TSA eliminates all invasive X-ray machines

NBC News, Ben Popken

Transportation Security Administration Security Officer Nyamsi Tchapleu looks at
images created by a "backscatter" scanner during a demonstration at the
 Transportation Security Administration's Systems Integration Facility at Ronald
Reagan National Airport December 30, 2009 in Arlington, Virginia.

The Transportation Security Administration announced it has finished removing from all airports the X-ray technology that produced graphic and controversial images of passengers passing through security screening checkpoints. 

An image released by the TSA showing
 how the new passenger screenings will
appear to operators.

In a letter released Thursday, TSA administrator John Pistole told the House Homeland Security committee that as of May 16, all US airports scanners equipped with the ability to produce the penetrating images will now only show a generic outline of a passenger to the operator. A colored box pops up if the full-body scanner detects a potentially forbidden item.

The TSA beat their deadline by two weeks for modifying the scanners. The technology was originally mandated to be removed by June 2012 under the Federal Aviation Administration's Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, but the deadline was extended to May 31, 2013.

The machines, which the TSA first deployed in 2008, provoked public outrage as the technology, better able than traditional X-rays to detect hidden contraband, also created images that appeared as if they were "virtual nudes." Critics called this an invasion of privacy and questioned whether the scanning devices truly lacked the ability to save the images, as the TSA claimed.

Scientists have revealed flaws in the controversial full

body-scanners

Related Article:

Full-body airport scanner flaws exposed

SBY Signs Eco-Friendly Car Regulation

Jakarta Globe, May 28, 2013

KompasOtomotif

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recently signed a government regulation aimed at supporting the development of environmentally-friendly vehicles in Indonesia.

Newsportal Kompas.com reported on Tuesday that Yudhoyono signed the Low Emission Car Project decree, which seeks to curb taxes and boost demand for greener cars.

“The president signed it yesterday [Monday],” Johnny Darmawan, the president director of Toyota Astra Motor, told Kompas.com on Monday.

An anonymous source at the Ministry of Industry also confirmed to Kompas that the decree had been signed.

The regulation stipulates special tax incentives for eco-friendly vehicles such as hybrids and electric cars. Furthermore, it notes that such cars must be assembled in Indonesia and fulfill the minimum standard for local parts to receive the tax break.

“It was proposed that luxury taxes would not apply to low-cost green cars ,” Budi Darmadi, the director general of advanced industry based on high technology at the Ministry of Industry, said.

Previously, Astra International said the company would delay production of its eco-friendly vehicle model, the Ayla.

Astra Daihatsu director Pongky Prabowo said the company is waiting for government regulations on low-cost green cars before it starts producing the Daihatsu Ayla and the Toyota Agya, the latter a collaboration with Toyota Motors.

Related Article:

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My Jakarta: Herman Wibowo, Drone Pilot

Jakarta Globe, Zack Petersen, May 26, 2013

Herman Wibowo showing off his drones at a seminar. (JG Photo/Zack Petersen)

Herman Wibowo,a drone and helicopter aerial cinematographer, has traveled the world capturing breathtaking shots with the power of his thumbs. His remote-controlled drones, which have multiple rotors, have traveled into the belly of volcano craters, skirted the beaches of Raja Ampat and crisscrossed Borobudur at dawn. As his profile grows, so do his moral dilemmas. Herman, 40, knows that in the wrong hands, his drones could be dangerous.

How long have you been flying drones?

I started flying remote control in the fourth grade. I was the youngest of seven and so I was always looking for something to do. My dad actually introduced me to the hobby. My passion is anything that is remotely controlled.

I also race cars and fly remote-controlled helicopters and airplanes. But my passion is also photography and video. So I combine the two. I started my company back in 2002.

Do you think we will see drones at demonstrations here in the next few years?

We already are. This drone here has a camera, a GoPro HD Hero 3. I did a job for the National Police — a Labor Day demonstration — and there I was flying at 50 meters, monitoring things.

Could you see people’s faces?

Yes. I could see who the ringleaders were and what was going on. In the wrong hands drones can do damage.

Have you worked at all with the government?

With Fauzi Bowo, the World Bank, for a mining company, TV news, movie productions, a production house, property management, security. Everybody needs aerial vision. It’s something that you cannot get from the ground, you need to bring the camera up.

