Photo Submitted To Me On 19 January, 2006
It's identified as an unidentified aircraft, by the photographer ...
The bottom half of the photo was enlarged in Photoshop, but it's the same basic photo.
Here's the text that came with the photo:
I have been trying to find out what this is. This plane moved across
the sky from mid hemisphere in about 4-5 seconds. I am a pro
photographer and was only able to get 4 shots of with my d-70. The
speed and the distance of the jet wash from the back of the plane...in
addition to the shape is what caught my attention. Additionally...I
have shot thousands of shots...and in every situation when I shoot
skyward to a blue sky and I auto level the shot in photoshop it just
brightens and sharpens the already blue sky. This shot did something I
have not ever seen...it turned the black color you will see in the
bottom picture. The top picture is the natural shot...it was a RAW
file and was saved a a jpeg...the other is the photoshop cleaned shot.
nothing but color was altered in this shot. Strangely the dark color
actually enhances the shape and detail. Would appreciate any help.
My response:
Nice photo. The aircraft seems to be in full afterburner (2 engines), and with what little experience I have on SR-71 Blackbirds, it looks like none other than an SR-71.
Kind of odd, because NASA is the only organization that still flies one of them (last I heard). The use it for weather and meteorlogical (sp) purposes.
An old Air Force joke that used to go around, in aircraft circles, was: "how do you spell weather?" This was of course referring to weather observation aircraft in the Air Force, i.e., WC-135's (had "Weather" painted on the sides of the aircraft). When I was stationed at Yakota AFB, Japan, in 1968 - 1971, there were some of them stationed there. Did this mean weather or whether? U-2's and SR-71's were also referred to as weather observation aircraft, in some circles.
Congratulations on getting the photo. I'll try to get it on my Web Site, on the page dealing with UFO's. I don't keep it up to date any more - there just wasn't time enough to keep up with all the questions I got