# Strange things at the NY airport **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2002, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-at-the-ny-airport/136326 "2002-11-11T22:21:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aenea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@aenea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aenea)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-at-the-ny-airport/136326/1 "2002-11-11T22:21:09Z")
Over the weekend, CNN ran a story about some odd flying object someone caught on tape while filming at a New York airport. Sadly though, they provide no information on their site as to what the story was. Does anyone out there have further information for a curious Doper? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-at-the-ny-airport/136326/2 "2002-11-11T23:55:43Z")
Well, was it a recent sighting, or was it the one in 1998? [http://www.tje.net/para/wots/9807/98\_07\_20\_04.htm](http://www.tje.net/para/wots/9807/98_07_20_04.htm) If it was recent, browse this list of recent sightings, God help us. [http://luna.virtunova.net/index.php3?loc=ny-vt&page=browsedb](http://luna.virtunova.net/index.php3?loc=ny-vt&page=browsedb) ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-at-the-ny-airport/136326/3 "2002-11-12T01:33:15Z")
Which New York airport? There’s lots of them. ---
**Author:** ![aenea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@aenea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aenea)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-at-the-ny-airport/136326/4 "2002-11-12T02:25:04Z")
Didn’t catch the name. I only got to watch part of the story, and then was called away from the boob tube, so didn’t get to see the story repeat. It seemed much much smaller than an ‘unidentified craft’ though, more like ‘little flying thing going amazingly fast’, or so it seemed. And the sighting/taping supposedly was sometime last week or weekend. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-at-the-ny-airport/136326/5 "2002-11-12T03:57:05Z")
I don’t think I saw that as a news item, unless the few seconds at the end of a clip was it. (I was flipping channels to the one I wanted, and it was done by the time I got back.) It could have been a “Roswell rod”, an alleged mysterious life-form that’s been seen on video several times. It has been debunked repeatedly, with at least two possible explanations. [This site](http://www.amsky.com/ufos/rods/) suggests the rods are motion-blurred bugs flying in front of the camera. Others have suggested that rods are an artifact of electrical interference, on the grounds that they only appear on video, and not on film. I’m no expert here, but I’m always doubtful about reports of “some odd flying object”, even if it is on tape. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-at-the-ny-airport/136326/6 "2002-11-12T06:24:34Z")
It was in Albany, and it was captured by a WXXA (Fox) news camera. I don’t have any more information, but since only Fox seemed to make any mention of it, and then only one night, in Albany, it’s not really much of a story. Looked like a standard “rod” to me, ie, a bug. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-at-the-ny-airport/136326/7 "2002-11-12T13:47:21Z")
WXXA’s “news” story: [http://www.fox23news.com/Global/story.asp?S=980142](http://www.fox23news.com/Global/story.asp?S=980142) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-at-the-ny-airport/136326/8 "2002-11-12T14:01:35Z")
Here’s a picture: [http://www.koin.com/webnews/20023/20021029\_ufo.shtml](http://www.koin.com/webnews/20023/20021029_ufo.shtml) I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read this paragraph > [@](#): > > Some believe that it could be a rod. According to [RoswellRods.com](http://RoswellRods.com), rods are cylindrical objects that appear in the sky and ocean. Some appear in homes. They are barely visible to the naked eye. Staff Repor": [What’s up with “rods,” the mysterious insects that can be seen only on video?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mrodhoax.html) ---
**Author:** ![aenea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@aenea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aenea)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-at-the-ny-airport/136326/9 "2002-11-12T14:19:48Z")
Exactly the info I was looking for. Must disprove to a co-worker now… 🙂 Thank you all!