What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve seen?

If I go to an exotic place, like an island or mountain, then you can go down to see the crater and you can go down with a camera and you can see the scene itself.

Have you seen the insides of a volcano?

Yes. In Bandung, in Kampung Banten. I was also in Bromo, where we shot with a remote camera.

Did you manage to turn your hobby into a dream job?

Yes. But I enjoy my hobby. I don’t consider it hard because I think it’s a gift that I can use my hobby as my job. And I get to travel. I am passionate of traveling.

Work is work, it’s always hard. But this is a gift. I’m going to Raja Ampat for 10 days in October, and a movie director from America just found one of my videos on YouTube and he wants me to come out to Yogya again to help him with a film.

What’s the weirdest job that you have ever taken on?

The weirdest was to take the picture of a helicopter flying nearby with my small helicopter. Also taking shots of Ahmad Dhani and Mulan Jameela.

But I’ve also had to take shots for the army and police when there was a Labor Day demo at Monas [national monument].

Do you think what you do invades people’s privacy?

Yes, if it got in the wrong hands.

If you were to make a commercial about Jakarta, which shot would you make sure to have?

Kota Tua and the North Jakarta port of Sunda Kelapa. Also SCBD [Sudirman Central Business District], and the traffic of Semanggi during rush hour.

[I would shoot] something artistic but also the reality of what’s happening … Jakarta has a lot to offer, not just the traffic. Also, the nearby cities like Bogor, or Pulau Seribu.

Herman Wibowo was talking to Zack Petersen.

NATO drone project set to continue

Deutsche Welle, 25 May 2013

Pulling the plug on Germany's Euro Hawk project won't have consequences for NATO's surveillance program "Global Hawk." But critics argue a joint European drone project would have been better.

The canceled German Euro Hawk drone project will most likely not have consequences on a similar project by NATO. The alliance plans to use five drones of the Global Hawk Block 40 type for its "Alliance Ground Surveillance" (AGS) system.

According to NATO, plans will not be affected by the German decision. The Global Hawk drone built by US company Northrop Grumman is basically the version the system's based on - the Euro Hawk drone Germany ordered is a modified version of the Global Hawk 20 model, an earlier version of the Global Hawk 40 which NATO now plans to use. 

German Defense Minister Thomas de
 Maiziere (left) pulled the plug on the
 drone project

Exact images from far away

At the May 2012 summit in Chicago, the allies had agreed on aquiring unarmed surveillance drones. They are scheduled to be used by 2017 and to be stationed in Sicily. Estimates put the cost for the five drones at around 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion).

Fourteen NATO states are involved: Bulgaria, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and the US. The Global Hawk drone could fly as high as 20 kilometers (12 miles) and is able to take clear pictures of the ground even from such heights - precise enough to still spot individuals.

No European project?

The NATO project is going to continue despite the German decision to halt its program. But the situation in Germany has been met with criticism in Brussels. Michael Gahler, security spokesman of the conservative European People's Party (EPP) in the EU parliament, told DW that Germany should rather have pushed for a European solution than trying to go it alone.

Gahler argues there should have
been a joint EU project instead

After all, European countries were facing the same security threats, and every state had too little money to develop a system on its own.

"Such projects are very good examples of how such things can be done in a joint effort - especially when something new is being developed. I hope that everybody will learn from that mistake," he said.

Gahler believes a European project would have made more sense from an economic perspective as well.

"You can't see this simply as a military issue. Those drones are first and foremost not a means of fighting." In about 90 percent of the cases, they would "be used in a civilian manner for surveillance," for instance in agriculture or forestry in order to spot pollution or fires. With that many areas of use, "it really makes sense to bundle civilian and military resources."

Northrop Grumman dismisses criticism

The US company producing the drones has come forward to defend itself against German complaints. Berlin had criticized an allegedly missing feature to avoid collisions and lacking documentation needed for getting the drones approved for European airspace.

A Northrop Grumman spokesperson told German weekly "Die Zeit" that Germany had in fact never specified what kind of papers were needed for approval and that it was only a prototype that operated without collision protection. That feature would have been implemented in the four other drones Germany had ordered.

