Unusual traffic in Canadian skies?

[daniel.o]

Hi all,
I'm a Canadian journalist who has written for outlets like the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail.
Inspired by recent reporting in The New York Times and cases like this one from Toronto, I'm currently looking to talk to pilots who have encountered odd traffic in Canadian airspace, such as unusual drones/UAV/lights/objects/etc. My goal is to show that 1) events like these happen in Canadian airspace, and 2) find out if Canadian officials take the national security implications of such sightings seriously.
Have a story to share? Send me a message or email me at otisstories [at] gmail [dot] com. If you wish to remain anonymous, that's totally fine with me too. 
Thanks!
Daniel
@dsotis

[Seeker]

Hi Daniel; 

I have over 40 years under my belt as a pilot.  I've seen comets, meteors, aurora borealis, planets, satellites, the Space Shuttle, the Space Station, flights of military aircraft, helium birthday balloons, hot air balloons, drones and flocks of birds where there shouldn't be birds.  I've seen dozens of examples of weird visual illusions - every one of which I attribute to the almost infinite possible combinations of light source and observer.

I think this, very comprehensive, site gives the true explanation behind virtually all reports: https://hyperleap.com/topic/Optical_phenomena 

Everything else can be explained, IMO, as military, or someone either seeking to draw attention to themselves or away from something else. 

[daniel.o]

Thanks for the link, Seeker. I'm looking at it now!

Any thoughts on this case? https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/11/23/object-caused-near-collision-porter-plane-not-drone/

And here are more details from the TSB:
"C-GLQL, a de Havilland DHC-8-402 aircraft operated by Porter Airlines, was conducting flight POE204 from Ottawa/MacDonald-Cartier Intl, ON (CYOW) to Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City, ON (CYTZ). While passing through 8300 feet approximately 29 nautical miles East on the initial approach to CYTZ, the flight crew noticed an object directly ahead on their flight path. The object appeared to be solid, approximately 5 to 8 feet in diameter and shaped like an upright doughnut or inner tube. There appeared to be no relative movement and the object was rapidly getting closer to the aircraft. The captain overrode the autopilot in order to quickly descend the aircraft under the object. The object passed slightly to the right and above the aircraft. There was no impact. Both cabin crew members were in the process of securing the cabin for arrival and were not seated. They received minor injuries when they were thrown into the cabin structure. The aircraft subsequently landed at CYTZ without further incident."

I believe that 99.99% of so-called "UFO" sightings have conventional explanations, and I recognize that trained observers like veteran pilots are WAY better equipped than me to analyze such cases.

[Seeker]

24 minutes ago, daniel.o said:

Thanks for the link, Seeker. I'm looking at it now!

Any thoughts on this case? https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/11/23/object-caused-near-collision-porter-plane-not-drone/

And here are more details from the TSB:
"C-GLQL, a de Havilland DHC-8-402 aircraft operated by Porter Airlines, was conducting flight POE204 from Ottawa/MacDonald-Cartier Intl, ON (CYOW) to Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City, ON (CYTZ). While passing through 8300 feet approximately 29 nautical miles East on the initial approach to CYTZ, the flight crew noticed an object directly ahead on their flight path. The object appeared to be solid, approximately 5 to 8 feet in diameter and shaped like an upright doughnut or inner tube. There appeared to be no relative movement and the object was rapidly getting closer to the aircraft. The captain overrode the autopilot in order to quickly descend the aircraft under the object. The object passed slightly to the right and above the aircraft. There was no impact. Both cabin crew members were in the process of securing the cabin for arrival and were not seated. They received minor injuries when they were thrown into the cabin structure. The aircraft subsequently landed at CYTZ without further incident."

I believe that 99.99% of so-called "UFO" sightings have conventional explanations, and I recognize that trained observers like veteran pilots are WAY better equipped than me to analyze such cases.

Story 1.)

