Quote:
Originally Posted by Gingernutmonkey
More info required.... I have to admit and I should have mentioned this earlier I instruct heli and fixed wing and have done for the last 10yrs.. I'm use to as you put it estimating speed, hight and erm distance. In my first post I did mention the speed and hight and the ground covered in the time I had it in my sight.. If you combine all these elements you can make pretty good estimates. I do admit I didn't mention this was a half mile away... I would say that even an amature would be able to tell the difference between 20kt and 200kt at that distance. If I remember we were working with 15kt winds in the morning of the 26th with no sig change expected! So the puzzling thing is how did that tea light powered paper lantern get up to such speeds. Interesting I'm sure you'll agree! But I do agree with you on the wind direction I just checked my flight log NNE@15kt...
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Are you saying you saw this object when you were flying? As you mention your flight log. Or were you observing from the ground. I suppose it is pretty irrelevant anyway.
If you don't know what you are looking at, which you have said you don't, then you cannot know its SIZE.
If you don't know its size then you do not have a point of reference to tell its height or speed from.
Maybe you were looking at a 50ft orange orb at 2,000ft and travelling at 200kts, or maybe you were looking at a 5ft orb at 200ft and 20kts.
If you were looking at say, a plane, then it'd be much easier to establish speed and height - would you agree with that?