A civilian drone used by China's State Grid to check power

lines. (Photo/Xinhua)

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An Hour with an Angel with Archangel Michael, December 17, 2012

”.. Lay Down Your Arms

SB: Thank you, Lord. I am going to be asking you about the who, why, what, where, when, how of Ascension, about December 21st. But before I do that there is one question that I have to ask you because I know our listeners and readers want me to. I think they would like to know something about the Newtown tragedy. Was it mind control? Was it the cabal trying to take attention away from Ascension? Was it simply a deranged individual?

Why was it permitted to happen, Lord? It shocked a lot of people.

AAM: It was a tragedy in Newtown, and it was a sacrifice of innocents, both children and adults. And yes, there is divine purpose that comes out of this. Was it a planned action on our part? Absolutely not, that is not the way we operate. It was the action, yes, of a very deranged, ill, dis-eased individual. It was not the act of the cabal. They are in far too deep containment to ever effect such a strike.

Let us talk about the meaning. And the Mother has talked about this also. It is time for all of humanity, east, west, north, south, to come together as one community. And this atrocity, this killing of children needlessly, brings to the forefront what is taking place on your planet.

The beings of Newtown, Connecticut, and this emotional energy, have acted and do act as a surrogate and a catalyst for the human race to come together and say, “No more,” that the slaughter of innocents is not acceptable in any realm.

And what that means, dear ones, is it is not acceptable through missile or drone strikes, in neighborhoods, in marketplaces and schools, or anywhere else. It is not acceptable for children to be hit by stray bullets, by gang wars or by drug lords, in any country, in any nation, in any civilization. It is not acceptable for children to die of disease, poverty, hunger, and starvation.

So these bright angels, this soul group has sacrificed and acted as a surrogate. Now, I wish to tell you that all of these angels were well out of their body and already in the arms of the Mother prior to their death. She had already gathered them up.

So it is not just for them that you weep. It is for each other. Because what you are seeing, what you are witnessing, is the pain and suffering that violence does to humanity, to families, to friends, to siblings, to parents, to communities, to neighbors, to nations. And it is all of you saying, “No more!”

SB: If I may intervene, what do you say to people who advocate the right to bear arms in America? What does one say to organizations that think that they’ll fall under somebody else’s rule if they give up their rifles?

AAM: Let me say this, and I do not simply say it to Americans, I say it to all nations that carry weapons to destroy families and friends. I say it to all beings that carry guns or weapons. And I am talking about missiles or chemical weapons.

When you live in fear, then what you create is fear. When you live in harmony and community and unity, that is what you create. Understand, the opening of 11/11 and 12/12 was not simply some esoteric exercise. You have been unified.

And as I have asked you, and as most of you are doing, that grid is to grow and inflame and ignite more and more every single hour, every single minute of every day. It was not just an hour-long exercise or a day-long exercise.

How can you live in unity and love and carry weapons, guns, ready to kill someone you don’t like or you don’t care about? And it is particularly dangerous when you have those weapons available to those who are unbalanced.

And we suggest to you that there is no way to safeguard against someone who is in the throes of a psychotic episode. There is no way to prevent them from getting a weapon if in fact they are available. That is a fool’s belief.

So if you expect harm to come to you, then harm will come to you. It is a time of change, and you cannot build Nova Earth with guns, missiles, and chemical weapons. You cannot do it. It is not possible. Not in any universe, not in any realm.

I had thought, this day, that I would come before you with my blue flame of truth. And I would say to you, “I am laying down my sword and shield,” because that is my desire and creation, and that it would be symbolic for you to understand that these are no longer necessary.

I did not begin today by saying that because I am still using my sword to cut some cords of illusion with some of you, and some of you are feeling exceptionally vulnerable right now. And so I want you to know that I’m also shielding you.

But my sword is also the scepter of truth. It is the staff of wisdom. It is the staff that you can lean upon when you are exhausted. Your guns do not serve that purpose.

Lay down your arms. This I ask of you. And more importantly, lay down your fear.

SB: Thank you, Lord. I don’t mean to single out Americans. I’m more referring to the Constitution and the provision that the right to bear arms shall not be interfered with. But thank you. You anticipated my questions on Newtown, so I’ve had all my questions answered. 

"THE BRIDGE OF SWORDS"– Sep  29, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Text version)

New subsidies for green cars in China

Want China Times, Xinhua 2013-05-24

A BYD F6DM sedan. (Photo/Xinhua)

A new subsidy policy is intended to promote the use of energy-saving automobiles, according to a Thursday report by the China Securities Journal.

