NUFORC Sighting 46895

Occurred: 2005-10-01 20:30 Local
Reported: 2005-10-10 13:55 Pacific
Duration: 20 minutes
No of observers: 3

Location: Napa, CA, USA

Shape: Unknown
Characteristics: Lights on object, Aircraft nearby

Dim Flapping Object in Napa Sky October 1st

On october 1st at about 8:30 pm I went outside of my Mom's house in Napa, California.

At first what caught my attention, was a sound that sounded like a kite or flag flapping quickly in the sky...I looked up towards sound, and saw a very dimish light. I watched for a few minutes, expecting it to be a bird, or a kite...but it stayed in same relative spot in the sky. It was to the East, about 50 feet above the tree line..so it might have been farily low to the earth. I then went back inside to get my Mom (63) and daughter (9) to have then take a hear and look. Both heard it, both saw the dim light moving around kind of "intelligently" but also kind of random. It seemed to stay in the original spot for at least 10 minutes. By this time, I secured my LED flashlight and started to try the old Close Encounters light flashing...Hoping of course that I didn't upset what ever it was...but mostly trying to see if it would respond to me.

It didn't. After a few more minutes it started to move off to the East and get higher..at least higher so that I could no longer hear it. I watched it another 10 minutes as the light moved, again in seemingly random pattern, and behind some clounds until it was no longer visable. Near the end of this sighting I did see an airplane flying west to east ( most likely towards Sacramento Airports)...and I could clearly see the plane.

I am a computer IT manager. My dad used to fly P-3's for the Navy looking for Soviet subs ( when that was the treat!)...so I am quite familiar with things in the sky.

I have seen satellites at night, planes at night, helicopters at night, birds and kites at night. This was NOT any of them. It was weird, but I don't think it was from "outer space". I tend to think it was either some new UAV that is autonomously roaming, or maybe some really weird birds (owls ??) but it just sounded too loud to be a bird, and stayed in the same spot too long. I have seen birds feasting on gnats and they move about differently.

In my 38 years, it is by far the only time or object that I have seen that I have been compelled to write about. Did anybody else see/hear this thing ? I guess it was about small airplane, small Preadator sized vehicle if it was one.

Posted 2005-10-11