kazoospec
kazoospec SuperDork
3/2/16 8:34 p.m.

Interesting sighting today. Around dusk I saw a strange looking set of lights on the horizon. At times it appeared they were barely moving, almost hovering. At other times it was moving slowly back and forth along the horizon. It had a set of red and green wingtip lights just like a normal plane but has an extremely bright set of white strobes as well. Finally, it turned towards me and headed over my vehicle. I got out of the car to try to figure out what it was. It was too dark to see an outline, but I was struck by the fact that I couldn't hear ANYTHING until it was directly overhead, even though it looked like it was probably only about 1000 feet up. When it was directly overhead, I heard what sounded like a small turbine operating basically at what sounded like an idle speed. I would guess from the distance between the lights it was about the size of a Cessna. So what was it? Preditor? Global Hawk? Something else?

And no, it wasn't a UFO and there was no probing involved.

Nick (LUCAS) Comstock
Nick (LUCAS) Comstock UltimaDork
3/2/16 9:47 p.m.

In reply to kazoospec:

Well you don't know what it was and it was flying so I would say it was a UFO.

This however is obligatory.

N Sperlo
N Sperlo MegaDork
3/2/16 9:59 p.m.

I've seen enough goofy E36 M3 in the sky I've stopped asking.

aircooled
aircooled MegaDork
3/2/16 10:12 p.m.

I would guess Preditor since I believe Global Hawks will normally be at pretty high altitude and they are also quite large. Both are turbine powered though (the Preditor just has a propeller).

If there was probing, and you are lying about it, it wasn't a drone, they don't do that (probably a hillbilly with some knockout drugs in that case).

fasted58
fasted58 UltimaDork
3/2/16 10:14 p.m.

go with the flow... it was a weather balloon

Donebrokeit
Donebrokeit Dork
3/2/16 11:03 p.m.

Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
3/2/16 11:18 p.m.

RQ-16 T-Hawk...

Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
3/2/16 11:21 p.m.

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
3/3/16 12:08 a.m.

I have seen drones fly out of here. Not only is Atlantic City International Airport a Civilian passenger and cargo hub, but it is a stopping place for UN badged airliners, A Coast Guard Airbase, an Air force Base, AND it is an FAA Tech Centre.

We get all sorts of goofy E36 M3 flying in the air here.. and the runway was large enough to handle the B52, SR71, Concorde, and the Space Shuttle.

The one time I saw drones in the air.. it was six of them taking off in formation. It was a awful sound, but interesting to watch

Tom_Spangler
Tom_Spangler GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
3/3/16 12:15 a.m.

Did you know what it was? No? Then it was a UFO.

Storz
Storz Dork
3/3/16 6:06 a.m.

Where in Michigan?

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
3/3/16 7:15 a.m.

A Global Hawk is BIG (more like an airliner than a Cessna) and they're usually used at high altitudes. They are turbine-driven and can fly at low speeds though.

If it was a Predator you should've heard the prop and not heard a turbine. They're NOT driven by a turbine but by a 2-stroke piston engine (Rotax 503).

The slightly different Reaper is driven by a turbine, but again it has a prop that you should've heard.

A Sentinel could actually make sense. It has jet engines (classified, but clearly a jet) and is about the size of a business jet.

spitfirebill
spitfirebill PowerDork
3/3/16 7:50 a.m.

I say swamp gas. That's what they called it when I was a youngster.

Once when I was around 10-12 YO, we were driving home at night, and suddenly, there was a series of maybe 8 very bright flashes in the sky. Almost crapped my pants. We got home and I called the newspaper. Apparently there had been more calls. They said the military was practicing taking aerial photographs. The flashes were basically the flash bulb. There is a vacant AFB ( North AFB) not too far way and they used to have maneuvers there(and still do). I guess that made sense.

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
3/3/16 8:27 a.m.

BradLTL
BradLTL GRM+ Memberand Dork
3/3/16 9:06 a.m.

Did you order anything online recently?

Furious_E
Furious_E GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
3/3/16 9:50 a.m.
BradLTL wrote: Did you order anything online recently?

Like, perhaps, the flying BBQ grill pictured above

WOW Really Paul?
WOW Really Paul? MegaDork
3/3/16 10:23 a.m.
Furious_E wrote:
BradLTL wrote: Did you order anything online recently?
Like, perhaps, the flying BBQ grill pictured above

I will donate the high temp grill paint to the first one of you to capture one for that specific use....

drainoil
drainoil Reader
3/3/16 10:51 a.m.

No pics or video of said encounter?

petegossett
petegossett GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
3/3/16 12:44 p.m.

Bigfoot

kazoospec
kazoospec SuperDork
3/3/16 1:59 p.m.
Storz wrote: Where in Michigan?

Richland, north of Kalamazoo.

Oh, and it looks like "Reaper" might be the winning answer. http://www.110aw.ang.af.mil/

That's about 15 miles from where I saw the . . . UFO/weather balloon/drone/flying BBQ. This base used to have A-10's. I heard they were competing for a drone mission, but never heard that they actually got it.

The Hoff
The Hoff UltraDork
3/3/16 2:06 p.m.

It's probably the NSA spying on you. Did you try to order a V1 power cord recently?

RossD
RossD UltimaDork
3/3/16 2:48 p.m.
Tom_Spangler wrote: Did you know what it was? No? Then it was a UFO.

DirtyBird222
DirtyBird222 UltraDork
3/3/16 6:09 p.m.

MQ-9s are pretty quiet especially when they are at cruising altitude. I was going to say check to see if any of the ANG bases around you have them. People who would normally complain of moving next to an operational base and jet noise are probably complaining about the drones.

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