2007-06-16 - Sneads, FL - Disk

Pilot flying Cessna flys with disc-shaped craft over lake.

Hello - I am a student pilot working on my private license and I was flying my Cessna 150 on my solo x-country flight coming back to Quincy airport on my way back from tri-county airport near Chipley, GA.

I was coming up on Lake Seminole and I noticed a straight line shape, metalic/dull white in color with no reflection that I could notice out on my left flying at my exact altitude right on the horizon. I noticed it when I was scanning the skies for other aircraft, like a good pilot should do.

But something struck me as odd about this thing, beause it appeared to be flying. At first glance I thought maybe it was just a metal barn or something, but as I went along it stayed in the exact location on my left on the horizon, about 700-1000 feet away is my best guess.

At that point I knew it was something that was airborne. And then I thought it might be a glider, because of its extremly smooth flight, but then I saw no fusalage, like a normal aircraft would have. And thats when I knew there was something very strange about it.

It maintained its realitive postion on my left on or very near the horizon. There were no speed changes, I tried to gain on it by putting in full throttle to get up beside it but it just stayed the same distance the whole time. I tried to gain some altitude to get a more 3-D image of it but it climbed when I climbed. I did a dutch roll (tipped the wings back and forth while keeping the nose in the same postion, not changing course) facing it, just to let it know I was aware of it, and it did not respond, just staying horizontal and keeping the same distance (I was going around 90-95). Like I said, I could not really get on 'top' of it to see a great 3-D image of it but I got a pretty good look at it and I would say it had to be a disc.

I kept questioning myself the entire time thinking "is this really what I think it is?" and then when I got over lake seminole I could see it above the lake and I knew it was in the air and REAL, no me seeing things. There were several boats and p eople out on the lake so I KNOW someone else had to see it, as we were over the middle of the lake, and it was a Saturday in the middle of summer at aound 1:20 in the afternoon, so there was lots of activity below.

I did glance down at my altitide meter and it read 2000 feet, and this was in the middle of the encounter. I could have lots or gained a hundered feet or so from the begining or end of the sighting but 2000 is the average alititude I'd say. I would glance away from the object from time to time to scan the horizon for other aircraft but I never say any. And when I was over lake seminole I radiod in at Quincy airport that I was over lake seminole and that there was a unidentified flying craft flying with me over the lake, hoping someone might come out to see for themselves.

I kept my eyes on it till we got over the lake and then I glanced away from it back towards Quincy for only a brief half second and then glanced back toward where the object usually was and it was gone. No sign of it. I was kinda ticked at myself for not keeping my eye on it and letting it 'get away'. But it had stayed with me so long that I was feeling complacent and kinda felt comfortable that it was going to stay there. And I also noted that 30 seconds o a minute after I lost it it started to rain lightly, as I notcied drops on my canopy. The best physical visual I can give you is if you a quarter away to you on your left at eye level. Thats what it looked like.

Please feel free to contact me as I would like to know if anyone else has come forward from the lake below or whatnot.