NUFORC Sighting 86077

Occurred: 2011-12-25 20:30 Local
Reported: 2011-12-25 18:25 Pacific
Duration: 8 - 10 min
No of observers: 2

Location: Delray Beach, FL, USA

Shape: Fireball
Characteristics: Changed Colo

Wife and I saw 6 flare like objects take off from north and proceed west.

It is now 8:45 PM, December 25th (Christmas Night) 2011. About 15 minutes ago, I went out with my wife, into our back yard in Delray Beach, Florida. Our back yard has another residence about 60 - 75 feet north of where we were standing. I noticed what I thought was an aircraft to the north when two more bright red objects appeared over the roof of the residence to the north.

I was in the USMC air-wing. I grew up studying aircraft of all types. I know what they look like day, or night. They were red and white, but not blinking steadily. They appeared more like a twinkling between red and white, only far brighter than any navigational lights I've ever seen. I would have said they were fireworks, but fireworks don't fly off at an upward angle like these did.

I got my wife's attention, saying: "Look at that!", while pointing at the two new red objects. They were gaining altitude and heading west at about a 25 degree angle from the horizontal. They another one appeared over the roof. And another, and still another. There were six in all. They weren't in any formation unless it was so staggered it didn't look like a formation, but they all originated at approximately the same place and all were on a relatively similar, but not exact trajectory. After about 8 - 10 minutes they had disappeared one by one.

Neither my wife, Nor I have ever seen anything like these things, and I'm familiar enough with all types of aircraft to know aircraft when I see them.

At air shows I can point at a B-17, tell that it's a G model, recall that there were just over 12,000 made and it has four Wright 16-20 1200HP engines and a crew of 10. At one air show, a group of old timers were looking up asking what the aircraft were that were flying over at about 10,000 ft. I looked up and told them they were OV-10s. I've met those that know more about aircraft than I do, but not too often.

NUFORC Note:

Witness is former USMC. PD

Posted 2012-01-12