Escorted aircraft over West Texas

Since discovering ATS, I have paid more and more attention to the night skies. As everybody knows, there is a relentless high pressure system over my area of Texas which makes life almost unbearable save one aspect, stargazing.

Now, over the last couple of months, I have gazed into the night sky. I watch the usual falling stars, satellites, virtually anything that can be viewed moving with the naked eye. It passes the time.

I have come across one thing during my nightwatch that baffles me, unidentified aircraft. I've watched close to try and gleen a pattern, but to no avail. I will attempt to describe the craft as best I can, but I always see them at night.

The first time I saw this craft, there were two large escorts with it. The escorts are as follows, large, low-flying craft with one red and one blue light on each wing-tip. They seem to fly unusually slow. The red and blue lights seem to fade in and out like radio tower lights, no visible strobes. The three times that I have seen them, there is no noticable sound. I can't tell if they are jets or planes.

The craft in question, which these much larger craft are escorting is very very small, no strobes, no lights, just almost ambient lighting, which I suspect is the floodlights on the wings of the escort craft. One of the escorts is always in extremely close proximity. So close in fact that when directly overhead, it is difficult to distinguish one from the other, and in all three instances, it appeared to be one large strange looking craft with an orangish, glowing trapezoidal frontal nose section.

I see these between 9:45pm and 10:00pm, always flying from north to south, but not daily. Two instances have been on a Thursday, once (tonight) on a Monday.

My questions to ATS on this are...

Is this an escorted drone?

Has anybody else seen these?

Is this a border security deal?

Does anybody have any suggestions on what type of camera I could use to capture these night-time images?


I know the rules, pics and documentation or it didn't happen, and I accept that. I would just like some insight on the best way to bring this to light.

Much thanks in advance.

i have a friend in Seminole who videos jets refueling mid-air over his house darn near every day. Not sure where you live in west texas.... but....

Drones have been operating over American skies for some time now. Your theory is most definitely possible. Those lights you describe are common "FAA lights." For a craft that doesn't have any, there are one of a few things possibly going on:

1) Malfunction (explains the escort)
2) Black aircraft
3) Alien spaceship (of course it's not but... just saying)

reply to post by highpriestess


We did refueling at any of several refueling tracks over the U.S. Lots of these occur for training/ currency missions for pilots. They always take place over the same area. It's likely your friend lives in one of these areas.

I live seventeen miles from Seminole.

At first I thought the same thing, it has to be a refueling exercise, however, in all instances of mid-air refueling (that I know of), the large craft flies in front of the small craft. This isn't the case here. It is the small craft that is flying in front of the large craft.

Not only that, but they are flying low and slow enough for me to hit them with my pocket laser pointer that I use to scare birds out of the peanut plant I manage.

Sadly, they are not low enough for me to capture an image on my cell phone camera. I am going to take my Cannon digital to work for the next month in hopes of getting something.

reply to post by Bobaganoosh


The size relationship is irrelevant. The KC-135 is pretty small. It would appear larger than a fighter but much smaller than a C-5 (the plane I was on).

But I just recalled something: from time to time, we would do these blacked out with NVG's on dor spec ops training/ currency. That seems like a much more likely possibility. The several craft you saw may have been fighters or helicopters doing training. While C-5's go one at a time due to them taking more fuel than a KC-135 can carry, that same 135 could fuel several fighters or helos and they typically do so in groups who wait at each other's side in formation.

ETA: The refueling is done fairly low and slow.


For example of how these look in daylight:
farm4.static.flickr.com...
and
www.aviationspectator.com...

reply to post by SpringHeeledJack


I'll clarify, I've never seen more than three at a time. The three is two large escorts, and the one trapezoidal, unlit small craft. One escort is always in very close proximity to the trapezoidal craft, the other escort is always some distance away, but flying parallel to the other two.

And not to be a jerk-off, but I can't immagine any reason for the refueling craft to be flying unlit. I'm supposing that you have some military experience by your previous posts. My question is why would a refueling craft be running the night sky with no lights?

I don't know the FAA regs, but I thought all jets/planes had to have running lights.

I doubt it would be chocked up to malfunction being that I've seen it thrice now.



I could see them being the jet on the left in your last immage. I would say the first image that you posted is pretty well out of the question. I would hear the choppers for sure. These are absolutely silent.


I don't even know for sure that the smaller craft is trapezoidal, just that from the ground I count four circles or half spheres on the bottom.

reply to post by Bobaganoosh


No, it's fine.
There are exceptions for military aircraft doing night vision training for spec ops units. I was in the Air Force and flew on the C-5 so I can confirm this as a fact.

However, only you know what you saw. I'm just trying to throw out a possibility to see if it sticks.

reply to post by SpringHeeledJack


Well I do appreciate your commentary, and I will certianly look into the aircraft classifications that you have listed to do a comparison with what I have witnessed. It has just perplexed me over the last two months, and I hate unsolved mysteries.. hehe.

With any luck, I can supply pictures and help us along considerably.

Best wishes.

reply to post by Bobaganoosh


That would be very helpful.

Just try to get the best ones you can and load them undoctored. Let the ATS machine get to work on enhancing them. I may be able to assist.

here's a couple of the videos that my friend in Seminole has taken of the refueling activity above his house. lol

www.youtube.com...

www.youtube.com...

there are tons more, but most are at night and you can't see much but lights.


also here's a couple of vids of satellites he's caught out there (at night). apparently Seminole has a pretty active sky

www.youtube.com...

www.youtube.com...

reply to post by highpriestess


Wow thanks for those. It looks like it may be what I am seeing.

The lights aren't quite right, but close enough for me.

reply to post by Bobaganoosh


There's a lot of weird stuff going on up there.

I'll always remember my night back home after completing one of these training mission. I was bored and decided I wanted to play with my new toy (night vision goggles). I very carfully took them out of the case (they're someting like $10,000 and breaking them at home is very bad news), clipped on the battery pack, and went outside. Looking up, I could see a plane and one other illuminated object. No bid deal right? Time for a closer look.

Put on the goggles...

BAM! IT'S ON!

The whole sky was absolutely TEEMING with activity. Granted, I lived in base housing which was very close to the base but there was no reason there should be that many aircraft. Easily distinguished by how they behaved relative to the stars. It blew my mind.

I always recommend those for serious UFO buffs that have the means to acquire them. There's nothing like seeing this. Like I said, lots of strange stuff going on above us.