Wichita UFO report draws wide attention (pics)

The Wichita Eagle/KansasCity.com ^ | 2/10/2009 | TIM POTTER

[SonOfDarkSkies]

It flew fast like a jet, made a whirling sound and left an odd glow.

That's how an amateur photographer described a flying machine he spotted in the skies near Rose Hill on Friday. The UFO world is now paying attention to his photograph.

On Monday, the photo appeared under the headline "Weird Object in Wichita," on UFO Digest, a Canadian Web site.

The object looks like some kind of new-technology fighter jet, possibly a prototype, said UFO Digest editor and publisher Dirk Vander Ploeg.

Jarrod Bartlett, spokesman for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems-Wichita, said in an e-mail that he checked with flight operations staff "and they were not able to identify the aircraft. We do not often get calls regarding unidentified aircraft."

[SonOfDarkSkies]

[SonOfDarkSkies]

Looks like a crow wearing a jet-pack.

[ZX12R]

Someone threw their cat up in the air.

[Onerom99]

Umm.. I’m not a rocket scientist, but that looks like a helicopter to me.

Couldn’t have been flying that fast to give him a chance to get his camera ready to snap a picture.

[taxcontrol]

B2 with a piggy back plane -or- tail mounted scramjet???

[Airwinger]

Why are UFO photos ALWAYS out of focus?? HHmmmmmm..

[BulletBobCo]

Water fowl in flight. Water on his beak and wings reflecting the sun.

[JamesP81]

It’s obviously a Cylon baseship.

[cmsgop]

Holy Crap, it’s the Thunderbirds !!!!!!

[rintense]

Looks like the plane that carries the space shuttle on it.

[JRios1968]

[Just another Joe]

How do you make a “whirling” sound?

[ZX12R]

Why are UFO photos ALWAYS out of focus?? HHmmmmmm..

Because the aliens have advanced photo blurring shield technology.

[OB1kNOb]

Out of focus. UFO pics are always out of focus.

[JamesP81]

B2 with a piggy back plane -or- tail mounted scramjet???

Good point. Discounting the stuff sticking up, it is rather shaped like a B2. Furthermore, my dad relates being at work when an air show was going on and a B2 overflow where he was working on its way to the air show. He tells me that it made a very odd noise. You might have something here.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Short bodied L1011

[VanDeKoik]

Looks like one of those jumbo jets taking the space shuttle back to Florida?

[SonOfDarkSkies]

The tail silhouette does resemble that of a B-2

[coloradan]

When the space shuttle is transported from a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California, out to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida, it is done so on the back of a 747.

[JRios1968]

It's a weather balloon