Within Explanations
Could that PEI UFO be a plane?
Approaching aircraft can look stationary or strange over PEI when landing lights dominate a dark coastal horizon.
On this page
- Why head on aircraft can seem to hover
- Charlottetown Airport as a sighting check
- When aircraft explanations are strong or weak
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Introduction
Many modern UFO reports in Prince Edward Island can be tested against a simple question before more exotic explanations are considered: was the witness looking toward an aircraft approaching or departing Charlottetown Airport? Because Prince Edward Island has only one commercial airport, flight activity around Charlottetown plays an unusually large role in reports of bright night-time lights. An aircraft flying almost directly towards an observer can appear to hover, brighten mysteriously, or remain fixed above the horizon for several minutes before suddenly moving sideways and revealing its true identity. In a province where many observations occur across dark coastlines, fields, or open water, this aviation effect is one of the strongest and most common sources of UFO confusion. [Flight Safety Foundation+2Skybrary]flightsafety.orgFlight Safety FoundationFSF ALAR Briefing Note 5.3 – Visual IllusionsMarch 2, 2005 — Conditions that create visual illusions include: •…
Could that PEI UFO be a plane?
Charlottetown Airport (YYG) sits just north of the provincial capital and handles the overwhelming majority of scheduled commercial air traffic on Prince Edward Island. Aircraft approaching its runways often spend several minutes aligned with the runway centreline before landing. During that phase, the aircraft may be travelling directly toward an observer rather than across their field of view. [Wikipedia]WikipediaCharlottetown AirportCharlottetown Airport
This geometry creates a powerful visual illusion. Human observers are good at noticing sideways movement, but much less accurate at judging motion directly toward them. An approaching aircraft can therefore seem almost stationary even while covering several kilometres. As it gets closer, its landing lights become brighter and brighter, creating the impression that a glowing object is hovering or slowly expanding in place. Only near the end of the approach does the aircraft’s apparent position begin to shift noticeably, revealing that it was moving all along. [Flight Safety Foundation+2Skybrary]flightsafety.orgFlight Safety FoundationFSF ALAR Briefing Note 5.3 – Visual IllusionsMarch 2, 2005 — Conditions that create visual illusions include: •…
For UFO investigators, this matters because witness descriptions often include phrases such as:
- “It stayed in one place for several minutes.”
- “It suddenly became much brighter.”
- “It seemed to hover over the horizon.”
- “It vanished or turned away.”
All of these observations can be consistent with a head-on aircraft approach under the right viewing conditions. [Flight Safety Foundation+2Skybrary]flightsafety.orgFlight Safety FoundationFSF ALAR Briefing Note 5.3 – Visual IllusionsMarch 2, 2005 — Conditions that create visual illusions include: •…
Why head-on aircraft can seem to hover
The effect becomes stronger at night. Landing lights are designed to be seen from long distances. Against a dark coastal background, they can overwhelm the aircraft’s other lights and obscure the structure of the aircraft itself. To a distant observer, what is actually a large airliner may appear as a single brilliant point of light. [Skybrary]skybrary.aeroNight Visual ApproachesNight visual approaches pose an increased risk of CFIT due to visual illusions caused by limited visual cues…
Prince Edward Island’s geography can amplify the illusion. Observers are often looking across open countryside, shoreline, or water, where there are few landmarks to provide scale. Transport Canada has specifically warned pilots about “black-hole” conditions around coastal and sparsely settled airports, where the lack of visual references can distort perceptions of distance and position. Although the warning is aimed at pilots, the same visual limitations affect people watching from the ground. [Transport Canada]tc.canada.caTransport Canada Hazards Associated with Flying at NightIf ever in doubt, climb to a safe altitude and cross-check…Read more…
Another factor is autokinesis, a well-known visual effect in which a small isolated light appears to drift or move when viewed against a dark, featureless background. A witness staring at a bright light near the horizon may genuinely perceive motion even if the light is maintaining a steady course. This phenomenon has a long history in UFO investigations because it can make ordinary aircraft, stars, or planets appear to manoeuvre unpredictably. [Wikipedia]WikipediaSensory illusions in aviationSensory illusions in aviation
Charlottetown Airport as a sighting check
For anyone assessing a modern PEI UFO report involving lights, Charlottetown Airport should be one of the first checks rather than one of the last.
Several characteristics strengthen an aircraft explanation:
- The sighting occurred near scheduled arrival or departure periods.
- The object appeared as a bright white light rather than a clearly structured craft.
- Apparent motion was slow or absent for several minutes.
- The light gradually increased in brightness.
- Red or green navigation lights became visible later.
- The object eventually moved sideways, descended, or aligned with a known flight corridor. [Skybrary+2FAASafety]skybrary.aeroNight Visual ApproachesNight visual approaches pose an increased risk of CFIT due to visual illusions caused by limited visual cues…
Modern flight-tracking services often allow investigators to compare reported times and directions with actual aircraft movements. In many contemporary UFO cases across Canada and elsewhere, this comparison has provided a straightforward explanation that was unavailable to witnesses in the moment.
