Auckland's north and west. The Defence Force owned up saying they were caused by 500-pound bombs were being dropped on the Kaipara bomb range during training by Orion aircraft.

Interesting thread Zaph .. I got a question (when don't i) .. What you saw, has it been spoken about on ats before ? I understand if you cannot provide much detail on the matter

a reply to: sputniksteve

If I may be so bold/rude to answer for Astr0 based on my following this thread and asking the same question; It means just that. The question then is whether or not you are willing to accept that answer. At least that is what I understood from the replies in this thread.

Well, if that were the case then I guess they must be up there as storage...like a sky/space hangar. And most if not all would have to be unmanned unless there is also a place up there for pilots and others to stay. Still though, that is an awfully big target even if it does have some sort of cloaking technology. Hit that and an entire fleet will be ruined. The military tends to prefer spreading it's assets around a bit more.

Ha. I can't believe I'm even entertaining this idea.