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+--- Thread: Pilots notified of large white balloon sighting; model shows a course over Big Island (/showthread.php?tid=22972)
Pilots notified of large white balloon sighting; model shows a course over Big Island - terracore - 02-20-2023
https://bigislandnow.com/2023/02/19/pilots-notified-of-large-white-balloon-forecast-to-fly-over-big-island/
On Sunday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration began notifying pilots of a sighting of a large white ballon traveling at between 40,000 and 50,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean and a few hundred miles east of the Hawaiian Islands, according to multiple aviation reports.
A report from the Oakland Oceanic Air Traffic Control Center said a large white balloon was spotted about 594 miles northeast of Honolulu. There has been no official government confirmation of the balloon.
Based on National Weather Service forecast models that took into account the prevailing winds and the altitude the balloon was sighted at, the balloon should fly over the Big Island around midnight to 2 a.m. early Monday morning, the weatherboy.com website reported.
The models shows the balloon would move south and west towards the Big island, crossing over the Kona side at about 39,000 feet. From there, winds would continue carrying the balloon south of the island before it begins to curve east and eventually east-north-east. If there is a balloon and it is still flying at that altitude, it could enter California airspace in the next few days.
“Pilots and air traffic controllers have been using the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, or ACARS for short, to alert each other of the presence of a balloon at an altitude many aircraft fly at,” weatherboy.com said.
One such report said to “Advise ATC (Air Traffic Control) if object is seen.”
A year ago, a large balloon was seen off of Kaua’i, near a sensitive missile defense test site is located. F-22’s from Honolulu went to inspect the balloon that turned out to belong to the Chinese spying program.
Today’s latest balloon incident comes a week after the United States military shot down three unidentified flying objects over American and Canadian airspace, although one of the objects was believe to be a $12 hobbyist ballon that was circumnavigating the world.
The U.S. military also recently shot down a “spy balloon” with monitoring electronics just off the South Carolina coast that was launched in China and had caused a big stir while it traveled across the entire United States.
RE: Pilots notified of large white balloon sighting; model shows a course over Big Island - HereOnThePrimalEdge - 02-20-2023
There are weather balloons launched regularly around the islands. Until this one is positively identified it could be one of our own:
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2021/06/08/hawaii-news/machine-auto-launches-weather-balloons-twice-daily-from-hilo/amp/