UFO. United Kingdom

I am a glider pilot in the UK, and the following, which may interest you, is a slightly modified and expanded form of a post I made yesterday in an online glider pilot discussion group: Sunday, August 3, at around 14: 30.

I was standing at the launch point at Shenington Airfield (near Banbury, Oxfordshire, England) when I noticed a small object flying overhead, downwind, just above our runway and in line with it. At first I thought it was a tiny feather floating in the wind a few feet above my head, but when I looked again, I realized that it was much higher, moving in a straight line and at a constant speed. 

Without knowing the actual size of the object, it was difficult to determine its height against the clear blue sky; I'd hazard a guess that it's somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 feet, but that might be the way out. 

The object was white, but with a slightly thin, almost transparent appearance that gave it a somewhat indistinct outline, hence my first reaction that it was a feather. However, I could just make out a certain structure, the best description I can offer is that it was mostly rectangular in general plan and consisted of what could have been a grid of arrows, giving it a look rather like an old-fashioned TV antenna. 

When viewed from a long distance, this explains why it looked rather blurry and indistinct. It moved asymmetrically, that is, set at a slight angle with respect to its direction of movement, that is, from west to east. 

It had all the signs of a steady and purposeful forward movement, and remained visible as a white speck receding into the distance for a short time after it had passed overhead. There may well be a perfectly simple and reasonable explanation for what this object was, but at this point my only choice is to treat it as a UFO, by which I mean nothing more than an object apparently flying that I have not been able to identify.

After I submitted my first report to the discussion group of our glider pilots, another glider pilot who landed in a field about 30 miles east of my position that day reported that he and his search team had also seen the same object. They couldn't identify him either. Someone who landed in a field about 30 miles east of my position that day reported that he and his search team also saw the same object. They couldn't identify him either. 

Someone who landed in a field about 30 miles east of my position that day reported that he and his search team also saw the same object. They couldn't identify him either.

((SUBSEQUENT COMMUNICATION WITH THE WITNESS))

I will definitely send an email to the guy who confirmed my observation and suggest that he and his team file a report. As for the wind, it was very light at ground level, averaging about 5 knots, I would say, and blowing down the runway with a small crosswind component from right to left, so I would say somewhere around 280-285 degrees. 

The object I was observing was going pretty well, right parallel to the runway and almost above it - I had to crank my neck a little to observe it when it was next to me. Unfortunately, I do not know what the wind was at the height. I was supposed to be the launch point controller that day, and I had to put up with the fact that I spent most of the day on the ground, so I only had time for one very fast local thermal flight to an altitude of 1,800 feet, then it was all over and down again. 

I suppose it is possible that the object I saw was drifting with the upper wind, but given the wind deflection, I would have thought that its course would have deviated more noticeably from the course of the surface wind if that were the case. Moreover, its smooth and deliberate progress across the sky was very suggestive of something moving and / or being intelligently controlled - directly or remotely. 

Given what at first seemed (as far as I could understand) to be a somewhat non-aerodynamic structure, I also expected it to show at least some signs of instability if it was simply blown away by the wind. I might also mention that there have been other reports of UFO sightings in this part of England over the past couple of weeks. Very close to where the other pilot landed his glider, there were reports in the local press of people who saw strange objects in the sky

I live about 50 miles southeast of Shenington, and our local newspaper also told me that some people in a nearby town saw some strange lights hovering in the sky. I hope this helps. Sincerely ((name deleted))

((FOLLOW-UP # 2))

Perhaps I should just clarify something about the direction of the wind - in my answer, I described the runway as "B-Z", because as a runway used, this is the direction of takeoff and landing. The object I observed was moving pretty well right on the ZVA, that is, in the wind, on a course of about 90 degrees true, and with only a slight deviation from the surface wind blowing at an angle of 280-285 degrees. 

Given the effects of wind deflection, I would expect it to be slightly different from this if it is flying with the wind at altitude. I advised the other pilot who was observing this object that he and his companions should also send you reports. Best wishes ((name removed))

((FOLLOW-UP # 3))

Peter. As far as I understand, there is an explanation for the strange object that I saw last week. I was told it was in the news. I've been trying to find more information on the BBC website, but so far I haven't found anything. You may well have sources you know that you can connect to to learn more. If I find out anything, I'll let you know, hopefully you can do the same, and we'll see who gets to it first!