The previous policy, which expired at the end of last year, provided a subsidy of 50,000 yuan (US$8,150) to automakers for every hybrid vehicle sold, while 60,000 yuan (US$9,800) was provided for every electric vehicle sold.

Miao Wei, head of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), said in March that a new subsidy policy for energy-saving cars will be issued in the first half of 2013.

The China Securities Journal report cited an MIIT official as saying that the policy will need final authorization from the State Council, or China's cabinet, after several government departments pass a draft version of the policy.

Li Weili, chief of the manufacturing division under the State Information Center, said the new policy is expected to last until 2015 at least. He said detailed provisions regarding subsidies for electric cars will likely be implemented before the end of June 2013, although provisions related to hybrid vehicles may come out later.

Standards for the evaluation of hybrid vehicle energy consumption have yet to be created, which has postponed the creation of special subsidies for hybrid vehicles based on how much fuel they save, Li added.

The MIIT has shown a tendency to support hybrid vehicles with lower energy consumption, which has led many automakers to boost research and development for such vehicles.

Ling Tianjun, chief engineer of green vehicles at the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), one of China's four largest auto groups, said SAIC has started selling hybrid cars at lower prices with the help of subsidies totaling over 100,000 yuan (US$16,300).

Chery, one of China's largest private automotive enterprises, has decided to spend more on electric vehicle research, the report said.

The MIIT, together with Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Science and Technology, announced a program to encourage innovation in green vehicle technology in September 2012.

But Duan Zhihui, Chery's chief hybrid vehicle engineer, said the three-year time limit for the new subsidies may cause auto companies to rush their research and development in order to avoid missing the opportunity to receive the subsidies.

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Plug-in hybrids may outpace other new-energy cars in China

Want China Times, Staff Reporter, 19 May 2013

A new-energy car show in Jinan, Shandong province. (Photo/Xinhua)

Electric cars continue to face cooling global sales, while many in China debate which way the country should go forward with its own energy development, reports the China Youth Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Youth League.

Some industry insiders say that China should continue developing electric cars, while others say that they should be abandoned in favor of hybrid cars. The government plans to subsidize both electric and hybrid cars according to their oil-saving ratio divided by 16 degrees, with the minimum subsidy as high as 3,000 yuan (US$490) per car, but the specifics of the plan have yet to be revealed.

There are currently three types of new energy vehicles in development: electric cars, which uses electrical energy stored in batteries or another energy storage device; plug-in hybrids, which combines an internal combustion engine with rechargeable batteries; and conventional hybrids, which has an internal combustion engine and can save energy, but cannot be recharged.

Plug-in hybrid cars have been the main focus and priority for research and development, according to industry insiders, while some ventures continue to explore possibilities for both electric cars and hybrids, such as Toyota and PSA Peugeot-Citroen.

Dr Herbert Diess, a BMW director in charge of research and development, said that plug-in hybrids will be a very good choice for future development, because it can satisfy the needs of short-distance and longer-distance travel. BMW's new i3 electric cars are targeting the needs in drivers in larger cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, but it's not the best choice for long-distance travel, Diess said.

Volkswagen said it will focus on developing plug-in hybrids and will soon mass produce its Porche Panamera and Audi A3 e-tron plug-in hybrid cars. The German automaker will also continue to develop electric cars, and will soon commence production of its Volkswagen up! and e-Gold models.

Mercedes-Benz has been comparatively conservative regarding the outlook for electric cars, the China Youth Daily said, but the company will introduce an S-series of plug-in hybrids, and is cooperating with the Chinese automaker BYD to develop an electric car.

Ford Motors, which is now the second-largest US hybrid carmaker with a market share of 15%, said it is developing both electric cars and plug-in hybrids, adding that once China's new-energy car market has chosen its direction, Ford will be able to immediately introduce its products into the market.

BYD, China's most experienced carmaker in the electric car field, has also adopted a strategy to develop plug-in hybrids for the private passenger-car market, and also develop electric passenger cars and buses to target the public transportation markets.

