The O'Hare UFO

Ivan Seeking

I believe that the JANAP 146E document relaxed the requirements for commercial airline pilots imposed by JANAP 146.

Chronos

For a pilot to log having 'seen' a UFO is like a ship captain logging having 'seen' a sea monster. Not a good career move. I yield great credence to those foolhardy enough to register such observations while still employed. These are people who are familiar with what does, and does not, belong in the sky. I'm not sold on ET [unless ET was tippling on a bottle of dumbass while hovering over O'Hare at rush hour], but, this is a classic case of 'what the heck was that?'

Ivan Seeking

Here is what has surfaced so far.
http://www.earthfiles.com/news/news....ry=Environment

Earthfiles and Above Top Secret are both extreme fringe. Until witnesses are willing to come forward with their photos, and without other witnesses who say "yes, that is what I saw", I don't put much faith in any of this.

Ivan Seeking

On the main page today, one photo is claimed to be debunked.
http://www.earthfiles.com/

more
http://www.earthfiles.com/news/news....ry=Environment

I would almost bet that any genuine, useful information will be had for a price paid by the Sci Fi Channel.

Ivan Seeking

FAA spokesperson Tony Molinaro says the "absence of any kind of factual evidence" precludes an investigation. "There was nothing on radar."

To explain the witnesses' reports, he offered his best "guess." They may have seen a "hole-punch cloud," he said, which is in "a perfect circular shape like a round disc" and has "vapor going up into it."

These unusual natural cloud holes form only at below freezing temperatures, according to climatologists. It was 48 degrees at O'Hare that afternoon.

John Callahan, Division Chief of Accidents and Investigations for the FAA during the 1980s, says it's not at all surprising that the O'Hare UFO was undetected on radar.

Radar technology cannot always capture objects at extremely high speeds. A hovering object wouldn't necessarily show up either. "If it did, it would be a small dot, and air traffic controllers would not give it much concern," Callahan says. [continued]

http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/128106.html

This report illustrates one reason why we have conspiracy theories - the official answers are often, clearly, nonsense.

Aether

Quote by FAA spokesperson Tony Molinaro

They may have seen a "hole-punch cloud," he said, which is in "a perfect circular shape like a round disc" and has "vapor going up into it."

These unusual natural cloud holes form only at below freezing temperatures, according to climatologists. It was 48 degrees at O'Hare that afternoon.

If it was 48 degrees-F at O'Hare that afternoon, then it was below freezing everywhere above 4,000ft. above ground level. This explains how such a hole-punch cloud might be formed by a rising object, but this report says that the cloud deck was at about 1,900ft..

"After hovering in place for a few minutes below low cloud cover, the object rose vertically and rapidly into the cloud deck, which was at about 1900 feet. The UFO appeared to leave a “hole” in the clouds where it entered, as has been reported in a few other UFO sightings."

This site gives the weather history for O'Hare (KORD) on 11/7/2006. At around the time of this sighting, the surface temperature was around 53 degrees-F and the dewpoint was around 48 degrees-F. This would imply that the cloud deck should actually be somewhere around 1250ft above ground level, and the lowest freezing level would be somewhere around 5250ft. above ground level.

Ivan Seeking

Quote by Aether

If it was 48 degrees-F at O'Hare that afternoon, then it was below freezing everywhere above 4,000ft. above ground level. This explains how such a hole-punch cloud might be formed by a rising object, but this report says that the cloud deck was at about 1,900ft..

"After hovering in place for a few minutes below low cloud cover, the object rose vertically and rapidly into the cloud deck, which was at about 1900 feet. The UFO appeared to leave a “hole” in the clouds where it entered, as has been reported in a few other UFO sightings."

This site gives the weather history for O'Hare (KORD) on 11/7/2006. At around the time of this sighting, the surface temperature was around 53 degrees-F and the dewpoint was around 48 degrees-F. This would imply that the cloud deck should actually be somewhere around 1250ft above ground level, and the lowest freezing level would be somewhere around 5250ft. above ground level.

Of course the biggest problem is that hole punch clouds are thought to be caused by falling, not rising, ice crystals. It is a nice idea, and there are hole punch clouds, but this explanation does not speak to details of the reports. Cherry picking the details does not lead to explanations that people will accept.

Btw Aether, if you see the Pilot UFO sightings video in post #50 of the UFO Napster, you will find some validation of the alleged stigma that concerns pilots.

Aether

The elevation of O'Hare is 668ft. above sea level, so 1,250ft. above ground level is equivalent to 1918ft. above sea level.

Quote by Ivan Seeking

Of course the biggest problem is that hole punch clouds are thought to be caused by falling, not rising, ice crystals. It is a nice idea, and there are hole punch clouds, but this explanation does not speak to details of the reports. Cherry picking the details does not lead to explanations that people will accept.

A naturally formed hole-punch cloud seems to be ruled out in this case since the lowest level that such a cloud might form is 4,000ft. above the cloud deck; even if one did form, it would not have been visible from the ground. It might be possible to build a machine that could punch a visible hole in a cloud under these conditions.

Btw Aether, if you see the Pilot UFO sightings video in post #50 of the UFO Napster, you will find some validation of the alleged stigma that concerns pilots.

I will look at that later today. What I don't like about that is the implication that professional pilots and air-traffic controllers would suppress important information regarding air safety, national security, and scientific discovery out of some personal fear of stigma.

Ivan Seeking

A report on this from Haines at NARCAP
http://www.narcap.org/reports/TR10_Case_18.pdf
http://www.narcap.org/reports/Technicalreports.htm

Ivan Seeking Recognitions: Gold Member Science Advisor Staff Emeritus	The O'Hare UFO I believe that the JANAP 146E document relaxed the requirements for commercial airline pilots imposed by JANAP 146.