About 9 years ago i was doing circuits at Filton, as Kemble was being used by the Arrow F1 racing team. As we started the 2nd circuit downwind on the easterly runway we were joined by a large metal "cigar" object(it would be wouldn't it)

Anyway rather excited we just carried on and informed the soon to be excited ATC. On our 3 downwind leg, low and behold there was the "cigar". ATC had now decided it was a balloon! Metal. Yes a metal balloon. Of course with a surface wind of 180/11 kts up there it would be more like 18-20 kts and within 6-8 minutes..you do the maths.

Circuit 4 and our last, the metal balloon was still there(not affected by wind for 20 minutes now, it should be 6-7 miles away!) Anyway off went a biz jet to the west and said "balloon" shot off to the north west, climbing fast. The radio became full of "gauntlet" call signs all of a sudden, which sounded like fast mil jets. We bravely flew back to Kemble as fast as we could.

On the way back Alan my student who is in farming in the Warminster area, went on to explain what he observes quite often whilst out lamping at night.

As far as i was concerned we had just had a close encounter with the mother ship, but to this guy it was just another unexplained object. This put goose pimples on me as he was totally genuine and rather un impressed with this lessons events.

This is what i saw, and i haven't even started drinking yet:ok:

Eharding..... That sounds familiar! :p

Cool
 

That's a great story tonker!

Interesting
 

Lookslike it could be more common than we think

BBC News - Today - UFOs: Russian or Martian?