Missile Like UFO Spotted From jet Shortly After Take Off From McCarran Airport, Las Vegas.

Sorry about this but I have no photographs or film to show. You will just have to take my word for what I saw from my window seat on the right hand side of my jet shortly after take off from McCarran Airport.
My plane, took off at 1410-1415 on Sunday afternoon bound for Manchester Airport, England. The plane climbed out over the strip (flying over the Mandalay Bay and Luxor hotels before turning right and climbing steeply into a clear blue sky. As we left Vegas behind us, shortly after the plane did another right hand turn, I happened to look down and saw a long thin missile like object which had a black tipped front and back seemingly flying to and thro through a valley. Less than a mile away a helicopter flew towards Vegas.
It was only after I lost sight of the object as it disappearred behind us that I realised that it must have been truly massive, perhaps as large as a jet.
From beginning to end my sighting lasted perhaps twenty seconds or so.

Does anyone have any ideas what this was or did anyone else see anything similar in this area? Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

reply to post by Mintwithahole.


What was your altitude (best guess) and can you describe the object a little better? Did anyone else see it?

Originally posted by jkrog08
reply to post by Mintwithahole.

 

What was your altitude (best guess) and can you describe the object a little better? Did anyone else see it?

Altitude, I couldn't honestly say but we were climbing steeply and the sighting took place mere minutes after take off.
The object was long and thin with a black tip at the front and back. The body of it was silver or perhaps white.
Nobody else, as far as I know, spotted it as I only saw it for twenty seconds or so.
Sorry I can't be of any further help. I posted this just in case someone else had seen it or knew what it might be.

Could have been another plane with a paint job that made the wings blend in with the environment. I always seem to live under a flight approach path and see plans turn into missiles and back again as they bank and maneuver through the sky. I would guess a corporate jet taking off or landing on a adjacent runway or flight path.

reply to post by staple

Maybe so, but do corporate jets really fly so low? This thing was weaving too and thro along a valley! I was able to see clearly a helicopter heading towards Vegas and this thing I saw was nearer and almost directly below my plane.
Thanks for your help.

A UFO Missile Video


Southwest airplane encounters ufo missile

ED:

Maybe so, but do corporate jets really fly so low? This thing was weaving too and thro along a valley! I was able to see clearly a helicopter heading towards Vegas and this thing I saw was nearer and almost directly below my plane. Thanks for your help.

That sounds like a cruise missile.
They follow the terrain that is mapped in their navigational data bank.


[edit on 8/10/2009 by TeslaandLyne]

If you fly out of MCCarran and go Right you head directly over area 51. Something for you to think about. Just North of Vegas is an AirForce Base that specializes in flying drones.

Originally posted by ExPostFacto
If you fly out of MCCarran and go Right you head directly over area 51. Something for you to think about. Just North of Vegas is an AirForce Base that specializes in flying drones.

That sounds possible.....

For the sake of the discussion, here's a picture of a drone that has a darkish front & back, with camouflaged wings (sort of).

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8b60994bbc21.jpg[/atsimg]

Mintwithahole:

Did it look anything like this?

Originally posted by ExPostFacto
If you fly out of MCCarran and go Right you head directly over area 51.

Now how silly is that? Which way is 'right'? There are more than one runway you know. And he said he went over the Luxor so that path would go no where near Area 51, which is quite a way north of Vegas and not on a commercial flight path

Something for you to think about. Just North of Vegas is an AirForce Base that specializes in flying drones.

That would be Nellis and they don't fly drones in town




Area 51 is 125 miles away from Vegas



[edit on 10-8-2009 by zorgon]

reply to post by Mintwithahole.


you didn't have a cellphone camera on you? and you call yourself an ATSer? shame on you...

Originally posted by Sam60

Originally posted by ExPostFacto
If you fly out of MCCarran and go Right you head directly over area 51. Something for you to think about. Just North of Vegas is an AirForce Base that specializes in flying drones.

That sounds possible.....

For the sake of the discussion, here's a picture of a drone that has a darkish front & back, with camouflaged wings (sort of).

