Okay...this is kind of strange

I've been meaning to post this since two nights ago, but I kept getting sidetracked.

Last Saturday night around 10pm I heard a medium weight helicopter flying slowly at low altitude. It wasn't heavy like a big Huey or a Chinook, but it wasn't light like a Bell Jetranger either; definitely a turbine though. Sounded like a 3-4 rotor helicopter, definitely not 2. I heard it coming and I got up to go outside. Outside I couldn't see where it was coming from, it was probably behind the house and I was in front, so it must have been pretty low. I no sooner got out the door and this giant spotlight came on and lit up our whole place! No kidding either. It lit up our place and the neighbor's to the north. They were flying almost straight north. It kind of looked like he was going to turn and come back for another pass, but then they just turned back north again and turned out the light.

They were low too, maybe 300' AGL or so, I mean the dogs got going over it, and it was rattling stuff. They didn't stay over us long, just the one pass, but the light was incredibly bright, it lit up our entire pastures like daylight. I was really surprised. They did have marker lamps on and strobes (I only saw those after they passed, because of the spotlight). The spotlight was only on for about 25-30 seconds (if that).

Now, full disclosure, there was a low overcast that night. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a "black helicopter"...LOL...but honestly I couldn't see what color it was. We do have a 345kV transmission line about a half a mile south of us, and it runs east to west (they were flying north), and helicopters do fly those lines pretty regularly, but never at night, and never north to south.

So, could it have just been a pilot who got disoriented in the low ceiling and turned on some massive light to see the power lines? And if so, who the heck carries lights like that? I mean, seriously, it lit up our entire property which is a couple hundred acres. Or, could it have just been some knucklehead joyriding in his rich daddy's helo? I really don't think it was "G-men", or "MIB's".

The helo continued north, and I got out some of my night vision gear and followed them straight north for about 7-8 miles when I lost them in the low ceiling.

Definitely weird though, so what do you think?

The Democrats have your number pal, run, as fast as you can!!

Seriously though, very strange, and slightly disturbing. Have you looked at the local news for any stories that could corroborate what you experienced?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

globe.adsbexchange.com...

Tap the "U" in the upper right corner....you can follow military flights.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

It sounds like maybe they were using night vision to look for someone, then they saw you and turned the 'big light' on for a better look?

A couple years ago, I was outside at about 1:00am wandering around the backyard waiting for the dog to finish up -

- I hear this helicopter (maybe half mile off) doing big wide circles, getting nearer and nearer, but I couldn't see it...Finally, as it gets almost to the edge of my lawn, I caught sight of the dark shape of it against the stars -

- it took another wide swing around, which brought it right smack over my head and I don't know if they were radio'd to head back, or if the sight of a 50 yr old woman in her pj's spooked them, but they passed over me and never did another circle, but went straight on north til I couldn't hear them anymore..

That seemed very weird to me..

a reply to: Vasa Croe

I honestly don't think it was military because we get the Air Guard guys flying low terrain missions across our property fairly regular.

They come through with PAVEHAWKs and other crazy stuff all the time (well, not every night, but 2-3 times per year). Sounds like an earthquake when a couple of those guys come through, usually in pairs. But they stay low, usually down in the creek, below the house.

This was different.

ETA - I'd never want some of these guys to sneak up on me, because you can't even hear them until they're on top of you. (I'm referring to the Guard guys in the military helos). The pop out of the canyon and it's like thunder!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
Do you grow weed?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Very interesting. Too bad you couldn’t get a view of it.

I’m thinking it was a good thing you didn’t go outside with a gun.

We have black helicopters in my area all the time. Big ones. Had six on Sunday land at the airport. Which is on a Mesa 500 feet higher than me and less than two miles away.

I’d post a pick of them but don’t feel like going through 17 steps...

I'm over the Pond, so nothing to do with your experience.
However, on some thread here a few night's back I commented that I heard 2-3 'helicopters' fly over.
Nothing weird about that really...but allow me to explain.
Some 5 months ago I moved into the countryside to a little hamlet. Even though, due to so many planes grounded, not much flies overhead. I've seen a couple of Cessna's, one was doing acrobatics which was cool. A couple of times 2 Chinook's have flown over and as they always do about 1-2 minutes apart.
I always sleep with my bedroom window slightly open. So almost a week ago, I started hearing what I thought was a helicopter off in the distance. I was watching some programme or another on my laptop. The engine noise started getting louder, so I muted my laptop as my first thought was a Chinook, (my favourite helicopter) but no. I am no expert, but pretty familiar with different aircraft noises. I've attended many RAF shows over 40 odd years. I also grew up on Anglesey where there is an RAF base where at one time the Vulcan was based. Our Red Arrows often trained from there and all sorts of other stuff.
Anyhow this 'whirly' was getting closer. I thought that's no helicopter, ain't no propped Cessna either. It really was something I couldn't pin point. Sounded like nothing I've heard before. I admit I was too lazy to get out of bed to look. I'm not of a nervous disposition, but I felt I had to stay put.
So about half an hour later it happened again. This time I had a look out the bedroom window, even threw my dressing gown on to go outside. I couldn't see anything up there. This time I was a tad angry that I didn't recognise the sound.
I live in a hamlet, it has no street lights, it was pitch black barring the small glow from my bedroom window. It was a still, clear and starry night. This thing sounded low as it went over, but no lights, nothing, nada! It didn't sound normal at all.
I went back to bed.....bugger me half an hour later, it happened again but more in the distance this time.
I have no idea what flew over or whether it was 3 separate 'craft'. But it unnerved me. They just didn't sound right at all.
So rather a long write up which could be about nothing at all .....but even recounting it here makes me feel uncomfortable.

