| Sighting Report |
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| Occurred : 5/19/2008 12:20 (Entered as : 05/19/08 12:20) Reported: 5/24/2008 8:28:14 PM 20:28 Posted: 6/12/2008 Location: Suffolk, VA Shape: Duration: |
| The Surry report could have many explanations. I fly gliders in Surry and surrounding counties and am familiar with aircraft in the area. The Coast Guard (not Ft Eustis - Army) provide security with helicopters for the nuclear plant. Just after 9/11 they would land at night, with permission, at our glider field that is only a few miles from the plant. They could respond within moments of any threat to the plant yet not be detected before hand. One of our glider club members is one of their pilots. There is also a blimp factory on the Virginia / North Carolina border that often fly blimps in the area. (The Blackwater private mercenary intelligence company along with many other military black ops are in this region too) The blimps prefer calmer days and usually stay further south, but it isn't a requirement and could account for the hovering effect by flying into the wind to get back to their field upwind. They normally don't fly that close to the eastern part of the area, along the James River, because it is a longer flight back. A strong s/w wind could blow them over there and their small engines would work hard to get them back to N. Carolina. If they were there they may have been sightseeing over the James River. Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and the small Williamsburg airport are on the east side of James River and the airport could be used for an emergency landing if the blimp were in trouble. On the Jamestown, James City County side of the river where the witness was standing also is home to a very highly restricted military inteligence community / base, where they are known to test experimental spy craft. Local pilots have witnessed small unmanned recon aircraft being flown over the base. Pilot in the air away from the restricted airspace but close enough to see it. I strongly suspect the witness saw one of the above explanations. It could have been a very planned flight by the plant security, but I suspect it was a blimp, helicopter, possibly an off course military item, or maybe even a small airplane waiting to come in at the Williamsburg field. There are very strict rules against flying near the nuclear plants. Pilots are not supposed to "loiter" over them in an airplane. Whatever that means. If a blimp were blown over the plant by the wind it would be an embarrassment to the plant to admit nothing was done. There is also some ultra light activity in the area. It may have been unidentifiable to a distant viewer but to someone near it may have not been an unusual object to be seen in those skies. Hope this helps. Kurt Ebersole 757-217-7913 |