Occurred: 2012-08-24 10:15 Local
Reported: 2012-08-24 09:50 Pacific
Duration: 3 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Syracuse, NY, USA

Shape: Cigar
Characteristics: Lights on object, Aircraft nearby

Two different craft, broad daylight, shape and flight characterists inconsistent with any known aircraft

resending, as my paragraph breaks got lost, making it one nasty block of text...

Brief: While taking a cigarette break at my place of work, outside the building (side facing the parking lot, opposite from James Street), I spotted two different distinct airborne craft less than a minute apart, which exhibited shape and flight characteristics not consistent with any known manmade aircraft or bird.

(having had an unequivocal daylight UFO sighting in my youth, I will often specifically watch the skies, and spot birds and aircraft while I’m outside on smoke breaks during my workday. In 13 years working in this location, this is the first time I’ve seen something here in daylight that I could not identify, and thus qualifies as a legitimate UFO sighting) Sighting detail: I was looking up at the sky to the Northeast with the sun at my back, and spotted a black object of indeterminate size at a high altitude, at approximately 55 degrees above the horizon. At that distance, it was difficult to make out any detail, though it appeared to be elongated. By comparison, it appeared to be the approximate scale of a hyphen on a printed page held at arms length, ever so slightly thicker in the middle. No lights of any kind were observable on the craft, and it did not change shape as would a bird flapping it’s wings.

I noticed it because it was moving erratically, zig-zagging back and forth, and up and down. It would dart to the left, stop in mid air, wiggle up and down, dart back the other way, stop, and wiggle up and down. It did not move in perfectly straight lines, and its movement was jerky and appeared uncoordinated.

As I observed the erratic flight, I first said to myself, “wow, I’m actually seeing this!” Judging it’s travel distance back and forth when it was darting is difficult without knowing it’s approximate size or distance, but if it were the size of a sparrow, it would have been darting back and forth, from my left to right and back, covering a distance of at least 100 feet per second when it moved, with no noticeable acceleration or deceleration. It would be moving, then stationary, then moving again at high speed. I observed it darting erratically as described for approximately 25 seconds. Then it began to move smoothly at a high rate of speed toward the southeast, and became too distant to observe after approximately 15 seconds. I continued to observe the area of sky where it disappeared for a further minute or so, and saw it come back into view again momentarily, before vanishing again.

At this point, I returned to looking at the patch of sky where it had first appeared, and within about 30 seconds, there appeared a bright white cigar or disc shaped object, following the trajectory of the first object. This object may have been larger or closer to me, as it was much easier for me to see that it was an elongated shape. It had a much clearer “cigar” or disc shape, bulging in the middle, and tapered/rounded at the edges. It was moving at a constant high rate of speed toward the southwest, and left no contrail. It moved across the sky considerably faster than the jetliners frequently visible form this location, following exactly the flight path of the first object, and also receded too far to be visible after approximately 25 seconds.

Just before it disappeared from view to the Southwest (over Downtown Syracuse), a co-worker came out of the building and asked what I was looking at, and I pointed it out, but at that point it was too faint for him to observe.

When I first sighted the second object, I could see that it did not have wings or a tail, and approximately every five seconds, what appeared to be a large bright white light on the top center of the “cigar shape” would appear, fade up to very bright, (brighter than the object itself) then fade out again over the course of about three seconds. It did not blink, it faded in and out. This repeated at regular intervals until it was out of sight in the southwest sky. The object did not change course, and moved at a uniform very high rate of speed, faster than any plane.

At the moment the second object faded from view, a twin engine jetliner (appeared to be a Boeng Triple-7) was passing in an easterly path through the middle of the area where I’d observed the other objects, at approximately 8,000 feet. It’s wings, engines, horizontal stabilizer, and twin contrail were clearly discernable. It appeared approximately 3 times larger at that distance than the other two objects I had observed. I do not believe that either object was closer to me than the jetliner.

At that altitude, the jetliner was traversing the sky at approximately one forth the rate of the two objects I had just observed, meaning that if they had been at a similar altitude and distance, their speed of travel would have been, at minimum four times the minimum stall speed of such an aircraft, or approximately 800 Knots / 920 miles per hour / 1480 kilometers per hour.

Neither object made any sound that I noticed, nor was the jetliner loud enough for me to hear it above the noise of the city from that altitude.

(I do not carry a phone with a camera, and was unable to obtain images of the sighting. However, I'm am going to take photographs of the location, and draw on the photos to clearly indicate what I witnessed. I will also include an aerial photo map indicating observer position, and approximate flightpath of objects observed. I will forward those as soon as available.) (further notes) Witness background: I’m am a white male, 45 years old, professional. My vision is better than 20/20, based on my eye test for my driver’s license renewal earlier this year. I have never needed glasses or contacts.

In my 20’s, I was in the National Guard, assigned to a helicopter maintenance battalion, and I am well familiar with the flight characteristics and capabilities of both military and civilian aircraft, having observed countless planes / helicopters in flight. I have spent a considerable amount of time around military and civilian airfields, and aboard both rotor-wing and fixed-wing aircraft. I can tell the difference between a Sikorsky and a Bell helicopter in flight at a distance of several miles.

My older brother was a private pilot, and owned two single-engine fixed-wing aircraft, with which he gave me informal flight instruction, and I have flown both of those aircraft numerous times, also having performed unassisted takeoffs, and landings under the supervision of a licensed pilot. I have also been a passenger on numerous commercial aircraft. Given my experience with aviation, I consider myself to be a better observer of aircraft than the average layperson, and also reasonably accurate at determining the size, altitude, and distance of objects I observe in the sky.

Witness sobriety: Prior to this sighting, I had not had any alcohol for over 36 hours, and I do not indulge in any other intoxicants. This morning I had a cup of coffee and a couple of cigarettes.

Posted 2012-09-24

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