When I was a kid (a looong time ago) I heard about a prank that some guys had done - they took dry cleaning bags and made a small balsa wood frame, a sort of "X" in the opening of the bag with a candle.  Apparently the heat from the candle would produce enough lift the float the whole thing and the light from the flame would cause an eerie glow.  I tried unsuccessfully (as a 12 year old kid) to duplicate this but was unable to do so.  And, BTW, I am fully aware that sending lit candles, plastic bags and balsa wood into the skies is ill-advised.

Story 2.)

Father and son send iPhone into space

 

There's way more "stuff" flying around than we realize.

[Kip Powick]

This was never fully explained but many folks apparently saw it, thus the photo (s)

[daniel.o]

4 minutes ago, Kip Powick said:

This was never fully explained but many folks apparently saw it, thus the photo (s)

Wow! You too? I saw something just like that as a kid!

[Specs]

So glad I never saw one of these

 

[Moon The Loon]

7 hours ago, Specs said:

So glad I never saw one of these

 

LOL! Bradley Air Services Twin Otter in 1970's on Ellesmere Island. Only then, the question was "Why is the airspeed showing zero?"

[Floyd]

I  think I was listening to that Twin Otter when he gave a status report on 5281 KHz.  I seem to recall a report about the condition of the airframe and the people.  This was followed by the "OAT is reading -37 C and the airspeed is reading [ I think it was ] 55 knots, and they are both working!"

 

I was glad I wasn't on board.

[UpperDeck]

I guess I am not particularly surprised at the responses because pilot or not.....many are very reluctant to acknowledge the possibility of extra-terrestial visitations because they fear being thought a fool.

Assume the average age on this forum is at least 50. Which amongst the group who are aviators are willing to say; " I saw an object that I believe to have been an alien transport"?

Many reasonably well-informed people accept the likelihood that "we" have been visited by so-called aliens.

If you accept that possibility, you are compelled to acknowledge that " they" got here somehow and therefore, the observation of "their" means of transportation by flight crew would be a probability.

Brave the jeers; acknowledge the vision!!

[North of You]

Upper...

 

Are u suggesting pilots are withholding the fact that they HAVE seen these UFOs? What percentage of pilots do u believe have seen UFOs? 

[Specs]

13 hours ago, UpperDeck said:

Which amongst the group who are aviators are willing to say; " I saw an object that I believe to have been an alien transport"?

But if the aliens had let their presence be detected within our atmosphere then surely there would have been many more people on the ground who saw it when it landed or saw it in the sky as it passed overhead?  As we don't seem to have a lot of reports of found spaceships or debris reports by farmers or beachgoers or mountain climbers or ....so then what are we to conclude?  I would think that whatever it was eventually landed and was recognized for what it was - some errant terrestrial detritus.

[J.O.]

14,000 + hours, a significant portion of it at night and I can honestly say I have never seen something "unexplained". I would have no qualms whatsoever in saying I had seen something (if I had). Quite frankly, I get a little tired of people who treat anyone who says they've witnessed a close encounter like they're nut jobs. Not everything in life can be explained clearly. Some of the same people have no trouble believing in an unexplainable and unprovable "higher power". 

[daniel.o]

Thanks for the responses! I try to avoid the term "UFO" precisely because it has E.T. connotations. Unidentified = unknown, right? And alien technology is only one possible explanation out of many others! I mean, people could be witnessing advanced top secret human technology, right? But I think the fact remains that trained observers such as veteran pilots do occasionally spot things that cannot be easily identified. For example, does anyone have thoughts on this incredible recent story from The New York Times? https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/us/politics/ufo-sightings-navy-pilots.html

[Jaydee]

I for one thinks the earth has been visited by Aliens. I also think they took one look and said..”.you got to be kidding me...no way do we want any part of that race...they are not ready for us yet...let’s stop in again in another 1000 or so years to see if anything’s changed.”

[UpperDeck]

11 hours ago, Specs said:

But if the aliens had let their presence be detected within our atmosphere then surely there would have been many more people on the ground who saw it when it landed or saw it in the sky as it passed overhead?  As we don't seem to have a lot of reports of found spaceships or debris reports by farmers or beachgoers or mountain climbers or ....so then what are we to conclude?  I would think that whatever it was eventually landed and was recognized for what it was - some errant terrestrial detritus.

