08-02-2024, 01:46 PM
I've always been a bit skeptical about early UAP/UFO sightings for a variety of reasons. Early ATC radar was pretty much two dimensional in representation. The data itself was three dimensional, but the representation was 2-D. So, if a fighter jet transitioned from horizontal flight to vertical flight, it would appear on radar like the aircraft slowed down to a stop and, unless they were watching the altitude, the object would appear to be stationary when in fact it was traveling vertically.
Similar anomalies can come from eyewitness reports which are notoriously inaccurate for objects moving in the 3-D environment. If an object is moving directly toward or away from an observer, it can appear as if it is stationary. If the same object suddenly turns and ascends or descends at the same time, it can appear like the object abruptly and rapidly accelerated and radically changed direction when nothing could be further from reality (which was just a gentle turn coupled with an ascent or descent).
Recently someone posted a reply (here or on ATS, can't remember) about a perceived missile launch in Washington state. It looked pretty convincing to me, but several investigators debunked it as a lifeflight helicopter on approach to an airport. I had to go to numerous sources and review tons of video to finally come to the same conclusion, but the initial video looked like a launch to me. Just goes to show you that even pilots and aviation professionals can be fooled by things like this when not armed with all the data. I know I was.
Similar anomalies can come from eyewitness reports which are notoriously inaccurate for objects moving in the 3-D environment. If an object is moving directly toward or away from an observer, it can appear as if it is stationary. If the same object suddenly turns and ascends or descends at the same time, it can appear like the object abruptly and rapidly accelerated and radically changed direction when nothing could be further from reality (which was just a gentle turn coupled with an ascent or descent).
Recently someone posted a reply (here or on ATS, can't remember) about a perceived missile launch in Washington state. It looked pretty convincing to me, but several investigators debunked it as a lifeflight helicopter on approach to an airport. I had to go to numerous sources and review tons of video to finally come to the same conclusion, but the initial video looked like a launch to me. Just goes to show you that even pilots and aviation professionals can be fooled by things like this when not armed with all the data. I know I was.