Rainbows
Jane

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
Flightradar24.com

You can do a time line by going back to Saturday. Versa Croe gave you the ads-b and yes the U to isolate military. But flightradar24.com will let you go back to the Saturdays flights.

That is an amazing site. 6,500 planes in the air just over the US when I looked earlier.

FCD, we've had that happen a few times over the years, it's typically ATF looking for pot or the local police looking for suspects or missing people. Just a thought.

Or, it could have been a UFO made to look like ours.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

X-files. The truth is out there. I think you have witnessed...

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk


So, could it have just been a pilot who got disoriented in the low ceiling and turned on some massive light to see the power lines? And if so, who the heck carries lights like that? I mean, seriously, it lit up our entire property which is a couple hundred acres. Or, could it have just been some knucklehead joyriding in his rich daddy's helo? I really don't think it was "G-men", or "MIB's".


Definitely weird though, so what do you think?

The answer to your question is that law enforcement agencies carry lights like that. For searching for suspect cars and individuals on foot, etc. Could’ve been a sheriff’s helicopter or state aircraft. I don’t think that utility companies inspect lines at night.

Maybe usgs or another weather organization lost a weather balloon, or drone, or some kind of aerial equipment in your vicinity at night time and they did a fly by to check it out or maybe the equipment malfunctioned and just went off line or something like that.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

You are in UT, right?

I live in central AR. There is Little Rock AFB which is home to the C130s. They fly in groups of 3 - 5 in a line formation nearly every day as a matter of routine training. Let me add that LR AFB is *the* premier C130 school in the country....meaning they get students from all over the world.

Typically don't see other military planes. Maybe an occasional A10 or Blackhawk.

However, a couple of nights after election night, my husband and I were sitting outside enjoying our firepit when a very large, heavy helicopter flew over our house. It was very low to the ground...definitely between 200-300 ft. It was so dark that you couldn't tell what kind of helicopter it was, but I'm guessing a Chinook which I can't say I have EVER seen in this area. To make it even more strange.....it was also running a spotlight along the ground. It would shine straight down and then forward approximately 30 degrees ahead, then back down again. It was being "escorted" by 3 smaller helicopters - one in front and one flanking each side. It looked to be headed in the direction of the AFB or perhaps Camp Robinson in LR. Clearly it had to be carrying something or someone "important" to have had an escort like that.... About 20 minutes after it passed overhead, A SECOND helicopter of the same type (based strictly by sound and behavior) also passed overhead. It was also flying ridiculously low and was "scanning" the ground with a spotlight.

In the 15+ years I have lived in this area, I have never seen this type of behavior from a helicopter in the area.... Not from the rare military Blackhawks I've seen. Not from med flights. Not from police helicopters that are looking for drugs. There was something really odd and out of place about the behavior of these helicopters.

Sounds like law enforcement.
We had searchers all the time near my previous residence (a spotty, crowded area), they would pause, shine their lights, then go on their merry way. Unless they find their suspect, then you know what happens next.......
We had a black hawk fly over for some reason a few days ago up here (s WI) They flew slowly over the house at a few to several hundred feet, not too low, then slowed down even more about a half a mile later. He was going from NE to SW

The ole whirly birds are active lately

a reply to: servovenford

Not sure if you were replying to me or the OP. I work with law enforcement and govt. It was not a LE helicopter. It was military. I just don't understand why it was flying so low, scanning the ground, and escorted. And then why a 2nd helicopter followed in the same manner (although the 2nd one was not escorted).

a reply to: CIAGypsy

No worries, I was talking to OP, apologies.

Don't worry, it was probably just spraying agent white on your fields to kill off your land. Can't have anyone around that can support the people in the area, maybe the cows carry covid will be their next excuse.

originally posted by: lostgirl
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

It sounds like maybe they were using night vision to look for someone, then they saw you and turned the 'big light' on for a better look?

A couple years ago, I was outside at about 1:00am wandering around the backyard waiting for the dog to finish up -

- I hear this helicopter (maybe half mile off) doing big wide circles, getting nearer and nearer, but I couldn't see it...Finally, as it gets almost to the edge of my lawn, I caught sight of the dark shape of it against the stars -

- it took another wide swing around, which brought it right smack over my head and I don't know if they were radio'd to head back, or if the sight of a 50 yr old woman in her pj's spooked them, but they passed over me and never did another circle, but went straight on north til I couldn't hear them anymore..

That seemed very weird to me..

I bet them sickos were in a single stick ?

a reply to: Bigburgh

HA! I know that specific helicopter!! See it all the time. And now that you've pointed it out, it does have a light too! I bet you might have just solved this mystery!!

It's based at Front Range Airport, CFO (now Colorado Air and Space Port). It might be owned by Duke University, but it's definitely based at Front Range, and I think it does training flights because I always see it doing different maneuvers. Most of the time it flies during the daytime, but I have seen it a couple times at night.

It all makes sense now. The weird part about the spotlight thing was they didn't really have it on long enough to see anything, almost like they turned it on just to show someone how to turn it on and what it would do. I know they certainly didn't see me because they turned the light on when they were behind the house (and I was out in front).

That's too funny! What a qwinky-dink you would find that one! If they flew over at 01:30am that night (also) I would have never heard them, but that's generally the flight profile they fly every time, or pretty close to it.

I am almost 90% certain you just solved my mystery! I didn't even think about that helicopter. That would be the lowest I've ever seen them fly, and at night too. Normally they fly at about 1,500 AGL, and the night in question they were no more than 300' AGL.

Good Job!!

ETA - Looking at the altitude, that would have been about 900' AGL for the 01:30am flight. They were a lot lower than that when I saw them earlier that night. Of course, that altitude was probably the last recorded altitude, not mid flight. I'm guessing they were probably training on how to spot a landing site at night (which would make perfect sense for a life flight training mission).