by Becca London
Reports are flooding in Sunday evening that a large white balloon has been seen by pilots over Honolulu in Hawaii.
It comes just days after US officials claimed that a previously downed Chinese “spy” balloon that was targeting the state of Hawaii was blown off course.
Now, reports are flooding in on social media claiming that pilots have seen what is being described as a large white balloon approximately 40,000 feet over Honolulu, like this tweet.
“Is this China or is the the US Air Force about to accidentally shoot down another weather balloon?” another tweet asked.
These reports have not yet been confirmed by Air Traffic Control or other US officials.
However NOAA’s Hysplit system has indeed logged the object and its history and projected flight path, which appears to have entered the area from sea – perhaps launched from a ship, as one tweeter speculated.
This sharp Eastward projected trajectory would appear to take the object directly over the California coast – if not intercepted.
The flying object was said to have been seen by several pilots.
UPDATE: An image circulating online shows what appears to be a pilot in the cockpit holding an alert note printed onboard.
This note reads: “Report of large white balloon in vicinity of 2639N15021W. Estimated to be between FL400 and FL500. Precise altitude unknown. Advise ATC if object is seen.”
Sunday, the Oakland Oceanic Air Traffic Control Center confirmed the existence of the flying object, BNO News said.
In terms of altitude, this unidentified flying object was seen floating up to 50,000 feet according to the outlet.
Currently, it is not known who the object belongs to, or the threat level it poses to the public.
Multiple balloons have been shot down by US military this month.
On February 4, what was thought to be a spy balloon from China was gunned down off of a South Carolina coast, Sky News noted.
Suspicious flying objects were riddled with bullets February 11 and February 12 as well.
Remnants of the balloon were taken after the crash, and it is believed that Hawaii and Guam were its desired destinations, but it was taken off of its intended path.
This was the only instance so far where the leftover parts from the suspicous balloon were obtained.
One of the remaining two dropped into the snowy Alaskan coast while the other met its end over the Canadian Yukon territory.
President Joe Biden has received criticism for his very slow, passive response to a confirmed Chinese spy balloon that ewas permitted to traverse the entire continental United States in early February – over major military installations and nuclear missile silos.
But then Biden also dispatched jets to rapidly shoot down what was apparently just a hobbyist’s weather balloon over Lake Huron, Canada last week – to international ridicule:
What made that incident even worse is that the Pentagon used pricery Sidewinder missiles – at the cost of $440,000 each, and MISSED with the first one, just to take down a hobbyist balloon that was no threat at all.
The errant missile that did not detonate still has not been found.
