UFO sightings!

[Guzzler]

Landing at BHX today I saw a UFO! Was in shock and now feel stupid for reporting a "balloon" on finals.

I think ATC were rightly a little suprised at the report.

Next time I will keep quiet!

[Ceannairceach]

Chinese lantern by any chance?

Most of the reports I've seen, or been on the end of in one way or another, have been Chinese lanterns.

[Guzzler]

The really weird thing is that it stayed with us. Our Groundspeed at the time was probably about 160 kts.

Was difficult/impossible to gauge the size but it was the same shape and colour (ish) as 5 or 6 diet coke cans laid end to end.:confused:

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<Next time I will keep quiet!>>

No, don't do that Guzzler.. I've had a few funny reports, like the pilot who was quite terrified by a large dome-shaped UFO at high level. Turned out to be the Moon rising above a layer of Cirrus. I've also had a some very scary ones, like the British Midland crew who saw a disc on the way into Heathrow. Knowing full well that a UFO Report would get binned, they filed an Airmiss... but the disk was never traced as far as I know.

[Geezers of Nazareth]

I noticed a NOTAM yesterday for an 'escaped balloon' which was the shape of a large teddy-bear. I think that it was down on the south coast somewhere. Anyone seen any strange UFO reports in the past day or so?

[Mr_Grubby]

Then there was the last Aer Lingus flight out of Heathrow back to Dublin one evening. He levelled at FL 240 for the cruise and suddenly said there is traffic coming towards me same level, we can see the lights. Negative we said, no other traffic near you. The pilot was not convinced and asked if he could turn 40 degrees left to avoid. Fine we said. Then he asked if he could climb to FL 250 to avoid. Fine we said. Then he asked for another violent right turn as the lights were still coming towards him. Fine we said. Then he went back to FL 240 and resumed normal navigation to Strumble. All was quiet and before we transferred him to Dublin we asked if he was ok. He came back rather sheepishly and said all was fine. They were taking avoiding action on Venus. We said that usually we provide five miles separation but 55 million miles is a bit beyond our capability.

Clint.:):)

[viva77]

Guzzler: if you'd just arrived from Amsterdam, then we were complimenting you on your eyesight. No need to feel stupid - you reported it to a watch that filed a UFO report last year when something was seen by 3 controllers.

[captain_flynn]

Heathrow Director, when was the British Midland's disc sighting? Was it around 1989 or so?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Hi Captain Flynn.. Could be. Here's what I wrote some years ago about it:
UK registered passenger jet in, or close to, the Ockham holding area. The crew reported seeing an orange disk shaped object pass close to their aircraft. Nothing was seen on radar. When the aircraft landed the Captain contacted ATC and it was decided that the best way to get the matter properly investigated was to file it as an airmiss rather than as a UFO report. I believe the resulting thorough investigation to have been inconclusive.

Sorry I can't be more specific with details..

[captain_flynn]

Thanks very much for replying. Im not really sure if that ties in with what I saw in Southall around that time or not. I suppose it could.

[Lon More]

Captain Flynn, sometimes these incidents are taken very seriously indeed Google Belgian UFO 1989. It went all the way up to the top.There was something there, maybe a Stealth bomber but the performance perceived by the F16s was much greater. Yes I was there, yes, they saw something.

[captain_flynn]

Yeah I understand, but I was only asking specifically about the British Midland one because I lived near LHR around 1989 and saw something very odd but I rarely discuss it in an open forum for obvious reasons.

[Guzzler]

Guzzler: if you'd just arrived from Amsterdam, then we were complimenting you on your eyesight. No need to feel stupid - you reported it to a watch that filed a UFO report last year when something was seen by 3 controllers.

Not back from Amsterdam. But landed shortly before midday local.

Did someone else see it aswell?

[throw a dyce]

Well these guys saw something.
UFO Reported by Apollo 11 - Video (http://www.maniacworld.com/apollo-11-ufo.htm)

[viva77]

Guzzler
A KLM reported seeing a (toy) balloon about 1 1/2 miles away on his right hand side about 6pm. Hence the comment about his eyesight :D.

Read through the "UFO" file at Heathrow in the late 70s. 1 stood out from the rest - a BEA trident and TAP B727 going in opposite directions, if I recall, and something passed between them. Seen by both sets of crew and passengers!