Obviously...I have no clue as to whether other intelligent organisms from other planets or galaxies exist but....I "think" far more advanced civilizations exist and that our planet has been visited many times. I honestly belive that to think otherwise is incredibly chauvanistic.

I believe that our perception of time is dictated by the boundaries we understand. We have no concept of the sense of time experienced by an insect whose lifespan is measured in "our" hours or days. Similarly, we have no comprehension of distance as measured by an ant nor are we able to conceptualize that for an "alien", our million  miles may be nothing more than a step.

Have you noticed that reports of UFO's increase worldwide at certain periods? No matter where in the world.....sightings are reported episodically.

Wonder why?

If you lived in a planet far, far away and extra- planetary tourism was the norm as was " time travel", wouldn't you choose to visit Earth during certain times to witness historic events as they unfolded?

Moving on....if I thought I witnessed an extra-terrestial spaceship....I'd be VERY reluctant to publicize that observation.

Yes....I DO know pilots who have told me confidentially that they have observed objects in flight that defy reason but they are content to leave undisturbed the assertions of ohers that what they saw was nothing more than " swamp gas".

[North of You]

“The Drake Equation”not withstanding.....

I have nearly +/- 19,000 hours now.  From the north to the south of the continent and then some, I have yet to see anything that cannot be explained. And I say this with some sadness, as I would dearly love to some evidence of another civilization. But sadly nothing. No blinking lights, or buzz jobs by reckless ETs having some fun. Even the Bermuda Triangle has been a disappointment in this regard.
 

So until someone can produce some verifiable evidence, I will continue to be a sceptic. And taking  someone’s word from the Internet on this subject as proof is the hight of folly in this day and age.
 

But that’s just me... bleep blupp  bling boob... I am not an alien trying to cover our tracks.  

[Kip Powick]

World wide....29,700+ hours.....have not seen a thing. I do not believe anything about aliens.

Don't you think that if we were visited by superior beings that they would have at least left a "care-package" or a note ???

[Guest1]

3 hours ago, Kip Powick said:

World wide....29,700+ hours.....have not seen a thing. I do not believe anything about aliens.

Don't you think that if we were visited by superior beings that they would have at least left a "care-package" or a note ???

Perhaps they just "Do Not Care".  When you (an Alien) look at our planet would you want us to know that you exist? But also of course, why would they visit, Hardly a vacation spot.  

[daniel.o]

To the adamant non-believers on here, did you read the NY Times article I posted? That one was from 2019. Here's another similar one from 2017 that focuses on interviews with American F-18 pilots... https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/unidentified-flying-object-navy.html

Would love to hear the group's thoughts on these!

[daniel.o]

12 hours ago, UpperDeck said:

Yes....I DO know pilots who have told me confidentially that they have observed objects in flight that defy reason but they are content to leave undisturbed the assertions of ohers that what they saw was nothing more than " swamp gas".

If any of them want to chat anonymously, I'm all ears

[North of You]

Why is it some people always have to attribute things they don’t understand to the supernatural or off-world beings? And that’s going on the assumption these events even happened. Sorry, I for one will need much more proof than “trust me”. And so far, nothing I have ever witnessed makes me believe in either.  
 

And as a counterpoint to the submission Daniel.o posted....

 

https://taskandpurpose.com/analysis/military-generals-conspiracy-theories/

[mo32a]

I do not believe in aliens either, why are photos/video of them always blurry?

There is no clear evidence of them outside of the few people from Arkansas who have been abducted by them.

Total nonsense.

Oh, I don't believe in God either. We have science now, we don't need an other worldly explanation for eclipses etc.

 

 

[Kasey]

21 hours ago, mo32a said:

 

There is no clear evidence of them outside of the few people from Arkansas who have been abducted by them.

 

 

 

Simple explanation............ Moonshine 

[conehead]

Here's an interesting example of how atmospheric phenomenon can cause optical illusions. This is even airborne! I saw this in the BBC news this morning, happened off the coast of the U.K.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-56286719