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8b60994bbc21.jpg[/atsimg]

Mintwithahole:

Did it look anything like this?

I suppose the object I saw could have had camaflaged wings but I honestly don't think so. For one thing they would have showed up in it's shadow it left on the valley floor. However, imagine that without the tail fins and wings with a large black spot at either end and you have what I saw.

reply to post by Mintwithahole.


Mint, I was looking at some Aeronautical Charts of LAS for you. I've flown in and out of there often.

For your destination (Manchester) and your description of the right turn after departure, and further right turn, I'm guessing you were following an Airway that is on a 031 magnetic course, out of LAS. Looking at the VFR Charts of the region, there are several MOAs (Military Operations Areas) along your route. SO, some sort of Military (cruise missile??) test or operation is possible. During your climb-out, did you see Lake Mead off to the right? When you saw the 'missile', was it after you'd passed Lake Mead?

reply to post by weedwhacker


Nice one weedwhacker my friend. Lake Mead was off in the distance to my right and slightly ahead of us.

reply to post by Mintwithahole.


Well, that's a puzzling one, then. Your takeoff was to the West, then the right turns, likely passed just slightly North or over the top of Nellis...

For your location, at that point in the climb, there aren't any of the Restricted Areas or MOAs. However, obviously your altitude was still fairly low, probably still under 10,000 feet. ( You can tell when you're passing 10,000 in the USA, because generally that's when jets accelerate fromt eh max 250 Knots to normal climb speed. US pilots signal the 10,000 feet the flight attendants with the seat belt chime, usually too.

Anyway, maybe you saw something headed to Nellis? IF it was being operated in broad daylight, guess it can't be all that top secret, but who knows???

BTW, what airline? Virgin has non-stops to Gatwick, but they leave later in the day, 1640.

Originally posted by weedwhacker
Anyway, maybe you saw something headed to Nellis? IF it was being operated in broad daylight, guess it can't be all that top secret, but who knows???

Of course your forgetting the obvious, weather balloon, or maybe one of Jose's 'rods'

Originally posted by weedwhacker
reply to post by Mintwithahole.

 

Well, that's a puzzling one, then. Your takeoff was to the West, then the right turns, likely passed just slightly North or over the top of Nellis...

For your location, at that point in the climb, there aren't any of the Restricted Areas or MOAs. However, obviously your altitude was still fairly low, probably still under 10,000 feet. ( You can tell when you're passing 10,000 in the USA, because generally that's when jets accelerate fromt eh max 250 Knots to normal climb speed. US pilots signal the 10,000 feet the flight attendants with the seat belt chime, usually too.

Anyway, maybe you saw something headed to Nellis? IF it was being operated in broad daylight, guess it can't be all that top secret, but who knows???

BTW, what airline? Virgin has non-stops to Gatwick, but they leave later in the day, 1640.

It was a Thomas Cook plane. Can't remember the flight number but it took off at about 2.15 to 2.20pm on 2nd August. We boarded at gate 4. Hope this is of help.

A sighting like this is actually not too uncommon but not exactly common either.

I would pretty much think it was either a missile test fire or some type of UAV. Of course because chances are it's classified any attempts to ascertain what it is through military channels will lead you no where unless you have a good friend in the military in that area.

reply to post by zorgon


Well I used to live in the area. If he took off from McCarran and headed over the strip then he was headed West. A right over the Luxor means he was headed North bound. Telling me 'right' is a silly direction when he describes landmarks and knowing the location of the airport it's easy to discern which magnetic direction he was headed based off the description.

Originally posted by Darthorious
I would pretty much think it was either a missile test fire or some type of UAV.

Nellis does not make a habit of flying odd things over the city. Near the test range yeah, but not over Vegas

I would say it was a drone. Most of the piloting done for drones over in the Middle East is done in Nevada out of Nellis. Maybe the controls went haywire. But maybe it was something out of this world. I hope so, that would be way too cool. Also, some of the drones you see are quite large, in order to carry the large payload.