At the Mercy of the Media

 Old Amherst Landfill, Belchertown Road, Planet Earth

The problem with involving the main stream media early on with an "unusual" story like a UFO sighting is that they don't really take it seriously.

It's soooo much easier to go with the cheap, quick, extraterrestrial angle; thus opening the door to sniping from the legions of anonymous critics Amherst has accumulated over the years.

There's no question something was spotted in the air over the old landfill early on Tuesday night.  The question is, was it indeed something unusual?  And if so, what are the possibilities?

I saw the twitter breaking news report almost immediately and went outside to take a look.  Both a C5A and a helicopter soon ambled overhead, but that is certainly not all that unusual considering the close proximity of Westover, Barnes and Bradley airfields, all of which host the military.

And we did have a Chinook helicopter drop in unexpectedly last June.

Which brings up an obvious question.  If the modus operandi  of the object (mainly the part about "silent") did not fit those usual suspects, could it have been something else military related, like a drone? 

These days drone technology is seeping its way into non military uses as well.  The Occupy folks used one as an eye in the sky to monitor police while police departments nationwide are also starting to use them for surveillance, although raising concerns about privacy.  And safety.

And no, Amherst Police Department does not have a drone.  Although ... that would be a convenient way to keep an eye on Party Houses this coming spring.   

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What's wrong with this close?  (Umm, maybe the wrong month):

CBS3 "reports"

New video surfaces on, where else, Youtube