The importance of this check is heightened on Prince Edward Island because there are relatively few alternative sources of regular commercial air traffic. A bright moving light in the Charlottetown region is statistically more likely to be connected with airport operations than in a major metropolitan area containing several airports and military installations. [Wikipedia]WikipediaCharlottetown AirportCharlottetown Airport
When aircraft explanations are strong or weak
Aircraft explanations are strongest when witness descriptions match known approach behaviour and when flight records place an aircraft in the relevant area at the relevant time.
They become weaker when reports include details that are difficult to reconcile with normal flight operations, such as:
- Observation of a structured object at close range.
- Rapid acceleration or abrupt direction changes verified by multiple observers.
- Simultaneous radar or instrument evidence inconsistent with ordinary aircraft.
- Precise timing that rules out all known flights.
Even then, caution is necessary. Human estimates of distance, speed and altitude are often unreliable at night, particularly over water or dark terrain. Aviation safety research repeatedly shows that visual perception can be deceptive under low-reference conditions. [Flight Safety Foundation+2Skybrary]flightsafety.orgFlight Safety FoundationFSF ALAR Briefing Note 5.3 – Visual IllusionsMarch 2, 2005 — Conditions that create visual illusions include: •…
Within Prince Edward Island’s UFO history, the practical lesson is not that every unexplained light is an aircraft. Rather, Charlottetown Airport provides one of the province’s most important reality checks. Before a night-time light is treated as an unknown aerial phenomenon, investigators should establish whether it matches an arrival or departure corridor. In a province where dark horizons and long sightlines are common, approaching aircraft remain one of the most convincing and frequently overlooked explanations for apparently hovering UFOs. [Wikipedia+2Skybrary]WikipediaCharlottetown AirportCharlottetown Airport
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Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Could that PEI UFO be a plane?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The UFO Experience
Discusses methods for assessing aerial sightings and conventional explanations.
Skunk Works
Provides background on aircraft technology often linked to unusual sightings.
NightWatch
Useful for ruling out astronomical objects before attributing sightings to aircraft.
Stick and Rudder
Helps readers understand aircraft motion, approach paths, and flight perception.
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Endnotes
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Source: skybrary.aero
Link: https://skybrary.aero/articles/night-visual-approachesSource snippet
Night Visual ApproachesNight visual approaches pose an increased risk of CFIT due to visual illusions caused by limited visual cues...
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Source: tc.canada.ca
Title: Transport Canada Hazards Associated with Flying at Night
Link: https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/publications/system-safety-summer-briefing-kit-tp-14112/hazards-associated-flying-night-powerpoint-presentationSource snippet
If ever in doubt, climb to a safe altitude and cross-check...Read more...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Charlottetown Airport
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlottetown_Airport -
Source: faasafety.gov
Title: Library Contents
Link: https://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/alc/libview_normal.aspx?id=6580Source snippet
Bright runway and approach light systems, especially when few lights illuminate the surrounding terrain, may cause the illusion of...Rea...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Sensory illusions in aviation
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_illusions_in_aviation -
Source: flightsafety.org
Link: https://flightsafety.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/alar_bn5-3-illusions.pdfSource snippet
Flight Safety FoundationFSF ALAR Briefing Note 5.3 -- Visual IllusionsMarch 2, 2005 — Conditions that create visual illusions include: •...
Published: March 2, 2005
Additional References
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Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUT_V0PE7v5/Source snippet
False Horizon: city lights or clouds can trick your perception...There are three visual illusions pilots must recognise: -Autok...
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Source: medium.com
Link: https://medium.com/faa/mitigating-the-hazard-of-visual-illusions-fb3c35009471Source snippet
Mitigating the Hazard of Visual IllusionsA review of aircraft mishaps quickly reveals that visual illusions and/or poor visibility have b...
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Source: nzaviator.co.nz
Link: https://www.nzaviator.co.nz/videos/v/runway-illusions-explainedSource snippet
Runway Illusions Explained — NZAviatorLinear Perspective Illusions can occur over sloping terrain, or where a runway is wider or narrower...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/FAA/posts/pilots-dyk-optical-illusions-can-drastically-compromise-your-safety-while-flying/1119304286892494/Source snippet
hts reflect on the runway and tire marks on the runway can be seen...Read more...
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Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWoq8X6h1d1/Source snippet
ing because the human eye doesn't always judge height, distance, and glide...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1979612345859315/posts/2255549451598935/Source snippet
At night, runway lights appear farther apart. At night, runway...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Why Are Many UFO Sightings Just Misidentification?
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSfAIKDGvvISource snippet
Charlottetown airport prince edward island plane landing approach Embraer 175 Flight Deck Landing - Charlottetown Airport Flying Blue Sky...
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Source: aerossurance.com
Title: c560 landing human factors
Link: https://aerossurance.com/safety-management/c560-landing-human-factors/Source snippet
Visual Illusions, a Non Standard Approach and Cockpit...13 Jun 2020 — Furthermore, a visual illusion of being overhead the stopway for r...
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Source: migflug.com
Title: night landing traps what your eyes wont tell you
Link: https://migflug.com/jetflights/night-landing-traps-what-your-eyes-wont-tell-you/Source snippet
It happens when you're flying toward a lit runway surrounded by unlit terrain — water, open...Read more...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Dangerous Optical Illusions On Approach
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5BUXAozb08Source snippet
Too High or Too...These optical illusions are real world threat and something that real world Pilots have to be across so that they know...
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