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Hong Kong Launches First Electric Taxis

Jakarta Globe – AFP, May 18, 2013

Cars drive past high rise buildings in Hong Kong on April 30, 2013.
(AFP Photo/ Philippe Lopez)

Hong Kong. Hong Kong saw its first electric taxis hit the streets on Saturday in a step towards reducing the city’s high levels of roadside pollution.

The 45 bright red cars were launched by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD, which is partly backed by US investment titan Warren Buffett.

Called the BYD e6, the five-door crossover sedans are powered by iron phosphate batteries and take two hours to charge, a statement from BYD said, adding that they can then travel for 300 kilometers (more than 180 miles).

The cars have been rented by the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, which is testing them over the next six months.

“The idea of being environmentally friendly is a global trend and the electric car is one good example,” said Wong Chung Keung, president and chairman of the association.

“An electric car saves the cost of fuel and will allow our taxi drivers to earn more,” he added, saying that a normal taxi would cost HK$0.8 (10 US cents) to run per kilometer (0.6 miles) while an electric car would cost HK$0.2-HK$0.3.

He called for more charging stations around the city to encourage taxi drivers to go electric, BYD said it is setting up 47 chargers in nine charging locations near car parks.

Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary John Tsang was quoted in a BYD statement as welcoming the electric car and saying he was committed to “promoting environmental sustainability by laying the foundation for Hong Kong to become a zero emissions city”.

The government announced revisions to its air quality objectives for the first time in 25 years in January 2012, after University of Hong Kong research showed pollution-related illnesses killed more than 3,000 residents a year.

Agence France-Presse

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Indonesian Poor to Receive Rp 14 Trillion in Aid Ahead of Fuel Hike

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, May 13, 2013

A street vendor sells fuel in a plastic containers in Samarinda,

 East Kalimantan on March 24, 2013. (Reuters Photo)

The Indonesian government is poised to distribute up to Rp 14 trillion ($1.4 billion) in aid to the poor ahead of the central government’s planned fuel price hike.

The central government is trying to ween Indonesian motorists off the nation’s costly fuel subsidies — which cost the state some Rp 211.9 trillion in 2012 and heavily favor middle class drivers. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has issued instructions which require the government to simultaneously slash fuel subsidies and increase welfare spending.

This round of payouts will reach some 15.5 million households living on less than $2 a day, Coordinating Minister of Welfare Agung Laksono said. Additional spending in the form of school aid and subsidized rice will be handed out as the fuel subsidy cuts take effect, Agung explained.

The coordinating minister said the government must spend some of the savings on the nation’s poor.

“The potential budget savings [from subsidy cuts] is up to Rp 37 trillion,” he said. “It must be returned to the poor people through compensation programs and also infrastructure development.”

Previous efforts to raise the price of subsidized fuel sparked days of chaotic protests. The plan was scuttled by Golkar Party and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) factions in the House as protests peaked in Jakarta.

Critics of the plan argue that higher fuel prices will hurt the poor by causing food prices to rise. But the government spends more on energy subsidies than it spends on either education or health care.

The government has floated raising the price of premium subsidized fuel from Rp 4,500 per liter to Rp 6,000. The price hike is expected to take effect next month.

Lion Air Accused of Extortion

Jakarta Globe, SP/Robertus Wardi, May 11, 2013.

A Lion Air airplane takes off at Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta, in this
file picture taken March 18, 2013. (Reuters Photo/Beawiharta/Files)

Indonesian airline Lion Air has been accused of extorting one of its Saudi Arabian business partners.

“Our client [invested] $18 million with Lion Air,” Guntur P. Daulay, businessman Miski Omar Hassan’s lawyer, said at a press conference on Saturday.

“Because our client maintained that there was no transparent business report delivered by [Lion Air’s] management, our client demanded that he get his money back. However, because the [the airline] couldn’t afford to return the funds, Lion Air owner Rusdi Kirana put up $1.5 million of his own money.

“Later, though, the money that was lent [by Rusdi] was said to have been embezzled by our client,” Guntur continued.

Omar was summoned by the Jakarta Police office on May 6 after missing two previous summons.

“Our client was unaware of the two previous summons because he was abroad at the time,” Guntur said. “Then, on May 6, he was detained.”

On May 7, a representative with Lion Air requested that Omar pay back the $1.5 million debt to settle the conflict. The company also asked Omar to give up his assets and his apartment if he could not afford to return the sum.

