On the evening of April 26th, 2019, near 10:30 PM, I found myself immersed in the quiet charm of a cool, windy night in St. George, Ontario. The stars were scattered across the sky like distant jewels, and the Big and Little Dipper were easy to find amid a few wispy clouds floating several thousand feet above. Together with a friend, we relaxed in a hot tub, letting our eyes drift toward the heavens — first the constellations, then eventually the North Star.
Suddenly, our gaze caught two lights moving silently in formation about 6 to 8 feet apart. They floated approximately 200 to 300 feet above the neighborhood, traversing the night sky against a strong, gusting wind moving from west to east at about 65 km/h. Despite the wind’s roar and the hot tub motor’s hum, the lights made no audible noise of their own.
What unfolded next felt like something out of a dream or nightmare. The lights glided smoothly from our right to left, a distance of roughly 350 feet, before executing a sharp 180-degree turn just as abruptly. After flying back about 20 feet, the lights blinked and vanished as if swallowed by the dark.
As a commercial helicopter pilot, I’m intimately acquainted with the capabilities and limitations of known aircraft. This display was unlike anything I’ve witnessed. Could these have been drones? The precision and quiet agility suggested otherwise. Two drones spaced perfectly apart moving in flawless unison seemed improbable. A single, large drone 6 to 8 feet wide could not have pulled off such fast, seamless turns without sound. Racing drones might achieve that velocity and maneuverability but not at this scale or silence.
We debated other potential explanations. Reflections of headlights hitting moisture? Unlikely, as the air was cool and clear with no visible moisture to refract light. No natural atmospheric phenomenon appeared to fit.
This mystery left us at a crossroads. Two visions remained: an entity or technology beyond current human understanding, or something extraterrestrial — an encounter with an unidentified flying object that defied explanation.
Whatever the truth, that night in St. George remains etched in memory — a stark reminder that the sky can still harbor secrets and the unknown.