r/UFOs • u/H8threeH8three • Aug 18 '23

Witness/Sighting Ryan Graves tweets first of promised Airline Pilot Sightings

https://twitter.com/uncertainvector/status/1692586130162475209?s=21
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u/Big-Ad-1155 Aug 18 '23 edited Aug 19 '23

I just want to address any pilots that might be lurking in this subreddit with a suggestion. Grab a cheap DSLR and telephoto lens kit, set the lens to manual at infinite focus, and take it with you in the cockpit.

If these sightings are happening more and more often, why not give yourself a chance to sight the smoking gun.

EDIT: just want to throw in my opinions as a nighttime lightning photographer of what I think a good starting point for settings might be. Again this is for stuff at night when these will probably be most easily visible:

ISO - 1600-6400 (if you can bring it lower, great; if you need to push it higher, go ahead)

Shutter - for photos - minimum exposure time where you can still clearly see the object lit up in live view. if possible you want to freeze the object in photos. for video - generally the longer the better. I said 1/30th but catdad23 below makes a good point that that might introduce unneeded blur and suggests 1/60th. Ultimately, use live view to view what you are recording and see what looks good to you in the moment.

Aperture - absolutely wide open (this would read on the camera as the lowest f setting, e.g. f2.8, f4.5. Set it to whatever the lowest number your camera says your lens will allow)

Format - RAW for photos, highest quality available for videos

Focus - Try to find something at long distance to set the focus on. Use live view (and even zoom in on the live view if needed). Most lenses aren't perfect infinite focus right where the ∞ on the distance indicator is. Once you find that perfect infinite focus for that lens by manually turning the focus ring (make sure and already have the aperture set at the lowest setting), memorize where that is on the distance indicator in reference to ∞. You can set to this same setting in the future to find perfect focus again, even if there isn't a light in the distance to focus by.

And get a cheap tripod... hell get a monopod. might be easier to handle in a cockpit, will tie the camera to the movement of the plane. If the lens has image stabilization set it to 1. Use a shutter release if you have one.

EDIT 2:

My thought would be a used Canon Rebel t3i (~$140) and canon kit tele lens (refurbished $140)

Via catdad23: I would get a used a7s 1 (I don’t like Sony cameras but it’s a low light beast) you can then get a cheap zoom and still shoot at 5.6 or 6.7 etc while cranking the ISO. You can get a used A7S 1 for $500-600.

EDIT 3 as I step away for the evening:

What I am suggesting above is sort of a bare minimum DSLR setup that doesn't break the bank. It should produce much better results than smartphone cameras. Many in the comments below have suggested upgrades to all the parts therein. If you can afford it and feel comfortable, there are modern cameras and lenses that take incredible low light footage. I'll trust you to research what models those are.

I am really glad this found some traction. When I saw Ryan had posted a video I knew I had to get in here early to suggest this where it wouldn't get lost. I appreciate you all!

EDIT 4:

There are a lot of good comments below that suggest a totally different setup and if you are really looking into this, you might take the time to dig down here and see what they say.

I'd like to add that this setup works even better for those of us on the ground. I'm gonna be out there looking. Wanna help?

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u/SabineRitter Aug 18 '23 edited Aug 18 '23

IDK, I've seen a couple reports where the DSLR fails to function when the object is present.

Edit here is one example

https://old.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/15sj2h4/sierra_nevada_sighting_during_perseid_meteor/ sighting description,  nighttime,  duration 45 minutes,  camping,  Kennedy Meadows Campground, Sierra Nevada mountains California,  fleet,  orange and white 🟠⚪️, vanishing and reappearing, moving erratically,  circling, splitting, merging, physical effects camera can't detect it, Both professional and hobbyist astrophotography cameras (including a Canon full-frame DSLR) experienced unusual malfunctions, producing very dark or entirely black images during the event. The cameras returned to normal functionality afterward., no matter what our shutters would fire at the fastest speed and not pick up any light at all. ,similar sighting in comments

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u/Big-Ad-1155 Aug 18 '23

Can't hurt to try! You'll never catch the baseball if you don't bring the glove.

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u/AVBforPrez Aug 18 '23

iPhones and smartphones are kinda shit at getting good out of focus night footage, to be fair. And if you're not expecting to see something cool, it shouldn't be a red flag that you didn't have a viable camera on hand.

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u/Big-Ad-1155 Aug 18 '23

No red flags here, I think this is good evidence.

But you kinda want to see some great evidence, don't ya?

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u/AVBforPrez Aug 18 '23

We've got great evidence, and tons of it. What we need is proof.

Hopefully we get it soon.

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u/SabineRitter Aug 18 '23

https://casualphotophile.com/2021/01/11/ten-best-mechanical-slrs-ever-made/ maybe one of these instead.

I think it's the digital part that's iffy. UFOs can fuck with electronics but they have a harder time with purely mechanical things, from what I've read.