Omar, however, refused to pay, and Guntur maintained that Lion Air is guilty of extorting his client.

Edward Sirait, the general affairs director of Lion Air, denied the accusation.

Edward claimed that Omar is a travel agent who paid Lion Air a deposit to sell the airline’s tickets. He also questioned how Omar could think that he would receive a 100 percent return on his earlier investment.

Additionally, he said that Omar should handle the matter of the investment separately from the Rusdi Kirana loan.

“If it is related to business, there has been an agreement between both parties. We’re open to talking about the tickets and other [business related] matters. But the $1.5 million is a different thing.”

Furthermore, Edward accused Omar of running away after receiving the money.

“He had no intention of returning the money … that’s why we reported him to the police.”

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Airliner 'had narrow miss with UFO'

BBC News, 1 May 2013

The aircraft had been flying at 4,000ft
when the incident happened

A passenger aircraft had a narrow miss with an unidentified object over Glasgow, a report has revealed.

The Airbus A320 was making its final approach to Glasgow Airport on 2 December when an object passed about 300ft underneath it.

The pilot of the aircraft said the risk of collision with the object, which did not show up on radar, had been "high".

A report by the UK Airprox Board said investigators were unable to establish what the object had been.

The A320 was flying with its landing lights on, in clear conditions and at an altitude of about 4,000ft above the Baillieston area of Glasgow, when the pilot and non-flying pilot of the aircraft saw an object "loom ahead" at a range of about 100m.

Cockpit transcript

The Airprox report included a transcript of the conversation that took place between the aircraft and the controller at 12:55:

A320: "Glasgow Approach [A320 C/S]"

EGPF: "[A320 C/S] pass your message"

A320: "Er yeah we just had something pass underneath us quite close [1255:30] and nothing on TCAS have you got anything on in our area"

EGPF: "Er negative er we've got nothing on er radar and we're n- not talking to any traffic either"

A320: "Er not quite sure what it was but it definitely er quite large [1255:40] and it's blue and yellow"

EGPF: "OK that's understood er do you have a an estimate for the height"

A320: "Maybe er [1255:50] yeah we were probably about erm four hundred to five hundred feet above it so it's probably about three and a half thousand feet."

The object passed directly beneath the aircraft before either of the crew members had time to take avoiding action or had "really registered it", although they both agreed that it appeared to have been blue and yellow or silver in colour with a small frontal area, but that it was "bigger than a balloon".

The pilot asked the controller at Glasgow Airport if he was "talking to anything in the area" as he had "got quite close" to a blue and yellow aircraft, travelling in the opposite direction, which had passed just below him.

The controller stated that he was not talking to anyone else in that area and that nothing was seen on radar.

Search action was taken with no result and the A320 pilot stated his intention to file a report to Airprox, which investigates near misses.

Air traffic control said they had no trace of any other objects in the area at the time of the incident, although the radar at Prestwick did spot an "unidentified track history" 1.3 nautical miles east of the A320's position 28 seconds earlier.

Once the aircraft had landed, the pilot told the Glasgow Aerodrome Controller: "We seemed to only miss it by a couple of hundred feet, it went directly beneath us. Wherever we were when we called it in it was within about 10 seconds. Couldn't tell what direction it was going but it went right underneath us."

When asked if he thought it may have been a "glider or something like that" the pilot replied: "Well maybe a microlight. It just looked too big for a balloon."

The Airprox report concluded: "Investigation of the available surveillance sources was unable to trace any activity matching that described by the A320 pilot. Additionally there was no other information to indicate the presence or otherwise of activity in the area."

The report said the Airprox board had been of the opinion that the object was unlikely to have been a fixed wing aircraft, helicopter or hot air balloon, given that it had not shown up on radar.

It was also thought that a meteorological balloon would be radar significant and unlikely to be released in the area.

A glider could not be discounted, the report said, but it was unlikely that one would be operating in the area because of the constrained airspace and the lack of thermal activity because of the low temperature.

Similarly, the board believed that a hang-glider or para-motor would be radar significant and that conditions precluded them, as they did para-gliders or parascenders.

The report stated: "Members were unable to reach a conclusion as to a likely candidate for the conflicting aircraft and it was therefore felt that the board had insufficient information to determine a Cause or Risk".

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