Author: Dave Hodrien

Last Updated: 14/05/2014

Note: For reasons of anonymity pseudonyms have been used

On the evening of 12^th May I was contacted by a man named John who lives in the Rotunda flats complex in the centre of Birmingham. He got in touch only 15 minutes after sighting two unusual objects from the window of his flat.

Sighting Details

Around 6.50pm John was relaxing in his flat in the Rotunda when two glinting objects in the sky caught his attention through the East-facing window. He walked over to the window to take a closer look. It was a clear still and sunny evening with very little cloud.

Aerial map showing the sighting location:

Photograph of the Rotunda from ground level:

At an angle of about 45 degrees at a height of at least 500 feet were two silver-coloured objects. They were identical in appearance and appeared to be at least the size of a small aircraft. The objects were a fattened boomerang shape. They were highly reflective and catching the sunlight brightly. At the end of the left side of each object was a metallic red coloured triangle-shaped marking.

The two UFOs were initially flying South but were on an arc and turning to the West gradually. They were positioned diagonally from one another and maintained this formation throughout the sighting. They did not rotate at all and appeared to be flying with the central point facing forward. They were seemingly flying very fast, at least as fast as a plane would typically fly at.

After watching for several seconds John saw an even more distant aeroplane fly through the sky visible between the two objects with a contrail behind it. At this moment he decided to go and grab his binoculars. He was soon back at the window and observing the objects under magnification, but was none the wiser to what they could be.

Witness drawing of the UFOs and passing aeroplane, showing movement paths:

He continued to watch the objects for a further 20 seconds or so, by which time they had flown out of sight into the distance. He continued to watch the sky while phoning his family to tell them what he had just seen. He then decided to check online for a local UFO group to call, which resulted in him giving me a call to report the sighting.

Sighing Analysis

This is a very unusual sighting, made all the more impressive by the fact it occurred in broad daylight over a highly populated area. The objects were clearly not conventional aircraft of any kind. They were moving too fast to be microlites, hand gliders or hot air balloons, and the fact that they flew away on a designated level course into the distance means they could not have been parachutes. They sound too large to have been two remote controlled models.

When looking at possible mundane explanations, the most obvious one to consider is whether the objects could have been a pair of novelty inflatables. If they were much closer and smaller than the witness assumed they were (due to a lack of point of reference in the sky) then this would have given the impression of a very fast speed. However there are numerous aspects which do not point to this explanation. The objects did not rotate at all throughout the sighting, and were flying point-forwards, how you would expect a controlled aerodynamic object to fly. They also moved in an arc gradually, if they were inflatables drifting on an air current this would generally cause them to move on a roughly straight course, perhaps ascending or descending as they went. The movement pattern observed sounds far more like the objects were under directed control.

If the objects were not inflatables or any of the other mundane explanations given above then what could they have been? They had a very distinctive and unusual appearance, one I have not heard described before, although I have investigated numerous cases of silver-coloured boomerang shaped craft, some of which have been from the Birmingham area. Perhaps these were similar objects, though this would be mere speculation.

I have asked John for a drawing of the objects, which he should hopefully be sending through soon to add to this report. However I have decided to upload this as soon as possible to increase the chances of other witnesses coming forward. John feels certain that other people would have seen the objects, perhaps even people on the passing aircraft. If you have any information about this sighting please get in touch.

Copyright Dave Hodrien 2014