A police helicopter crew has spotted what is described as an unusual aircraft in the Vale of Glamorgan. The helicopter was above St Athan, which is home to an RAF base and
close to Cardiff International AirportSouth Wales Police said the helicopter did not give chase and described the crew as very experienced.
"In today's skies, there are a wide variety of aircrafts which come in a range of different shapes and sizes and in all probability, this sighting has just confirmed that one of these was in the area at the relevant time," the spokesperson added.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said it had heard nothing about the incident.
"But it is certainly not advisable for police helicopters to go chasing what they think are UFOs," the spokesperson said.
Cardiff International Airport said air traffic control provided a service to the police helicopter to ensure it had appropriate air space, including allowing it space to return to RAF St Athan to refuel.
Breaking News: Wedding couple sparked UFO alert:
Could this be what the experienced police officers witnnessed!!!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7471724.stm
Guests at the wedding made a wish before each glow lantern was lit
Special glow lanterns set off at a wedding could have been mistaken for a UFO by police officers in a helicopter.
The three-man crew spotted an unusual object in the sky above St Athan on 8 June in the Vale of Glamorgan.
It made headlines around the world but it was only when newlyweds Lucy and Lyn Thomas saw reports on honeymoon that they realised what could have happened.
The lanterns were lit in Cowbridge and floated off towards St Athan, close to an RAF base and Cardiff airport.
"There's no doubt in my mind it was our lanterns," said Mr Thomas, 30, a salesman from Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan.
"We went on the internet on our honeymoon in Turkey and saw a report about this UFO. I thought, 'oh no, it was exactly the same time and I remember they were going straight towards St Athan way'."
You can't judge their size [in the air] because they're so bright. They just look like a big ball of light. When you light them they just go up and up and up
Lyn Thomas on the glow lanterns
The couple first saw the glow lanterns at the Glastonbury festival last year and thought they would make an ideal alternative to fireworks for their "mini festival" wedding party for 150 guests in a field near Cowbridge.
Mr Thomas bought 100 lanterns on an internet auction site and set off about 30 - with guests making wishes - from about 2300 GMT on 7 June until 0200 GMT on 8 June.
"I can see how they'd look like UFOs. They are about 2ft 6in (0.79m) high and are paper lanterns with a wax ball underneath.
"You light them and they inflate and float off - exactly the same principal as a hot air balloon," said Mr Thomas, who said he checked aviation regulations and made sure the lanterns were set off five miles away from Cardiff International Airport.
"You can't judge their size [in the air] because they're so bright. They just look like a big ball of light. When you light them they just go up and up and up.
"Strangely enough we saw them in Glastonbury last year and sat there for hours trying to work out what they were."
Once lit, some of the glow lanterns floated off towards St Athan
He said he could not believe the coverage the UFO sighting had had in the media."It's just gone mad," he added.
"But everyone we've spoken to since said there's no doubt that they [the lanterns] were what they spotted."
Wedding guest Geraint James, from Llantwit Major, said he did not think about the connection between the lanterns and the UFO sightings until his newlywed friends rang him on Tuesday after returning from their honeymoon.
"They rang me and said 'do you realise that was probably us?' It was the exact time we set them off," he said.
"A few people had said they looked like UFOs, kind of spooky as they floated off.
"I read about the UFO on the BBC website and saw it had had coverage in India and in the New York Times. It made us laugh. I suppose this sheds a bit of light."
The police helicopter crew reported seeing the UFO at about 0040 BST on 8 June but could not capture any images before the object vanished over the Bristol Channel.
South Wales Police said the helicopter did not give chase and described the crew as very experienced. The sighting has been reported for investigation.
6 comments:
All three police officers in the helicopter are widely reported to have described what they saw as "flying-saucer shaped".
Just let me say this, a few years ago I witnessed a silver disc shape object hovering above my house during the day.
So I do belive that ufos are real.
Getting back to the 3 police officers as far as I am aware it was the sun that reported that they were flying saucer shape, not the police officers.
I have not seen a statment made by the officers as yet.
Well, that's disgraceful if The Sun just invented their own description and claim the words came from the helicopter crew. All over the net I'm reading that the crew stated the object was "flying saucer-shaped and circled by flashing lights". And then there's the bit about them having chased it over to North Devon, which the police are now denying. I hope there'll be an official statement from the crew themselves in the not-too-distant future, but I suspect they've been ordered to keep schtum.
Stefan just received this from David Clarke:
here's the latest information I have been able to glean from the South Wales
Police re the helicopter sighting; make of it what you will!
A South Wales police spokesman said:
**It was not a flying saucer and has not been described as so.
**the helicopter did not chase it.
**the police helicopter was not attacked.
**The unusual aircraft did not speed straight at the helicopter.
** The helicopter did not have to swerve sharply to avoid being hit and the
crew would not have been "dead" as stated in The Sun.
**The helicopter did not follow it, or chase it, across the Bristol Channel
and the North Devon coast.
**we haven't confirmed any of the details in The Sun story and a lot of the
details are inaccurate.
**The South & East Wales Air Support Unit is a facility shared between South
Wales Police and Gwent Police.
They added this addition comment:
"...With regards to your question on lanterns, we do NOT believe it was one
of these lanterns. Also, you've stated in your email, the claim that the
helicopter crew believed they were in near collision with a flying object;
please note from the information below: the helicopter crew do NOT believe
they were in near collision with a flying object."
By David Clarke
Good work, Dave! Thanks very much for this. It's precisely the sort of thing I was hoping for. I must admit, I don't know who David Clarke is, but he obviously knows more than you are me.
"With regards to your question on lanterns, we do NOT believe it was one of these lanterns" - that's all I wanted to know! Someone should set the Beeb straight.
I live in Cardiff, so I'll keep my ear to the ground and eyes on the sky and let you know if I unearth any more factoids myself. Cheers.
Well, I have to say, I'm pretty much convinced that these were indeed 'sky lanterns'. These UFO sightings appear to have happened all over the country.
Hotel behind 'UFO' fleet mystery
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7474160.stm
Wedding lanterns spark UFO scare
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/4369232.stm
Is UFO a sky lantern?
http://www.buckinghamshireexaminer.co.uk/archives/2007/08/is_ufo_a_sky_la.html
So-called UFOs at Luton Hoo were Chinese lanterns, says airport
http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/dunstable-news/HooFO-mystery-39solved39.4060814.jp
If you do a Google search for UFOs' + 'sky lanterns', you'll see what I mean!
All the best, Stefan
Post a Comment