Strange Aircraft Sighting in Michigan

911nut · 911nut's Garage

Details:
While out on a training run on Good Friday, my son observed a flight of 4 military aircraft: 2 F-15 C's with centerline drop tanks, an F-4 and the unidentified aircraft off the wing of the F-4. All aircraft appeared to be climbing out from approximately 5000 ft. at full military power (judging from the sound).
The unidentified aircraft was a little longer than the F-15s with a bell-shaped, rounded wingtip delta wing, twin tails tipped toward the aircraft centerline and a inset glass canopy. The nose was also rounded. There were no sharp edges on the fuselage and no hard points on the wings.
Does anyone know what this plane is?

nota · 04-16-2009, 02:07 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-22_Raptor

KNS · 02:17 PM

Hmm, interesting desription. I'm curious to know myself (F-22?). The F-4, on the other hand, is no longer in the Air Force inventory (I think?).

m21sniper · 04-16-2009, 03:22 PM

F-4s were all retired in the 1990s, but they still use them as target drones.

The aircraft he is describing sounds sort of like the hypothetical Revell F-19 model.

Aerkuld · Aerkuld's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by m21sniper

F-4s were all retired in the 1990s, but they still use them as target drones.

The aircraft he is describing sounds sort of like the hypothetical Revell F-19 model.

That wouldn't be able to keep up with a Phantom! Besides, I doubt he'd have been able to see that model from a distance.

I'm stumped. I can't think of many planes with twin vertical stabilizers angled inwards.

Heel n Toe · 04-16-2009, 03:57 PM

The F-22's tails are slanted out, not in.

A few F-4's are still flying proudly and participate in airshows. My boys and I saw one back in the 90's, and we stayed to watch all the planes leave at the end of the day... that dude made four passes at different altitudes (and speeds) before he left... he and the 50 or so people who were still there were having a blast. Our favorite was when he came over hot and low.

I thought of that hypothetical F-19, too.

The mystery craft could be some variant of another plane we're all familiar with.

bell · bell's Garage

was it a B1?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-1_Lancer

Won · 04:59 PM

SR-71? It's quite a bit bigger than the F-15 though.

PS and it looks like they've all been retired.

masraum · 04-16-2009, 05:30 PM

Yeah, the only thing remotely close that I can think of is an SR-71. That has the tail fins angled in. I thought that I'd seen something about a stealth craft many years back that had tail fins angled in, but I couldn't find it. It must have been a theoretical thing.

F15 63' long
SR71 107' long

I'd be surprised if it was a black bird. I think those are pretty darn conspicuous, and I suspect that most American men 30yo and older would recognize one.

And as has been said, they are all retired.

"The SR-71 last flight took place in October 1999."

I'm going with the angled in thing being an optical illusion on a plain where they are angled out.

Kart54 · 04-16-2009, 05:54 PM

Could very well have been an SR-71. My father was chief design engineer for the skunk works during the period the U-2, F-104 and SR71 were designed and built and because of that I have always taken a special interest in them.
When they were supposedly decommissioned the number of planes they gave was well below that known to exist. They have now admitted a number of them are still flying. They are being used in Afghansitan and Iraq but there are at least a few still flying here in the U.S.
I go to Perris for the Sprint car races and have seen them lifting off from March on a number of occassions as well as just sitting on the runways during initial fueling. the individual who took over my father's job at Plant 42 in Palmdale after his death has given me a number of recent photographs of SR's taking off there as well as Edwards near Rosamond. If your a racer keep your eyes open when you are at willow and your liable to see one.
As I sit here I'm looking at the desk model my father was given as well as several photographs. I'm also lucky enough to have a flag that was flown in the first plane to set the speed and height record signed by the pilot and the navigator.
Kart54

Normy · 06:33 PM

I grew up in Michigan. And I fly airplanes for a living; I'm type-rated on the 727 and 747.

-I'm smelling some particularly pungent bovine excrement here~

N!

pwd72s · 04-16-2009, 07:23 PM

Lots of military aircraft pics here...surf away!
http://news.webshots.com/photo/1079728030028137981hIeqqj

m21sniper · 04-17-2009, 12:32 AM

How about this? Brand new stealthy eagle variant with twin canted outward tails and internal carriage?

MFAFF · 04-17-2009, 01:06 AM

I don't think the Stealth Eagle is flying yet.....that image 'appears' to be of a mock up.

I'm 'fairly' certain that all of the Blackbirds are retired..I seem to have seen all of the ones on public display and that seems to tally nicely with the know list of airframes that were retired, the others are listed as 'destroyed'...so I would doubt very much that they were retained in service after the 1995 reactivation, which lead to some Aspen flights but no operational missions.

Once NASA had concluded their flight test programme I think that was it. Certainly conversations with ex SR crew supports that view...but they may not be the most unbiased source

It would not surprise any one here that there were 'unknown' aircraft being flown by the USAF.. they have been doing it for years and certainly know (or knew) how to keep a secret.

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

Not the FY-23 either.

http://www.aviastar.org/air/usa/northrop_f-23.php

Maybe it's something we borrowed from the Russian's or Chinese?

http://picasaweb.google.com/dimitar.gruev/MilitaryPlanes#5217796414091131890

Chinese J-XX Stealth Fighter

onewhippedpuppy · 04-17-2009, 04:43 AM

No way it was an SR-71, it doesn't sound anything like the description. Also no way it was a top secret or "borrowed" foreign aircraft flying around in formation during the day. And with an F-4? Something is really odd about the entire story.

m21sniper · 04-17-2009, 07:37 AM

It was probably an F-22

onewhippedpuppy · 04-17-2009, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m21sniper

It was probably an F-22

That sounds most likely. But flying with an F-4? I've seen F-4s at air shows, but I thought they were privately owned. Does the USAF even own any F-4s?

m21sniper · 04-17-2009, 09:21 AM

The USAF still uses QF-4 drones, but i dont know if they can actually be piloted by a human.

Heel n Toe · 04-17-2009, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m21sniper

How about this? Brand new stealthy eagle variant with twin canted outward tails and internal carriage?

From the OP:

1) The unidentified aircraft was a little longer than the F-15s

2) with a bell-shaped, rounded wingtip delta wing,

3) twin tails tipped toward the aircraft centerline

4) and a inset glass canopy.

So far, the X-19 is the winner.