UFO and fighter jets over Atlanta?

My wife and I were on our way back from Atlanta to Tennessee when we came out from under an overpass on 285W heading toward 75 (somewhere between 85 and 75). We saw 4 fighter jets that looked like f-22s (after having googled to find military plane photos) fly really low over the interstate in formation. I probably would have just thought, "That's cool" except for the strange thing that followed. My wife asked me off the cuff (even as she was on the phone), if I saw a shiny object in the sky with the jets? I thought about it, and realized I did see a brief flicker of shine right after they passed overhead. At this point, I still wouldn't have thought much of it.

So, naturally we were staring at the sky while heading toward 75. About 30 seconds or so after she asked me, we both saw it again. For a split second, there was a tremendously bright shining object in the sky - and just like that it was gone again. No visible movement, no clouds in the sky. The object just vanished. I have no idea how to estimate height, but lower than a small plane's regular altitude, and larger than I would imagine a plane would have ever been at that height. Did I mention how shiny it was (circular in glow)? We never saw it again before we merged onto 75, but did see another fighter plane (I'm not sure what kind, but it looked older) flying really low overhead again and vanished over some trees on the east side of 75.

I don't know what it was, but it was definitely there. The addition of fighter jets adds to the strangeness surrounding the event. I know this isn't that exciting of a sighting, but this isn't crying wolf. either. Lockheed Martin has a plant (and airstrip) on the west side of 75 - and, without having seen the object, I would have assumed the planes were being tested out from Lockheed. Now, I have no doubt the planes were there for a greater purpose.

***This is my first post, so I understand the questions that could arise due to that. However, I have been a reader on this site for a while, but I joined so I could share this.

The F-22s are being built in Marietta. I'm not surprised that you saw them flying around here. As for the silver flash it could have been sunlight reflecting off a plane at altitude.

It's good to know I identified the f-22 as the right plane then! However, the size of the shiny object was so disproportional to a plane at altitude that my wife and I could not justify it as that. If there was anything in the sky after the flash, I could at least try to justify it - but nothing was there!

Only if Lockheed has developed a way to make the bottom of a craft appear invisible, then it was possible it tilted enough so we caught a glint of reflection from the top. However, we stared at the sky and could see nothing. The shine was in an orb/oval/ellipse shape. I hope that helps describe it a little better.

*edited for grammar

[edit on 9-3-2008 by kuga1123]

21 Flags!? Come on people! Thanks to Zaphod58 for being all over this.

There are so many bases in the Southeast, not the least of which is Dobbins, where planes take off all of the time. Additionally, it's the weekend and there are a ton of training exercises going on. On top of that, there is Hartsfield-Jackson Int'l Aitport - the busiest in the U.S., possibly the world.

My son sees "sparkles" in the sky everyday as the Sun reflects off of planes on approach or take-off.

Kudos to the OP and his wife for looking up and paying attention but as for the rest and your 21 flags...please, try to Deny Ignorance.



[edit on 9/3/08 by kosmicjack]

reply to post by kuga1123

Was it today that you saw the jets and shiny thing in the sky? What time of day was it if indeed it was today?

May I offer one explanation?

There was a NASCAR race in Atlanta today. Usually jets fly over the race track during the singing of the national anthem.

As to the shiny thing. There was probably a blimp in the sky for the race.

Just a thought.

Dizzie

Yes it was today. It was somewhere around 1:30 EST. I appreciate some of the explanations - and I don't doubt there is some explanation. However, an explanation would need to justify the disappearance of the object, or at least the illusion that it was not there. Believe me - it was blue sky in between each of the 2 shiny flashes with nothing else anywhere around - especially after the second flash since the jets were nowhere to be seen at that point.

As for the race, the track is in the southernmost outskirts of Atlanta and I was in the north-west section - just in case you are trying to figure locations. I would imagine that if jets were to fly for the race, they would come from Dobbins and not Lockheed - but I am not that familiar with the logistics of that.

Actually they came from Barksdale, LA. And they were A-10 Warthogs. There WERE four of them flying in formation. I don't know if they went back to Dobbins, or where they went after they did the race overflight.

