A week ago I was piloting my Phantom 4 Adv with a camera set strictly for navigation yet still recording. During post flight video review, I caught what looked like a bug or bird coming at the camera very fast. Reviewing the vid closer and slower allowed me to locate their position and synch it to the flight log. It showed 2 objects traveling over 1,000' in 1/2 second. I just uploaded the Zapruder. It's 1080/60fps. Try to view it with the best resolution and biggest screen.
See what I caught traveling at over 1300 MPH
- Thread starter MoralDK
- Start date
I don't know what it is. I think it's interesting video to share. I suggest those that have a bug or something in their video to take a look, frame by frame. Maybe it will give them location info enough to measure time/distance to confirm bird or bug. I've got plenty of bird/bug vids as well. They look nothing like this.
captainmilehigh
Premium Pilot
Speedy little critter whatever it is.
I’ve got a Gamo Silent Cat Pellet rifle that spits out at about 1340 feet per second, which is just over 900mph. Other firearms (.22’s etc) are considerably faster.
Could it have been a fired projectile of some sort? Did you hear any gunfire in the area at the time?
Otherwise, it was a bug with a big turbocharger or jet assist.
Hopefully somebody can I D the critter.
I’ve got a Gamo Silent Cat Pellet rifle that spits out at about 1340 feet per second, which is just over 900mph. Other firearms (.22’s etc) are considerably faster.
Could it have been a fired projectile of some sort? Did you hear any gunfire in the area at the time?
Otherwise, it was a bug with a big turbocharger or jet assist.
Hopefully somebody can I D the critter.
They don't, and nor did this. You made an incorrect perspective assumption - that when the object(s) initially became visible against the background of the top of the hill that they were at the hill. They were much smaller and much closer. As another sanity check - look at the streak length as they pass the aircraft. If it's 1 meter away then the length is 20 cm. At 1/120 s frame exposure time, that implies a speed of around 25 m/s. It could be closer, and thus slower.
Here's the reasons why it wasn't a pellet or bullet:
I was piloting just behind the trees the AC was approaching. Less than 100' from where the objects become visible. I know the tree they were behind and I was the only one around.
Pellets or bullets don't curve around trees.
The video and the still show 2 objects. Can any 2 bullets or pellets travel that way? If so, from what gun?
The raw footage shows that they came from behind the tree. I should have included a few frames before that show activity on the right side of the tree branch. I will post it when I can. This tree is GPS located. This provides one point of measurement. The camera (2nd) location is confirmed with the flight log. Additionally, it was in the mid 20 deg. F that afternoon.
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captainmilehigh
Premium Pilot
Ok, easy now. I was just guessing here. I didn’t see the curve of the objects.
Carry on with your mystery. I’m out.
Sorry - that's an illusion of perspective that gets posted regularly on these forums. The object(s) became visible at a location between the tree and the camera, and much closer to the camera. Just because it appeared in line with the tree, why are you assuming that it originated at the tree? A small airborne object obviously isn't going to be resolved visibly until it gets close enough to the camera to create an image on the sensor comparable to the circle of confusion.
Meta4
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.... or ... caught the light at a point in front of the tree and well away from it?
I'm not sure how you can be certain those specks emerged from behind a tree.
As has been said- the footage shows that they appear to come from behind a tree- not that they did. We don’t know of any thing in the nature that can travel that fast at that altitude.We can also exclude any man made technology based on the apparent behaviour. While that gets us no closer to being able to say what the objects are we can confidentiy say they weren’t travelling anywhere near the speeds you have calculated.
Here's a video from the raw source zoomed in and slowed down with some contrast added that may show why I contend the 2 objects came from behind the tree.
Quite apart from the obvious absurdity of 1300 mph objects hiding in the forest, that video makes the case even more clearly that they simply appeared as they crossed the resolution limit, rather than because they popped out from behind a distant tree. But at this point I don't think anything is going to convince you.
I've watched it a few times. I find the normal speed no zoom the most helpful for me , and my guess is someone shot at it .
Actually, when they first emerge they take up about 100x100px. Similar bug videos show they appear from "out of the sky" in as little as 1/10th the pixel size or less. These appeared at 100x100 immediately after moving from behind the tree branch blocking the view.
You can contend what you like however should you expect anyone to accept your claim that a small object came into view from some tree foliage 1000ft from the camera and travelled at an average velocity of 1300mph you will need better evidence. Particularity in this instance where we know there is no natural or man made thing that might behave as you are suggesting.
All that might be concluded is the camera captured an unknown thing that seemed to originate from somehere that if it did it couldn’t be recorded by the camera (insufficient resolution) and travel significantly faster than it could have.
You're absolutely right! I've simply presented what the video shows, right down to the high zoom and slow motion. I've made no claims as to what it is. Organic, inorganic, I don't know. I do know it reflects light and runs across 30 frames. I'm not a forensic video analyst, but I think someone with that pedigree could be helpful to determine the initial visible location of the objects. I'm all for critical analysis. I've spent a week tearing it apart, so I thought I'd post it up here. It's probably the most critical place to post a vid like this.
