Hazzard Posted July 4 #1 Share Posted July 4 (edited) I have been a certified flight instructor RCH since the early 90s... and of course I have seen some strange stuff over the years.... but this is the one I remember the most. I was coming back to Long Beach airport (Los Angeles) after a cross country flight. It was dark and raining. As we were about to enter the traffic pattern at LGB I saw something that looked like a white light moving around to my right, so Im thinking collision avoidance of course, but I realized it was further away than I first thought, so no worries there. I talked to the tower and they said No traffic. The glowing white ball was moving around over and close to an oil cistern tank structure that was a little bit south of LGB airport. As I was looking at this weird thing buzzing around lightning struck it (or very close to it), and it was gone... Lightning sure hit the oil tank structure because I saw sparks flying. Not sure what to make of it... Was it a UFO, absolutely! Was it extraterrestrial in origin?... I guess that depends on who you ask. Edited July 4 by Hazzard 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ouija ouija Posted July 4 #2 Share Posted July 4 Ball lightning? 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazzard Posted July 4 Author #3 Share Posted July 4 1 minute ago, ouija ouija said: Ball lightning? We were trying to figure this one out back then when we landed and then of course many times later. No to much to go on except for what I saw and remember. Its hard to estimate the size of that thing (because of the light) but if I have to, Id say it was 1-2 meters in diameter. Sighting lasted for maybe 10-15 seconds. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grim Reaper 6 Posted July 4 #4 Share Posted July 4 (edited) 5 hours ago, Hazzard said: I have been a certified flight instructor RCH since the early 90s... and of course I have seen some strange stuff over the years.... but this is the one I remember the most. I was coming back to Long Beach airport (Los Angeles) after a cross country flight. It was dark and raining. As we were about to enter the traffic pattern at LGB I saw something that looked like a white light moving around to my right, so Im thinking collision avoidance of course, but I realized it was further away than I first thought, so no worries there. I talked to the tower and they said No traffic. The glowing white ball was moving around over and close to an oil cistern tank structure that was a little bit south of LGB airport. As I was looking at this weird thing buzzing around lightning struck it (or very close to it), and it was gone... Lightning sure hit the oil tank structure because I saw sparks flying. Not sure what to make of it... Was it a UFO, absolutely! Was it extraterrestrial in origin?... I guess that depends on who you ask. It certainly sounds like ball lightening, especially the fact that right before it disappeared there was a bright flash that looked like lightning. A few year's back I saw a great example of ball lightning here in Korea. Our home is located on the 17th floor, I was sitting on the balcony during a thunder and lightning storm. After a very large lightning strike in a rice field directly below me, I saw a basketball sized bright white light moving across the rice field in a meandering pattern. It lasted for approximately a minute and then it exploded in a very bright flash of light, with no sound. It was cool, until that night I didn’t really believe the stories about ball lightning but now I am convinced it’s real. Edited July 4 by Grim Reaper 6 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hankenhunter Posted July 5 #5 Share Posted July 5 11 hours ago, Hazzard said: I have been a certified flight instructor RCH since the early 90s... and of course I have seen some strange stuff over the years.... but this is the one I remember the most. I was coming back to Long Beach airport (Los Angeles) after a cross country flight. It was dark and raining. As we were about to enter the traffic pattern at LGB I saw something that looked like a white light moving around to my right, so Im thinking collision avoidance of course, but I realized it was further away than I first thought, so no worries there. I talked to the tower and they said No traffic. The glowing white ball was moving around over and close to an oil cistern tank structure that was a little bit south of LGB airport. As I was looking at this weird thing buzzing around lightning struck it (or very close to it), and it was gone... Lightning sure hit the oil tank structure because I saw sparks flying. Not sure what to make of it... Was it a UFO, absolutely! Was it extraterrestrial in origin?... I guess that depends on who you ask. Thanks Hazzard. Sounds like ball lightning. Was your hair standing up at all? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazzard Posted July 5 Author #6 Share Posted July 5 2 hours ago, Hankenhunter said: Thanks Hazzard. Sounds like ball lightning. Was your hair standing up at all? Nah, dude 😄 Military haircut. I wish that at least my instruments would have gone crazy, or that I would have been transported back in time through a portal or something cool like that... but nope. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hankenhunter Posted July 5 #7 Share Posted July 5 16 minutes ago, Hazzard said: Nah, dude 😄 Military haircut. I wish that at least my instruments would have gone crazy, or that I would have been transported back in time through a portal or something cool like that... but nope. CSB I was sitting on my deck many years ago, and my daughter, (8 years old) and her friend came running up to show me that their hair was standing up in all directions. Like huge halos of hair. I grabbed both kids, and pulled them into the house just as a big bolt of lightning hit the the metal basketball pole in the play ground thirty yards away. Scared the crap out of everyone. Both girls learned a valuable lesson that day about lightning. I thank the creator for the burst of adrenaline that allowed me to save them. Two dogs, and a cat died in that strike. Right where the girls were playing. End CSB. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazzard Posted July 5 Author #8 Share Posted July 5 4 minutes ago, Hankenhunter said: CSB I was sitting on my deck many years ago, and my daughter, (8 years old) and her friend came running up to show me that their hair was standing up in all directions. Like huge halos of hair. I grabbed both kids, and pulled them into the house just as a big bolt of lightning hit the the metal basketball pole in the play ground thirty yards away. Scared the crap out of everyone. Both girls learned a valuable lesson that day about lightning. I thank the creator for the burst of adrenaline that allowed me to save them. Two dogs, and a cat died in that strike. Right where the girls were playing. End CSB. Wow 😬 Close one, good thinking there...You staying awake in physics class probably saved lives that day. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hankenhunter Posted July 5 #9 Share Posted July 5 3 minutes ago, Hazzard said: Wow 😬 Close one, good thinking there...You staying awake in physics class probably saved lives that day. Actually, I was raised in Manitoba, and am no stranger to lightning strikes. Dad warned us when we were kids to take cover if we felt a prickly feeling, and felt our hair standing up. Thanks Dad. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the13bats Posted July 9 #10 Share Posted July 9 Here in Florida we get a lot of hits, I've never seen ball lighting but once when a buddy dropped me off about 2 am I went up to my doors they were double barn door style on a garage apt the lock was just a master in a hasp, So I touch the lock and bang a huge blue flash like a welders arc, scared the heck out of me and my buddy who was still leaving backing out of driveway, he's freaking I'm I okay my nerves panic kicked in I didn't know, I was fine not even a static shock, I have no clue what it was, it was a damp night had been raining and there was a big bug zapper hanging off the roof, thing is even a hugh bug only gave small flashes and not the same color, the house and doors were aluminum covered, I assume some way the bug zapper was involved but idk. Maybe ghosts or aliens, lol. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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