Just as an FYI, this happened 2 weeks ago here in Denver. I don't know how to post a link to the thread, but if you do a search the thread title is "silver objects sited in Denver, jets follow." It all started with a UFO siting. Lots of activity going on..

Well, I looked at the picture of the a-10 and the 4 fighter jets were definitely not those. I feel confident in the f-22 due to the wing shape.

Starwatcher1 - I'll check out the Denver thread and read up on it, thanks for the tip.

reply to post by starwatcher1


This is so eerily similar! I just read my wife the story and she even said it was so close to what we saw. The 4 jets were really low in a tight formation. I wouldn't say I could see the pilots, but if I was closer up the interstate to where they crossed over I definitely could have. The other, older fighter plane I saw later was even lower (it disappeared over the tree tops when I went through a curve at the 285/75 split).

I not sure what an "attack formation" looks like with 4 jets, but they were in a staggered formation. I got a good view because I could see the tops and thus the formation of the jets as they banked through a turn directly over the interstate.

reply to post by kuga1123

Glad I could help. After reading your story I thought you would be interested in my story. Don't know what is going on, but something is..

I saw the same jets you did today. I was over near Delk road when they flew past. I didn't see anything shiny near them. I don't know the formation they were in either.

They probably did a fly over at the race south of the city. I saw them around 1 or so.

The F-22's are built north of Atlanta.

I see crazy stuff flying all over all the time, but no UFOs.

You want to see something really crazy? Watch a line of six or so C-130 cargo planes do a steep dive and land just outside your view while you're stuck in bumper to bumper traffic.

I thought they were coming down on the highway when I first heard them.

[edit on 9-3-2008 by The Big O]

I second a blimp. Although it wouldnt amaze me if it were real.


Twice in my life have I seen a UFO, the first time it was in Duluth, GA and the 2nd time it was here in tampa which turned out to be a satellite.


Also very possible you saw an F-22 that was at a different altitude than the rest and maneuvering. When pitched sideways they look almost un-recognizable.

Swamp gas, blimp, personal av. Move along, nothing to see here. Sightings in the SE have been much more prevalent of late.

See now thats weird cause i live in central pa, and i was coming out of a supermarket in a town called millheim near statecollege pa, now this store is 20 miles from anything, and it was like 1pm and a single a10 flew over sooo low that you could see the damn pilot,......... on a side note the thing was armed to the teeth as well, didnt see a ufo though

reply to post by kuga1123

Lockheed has a supersonic corridor setup going north from Lockheed @ Dobbins AFB to the Great Smokey Mountain Ntl Park, then south to Huntsville, Alabama. The F-22's fly that route all the time - generally with F-16 chase planes.

As for the flash of light, it could be anything really... but this would not be the first time an unidentified object or anomaly has followed the F-22's in that area.

I'll put money on the Nascar race - there were plenty of helos in the air for the race (ther always are) and the ones used for the onboard camera microwave relays have some antennaes on them that could catch the sun and send reflections to the ground observer.
The fact that the race was nowhere nearby does not matter. They could be refueling anywhere.

I think I can second the OP's F-22 claims, at least. If this occurred last week (Thursday), then that same formation flew over the Central Perimeter/Alpharetta area soon after.

Nothing unusual -- as many have pointed out, F-22's are common here because of the Marietta Lockheed plant -- and I didn't see any UFOs.

Yup...I saw the same formation yesterday. I was on Windy Hill Road in Marietta, only about 2 miles from Dobbins.

Didn't see anything unusual though, only the jets.

As other posters have said, these formations are VERY common in this area.


[edit on 10-3-2008 by Jimmy Jingles]

For a split second, there was a tremendously bright shining object in the sky - and just like that it was gone again.

Just hypothesizing wildly, but that sounds like they were testing some kind of anti personnel weapon designed to blind enemy pilots. Do you think if that flash happened close enough to a person it might temporarily blind them?

Why do they always neglect East Atlanta?

We have nothing over here. No sightings except for an occasional satelite and what might have been the ISS the other day. No silvery craft here. Curses! Just a few miles makes a world of difference.