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The Flying Box

Impybat

this space for rent
Joined
Jul 13, 2004
Messages
311
Location
in the belfry
This happened when I was around 9 or 10 years old. My friend Chris was with me. I remember it being warm and sunny, so I believe it took place in late spring or early summer. We were sitting on the wall in front of our elementary school. Suddenly we both observed a dark colored square box moving slowly across the sky in a westerly direction. It appeared to be rotating or tumbling as it moved.

At first we thought it might have been a corrugated cardboard box but it was flying way up high in the air, and there was little to no wind to carry it. I don't remember it being windy enough for a kite, but who knows what the air currents were doing that day. We ran across the street across a few backyards to follow it and lost sight of it over some trees.

The next year at around the same time, we both observed the same thing again– a dark colored box rotating slowly across the sky, only this time, we were in front of my house sitting on the front steps. Again we took off following it but it disappeared like it had before.
 
I've seen something like that in the sky in the past year! I mentioned it on here, a rotating shape I took for some kind of kite or balloon. Never did find out what it was - I wonder if it's a common bit of air hardware?
 
I've seen something like that in the sky in the past year! I mentioned it on here, a rotating shape I took for some kind of kite or balloon. Never did find out what it was - I wonder if it's a common bit of air hardware?
No idea but I'm glad I'm not the only one! Some kind of satellite maybe?
 
This happened when I was around 9 or 10 years old. My friend Chris was with me. I remember it being warm and sunny, so I believe it took place in late spring or early summer. We were sitting on the wall in front of our elementary school. Suddenly we both observed a dark colored square box moving slowly across the sky in a westerly direction. It appeared to be rotating or tumbling as it moved.

At first we thought it might have been a corrugated cardboard box but it was flying way up high in the air, and there was little to no wind to carry it. I don't remember it being windy enough for a kite, but who knows what the air currents were doing that day. We ran across the street across a few backyards to follow it and lost sight of it over some trees.

The next year at around the same time, we both observed the same thing again– a dark colored box rotating slowly across the sky, only this time, we were in front of my house sitting on the front steps. Again we took off following it but it disappeared like it had before.
A box kite perhaps?
5yrUTC5tOTKy-1COVawnFZr0OptQ9Yb1Bn7dqje9FMyBeB19YGFHFC3VHeRsqxCl6macEUSV31NXsfsoeA-0qNIt6jAbEpqk0mDNp9a1DRU3pVkZzH31ubttnBx39nIK3g
 
Did it look like this?


(The first one, anyway). If so, the consensus appears to be that it’s some form of banner being towed by an aeroplane.

maximus otter
 
Did it look like this?


(The first one, anyway). If so, the consensus appears to be that it’s some form of banner being towed by an aeroplane.

maximus otter
Yes, it does look like an airplane with a sign. The ones we saw looked more like this:

box.jpg


The above pic was taken from the National UFO Center's site. The accompanying story is closer to the bottom of the page, titled "UK England Pyramid UFO".
 
Doubt it was a satellite, what I saw was far too low in the sky. I'm interested in any suggestions, though.
 
I'm interested in any suggestions, though.
Orthogonal semi-rigid RADAR reflector suspended from a helium-filled weathersonde balloon
ideas:corner.jpg

2-0.jpg


At a far distances, especially in locations where weather systems produce unclear / shifting cloud & mist patterns (so, North Atlantic, British Isles, Westen Europe, maritime polar), large circular/ovoid balloons can tend to visually integrate into/behind precipitation droplets, especially when light levels and sun angles are at anything other than the local observer's high noon timeframe. Often the neutral material from which the balloons are made (or, even shiny mylar coatings) also blends an 8-12m diameter balloon away into marginal visibility (even when you know where to look).

Conversely, the deliberately right-angled/straight-edged design of the 'corner' reflector is visually very eye-catching, even when there are low contrast levels between the "box" and the surrounding sky. The brain instantly detects this differential, even at tiny thresholds of comparametric ratio.

This is why paint-schemes for many rotorcraft/helicopters involved in civil low-level flying missions (to aid flight safety) are based upon two or more high-contrast colours with a vertical / horizontal sharp transition relative to the axis of travel (or vertical movement in the hover). This is now a fairly-common convention internationally (with the possible exception of North America, for reasons I know not).
220px-H-145_Jupiter_-_RIAT_2018_%2841932985800%29.jpg

A UK Defense Helicopter Flying School Jupiter
G-DCPB-007.jpg

Devon & Cornwall Police Eurocopter 145
 
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This is now a fairly-common convention internationally (with the possible exception of North America, for reasons I know not).
Oh, we always have to be different, Quebecois and other Canadians being the exceptions over here I assume. For example, this is how we use forks when cutting off and eating a bite of food: First, we pick up our fork with our left hand, and then pick up the knife with our right hand, pin down a corner of the food with the fork and use the knife to cut off a bite-sized morsel, then put the knife in our right hand down so we can transfer the fork from our left hand to our right hand in order to pick up the morsel and stick it in our mouth. We are masters of efficiency.
 
Big flag being towed by a helicopter - I've seen these taking off before, they have a weight along the bottom and a spar along the top to keep their shape. The tow line is massively long so that the flag doesn't get affected by the down-wash from the rotors.
They're mostly used for advertising.

And why are people so bleedin inept at holding a camera/phone steady, and the right way up, without putting their fingers in front of the lens, or standing behind something?
 
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