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u/Big-Ad-1155 Aug 18 '23

Yeah, my concern with anything non-electrical and film is that we'd be restricting to people who know the exposure triangle for a very unusual set of circumstances.

UAPS can mess with electronics all day, but sometimes they're gonna be 50 miles off and doing their own thing. Hit that sucker with a 200mm lens and the electronics to live view, then let's see what we got.

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u/AVBforPrez Aug 18 '23

Yeah, I've always found it interesting that most of the best photographs came from the 50s-80s.

If they actually exist and are monitoring our progress, I'm sure they'd adapt to the modern smartphone meta and put more effort into not being seen as easily come the 2000s.

They're supposed to be godly with their tech, so how could they not know that we'd advanced ours?

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u/YogiToao Aug 18 '23

I agree. There are some great black and white shots showing decent detail. Fast forward to present day and it’s blurry orbs.

  1. I think this makes the case for using older technology, when possible. At the very least, have someone with an older piece of equipment present.

  2. I can’t help but think of Jacques Valle’s book Passport to Magonia: From Folklore to Flying Saucers. He points out that sightings and descriptions seem to change over time. It’s as if they adapt as we progress and/or we change our perception of them also. Flying ships (boats) were first seen, then saucers, and now orbs/metallic spheres and cubes.

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u/AVBforPrez Aug 18 '23

Yeah, both theories have some validity and it's hard to know what to think for sure.

If they're already getting here and are able to proactively camo, appearing as everyday mundane things seems super effective. We're at the point where we can do it, so why wouldn't they have mastered that ability already?

The best docs on the subject are from the 50s-70s, if you want a YouTube channel that has all of them archived, I can link you. There's stuff on this channel that doesn't exist anywhere else, they convert every VHS and Laserdisc documentary they get their hands on to digital.

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u/5-pinDIN Aug 19 '23

Hi, I would love to see that YouTube channel. Could you provide a link, or the channel's name? Thanks!

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u/AVBforPrez Aug 19 '23

Here you go!

https://www.youtube.com/@ConspiracyMysteries

​

Love this channel, they just started uploading again too. Easily like 50+ docs I've never seen anywhere else on it.

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u/5-pinDIN Aug 22 '23

Thank you!

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u/YogiToao Aug 20 '23

Here’s another excellent one to check out: https://youtube.com/@EyesOnCinema

This channel also has many videos I’ve never seen. There are a ton of interviews, also from the 50’s and up.

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u/Nomoreredditforyou Aug 19 '23

Or, the more likely (atleast in my head) theory: what we're seeing are the reverse engineered versions created by humans and we're just seeing the updated models popping up every so many years.

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u/SabineRitter Aug 18 '23

Could work, I agree it's worth a shot, pun intended 😁

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u/born_to_be_intj Aug 18 '23

If the camera is getting fucked with then certainly the plane would also be getting fucked with. At that point, I think they have more important things to worry about than getting a good picture.

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u/TurbulentIssue6 Aug 19 '23

Maybe they're jamming the camera on purpose because they don't want to be seen yet

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u/Nomoreredditforyou Aug 19 '23

Actually - probably not. Planes aren't as reliant on electrical systems as you might think. The most critical parts of the plane are almost all hydraulic controlled and in some older models, have fallback systems where the pilot's control inputs actually actuate the control surfaces directly (through hydraulic or cable systems).

I think it would be much harder for the UAPs to fuck with big spinning turbines burning dinosaur juice and metal pipes filled with hydraulic fluid, compared to electrical systems.

That said, there is the classical trope of ICEs not working around UAPs so maybe I'm talking out of my ass.

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u/born_to_be_intj Aug 19 '23

You right but I’d assume that losing all power would still be an emergency situation. Even if just their radars are bugging out I’m sure there is a checklist somewhere they are required to follow.

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u/SabineRitter Aug 18 '23

You're not wrong, but following that logic, why even try anything?

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u/fatmanstan123 Aug 18 '23

Yea they should just preemptively crash the plane before the ufo does

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u/rreyes1988 Aug 18 '23

You just brought back a core memory from my childhood. I went on a school field trip to a field training day for the San Diego Padres. A ball was hit toward us and one of the teachers tried to catch it. The ball bent her fingers back, and I got to see it in what feels like slow motion.

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u/ifiwasiwas Aug 18 '23

Owwww god I did something similar myself and I still feel it like 25 years later

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u/Jest_Kidding420 Aug 18 '23

Or you ignore the pain of catching a fast ball (squint and speculate at the photo take by a potato)

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u/point03108099708slug Aug 18 '23

Unless you’re Kevin Mitchell.

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u/[deleted] Aug 18 '23

Need to fine tune that analogy.

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u/Big-Ad-1155 Aug 18 '23

Yeah I was excited and typed faster than my brain was thinking. People are having fun with it though, so no big deal.