RE: New Jersey Drone Sightings | Focusing on What You See

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(Marlton NJ): In order to assist those whom have an interest in sighting aircraft the following is provided for guidance. 

EXTERIOR AIRCRAFT LIGHTS
Aircraft exterior lights are necessary for aviation safety. The lights provide visibility, helping to communicate and aid in situational awareness both in the air and on the ground. Lights also help prevent accidents, ensuring that an aircraft is easily identifiable. Lights are essential for night flying, low-visibility conditions, and emergency scenarios, making them critical for the safety of our National Airspace.

Position / navigation lights (red, green, and white) are mounted on the wings, tail and sometimes the main body.
Anti-collision/strobe lights (white flashing lights) these highly visible lights are usually located on the wingtip.
Landing lights (white) help indicate that the aircraft is approaching the ground.
Beacon lights (rotating or flashing red lights) are located on the aircraft's tail or top to indicate its position.

Aircraft exterior lights are regulated by national and international aviation authorities (e.g., FAA, ICAO). These regulations ensure standardized lighting systems across different aircraft types for anything that flies.

Just because an aircraft has lights does not mean that every light on the aircraft can always be seen. Atmospheric conditions such as fog, rain, cloud cover, humidity, temperature inversions, air pollution, and smoke can all significantly impact the ability to see airplane lights in the dark. These factors influence the way light scatters, refracts, or absorbs as it travels through the atmosphere, often making airplane lights appear dimmer, blurry, or even completely invisible under certain conditions. Understanding these factors is important for both aviation safety (for pilots and air traffic controllers) and for people observing aircraft from the ground.

FOCUSING YOUR EYE
Trying to identify an aircraft at night can be difficult and straining on our eyes. The difficulty and strain associated with looking at a light is primarily due to how the eyes adjust to sudden changes.

Think about how your eyes strain when you go into a dark room and turn the light on or when you are driving, and an oncoming car’s headlight impacts your vision. The same happens when you look at an aircraft light coming towards you. Sometimes your vision will become blurred, at times you may see spots and occasionally even colors will be hard to see. This is because you are looking directly at the light instead of using your peripheral vision.

When you are using your peripheral vision, your eye will not see colors well and details will be hard to see clearly. Your eyes will get tired, and the fatigue will worsen when the light source is bright and/or flickering (flashing). The darker it is outside, the greater the contrast between the light source and the dark background is. This makes it harder for your eyes to adjust and focus on objects. 

TIP: Don’t look directly at the approaching aircraft, look slightly to the left or right. The longer you look, the greater the potential what you see will become blurred. This may cause you to see something off in the distance as one light instead of two until it gets closer. Don’t forget that most aircraft you are looking at are a few thousand feet away. They will get brighter, and the lights will multiply as they get closer.

FOCUSING YOUR CAMERA
Nighttime photography is challenging for cameras due to low light levels, the need for longer exposure times, sensor limitations, and issues like noise, motion blur, and autofocus cause problems. However, with the right techniques, equipment (such as fast lenses and tripods), and settings (like high ISO and manual exposure control), it's possible to achieve clearer, sharper images in the dark.

Most aircraft sightings at night are captured by mobile devices. Although the cameras on newer model phones have a night time mode, you have to hold the camera still and the object you are trying to photograph should not be moving. This is why photos and videos of aircraft moving may not be clear. The reason why autofocus doesn’t work is because most cameras rely on contrast to focus, but in the dark, there’s often not enough contrast between the subject and the background to work. Taking a zoomed-in picture at night with a smartphone is even more difficult because your phone attempts to adjust to the darkness making photos grainy and less clear.

TIP: 1) If the object you are seeing is stationary or believed to be hovering, then use night time mode. On some iPhones, this mode automatically turns on in low light. You can also tap the moon icon at the top left of the screen to turn it on. Hold the phone as steady as you can. 

2) If the object is moving, keep the phone as still as possible. Consider using both hands. Lower the exposure, take multiple photographs to increase your chances of getting a sharp one. If you are taking a video, follow the object as it is moving. 

REPORTING WHAT YOU SEE
The NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness has a good website which can be a resource to those seeking information. Google “New Jersey UAS/Drone Incidents FAQ”. We encourage those who wish to report suspicious drone sightings to contact the FBI. Calling your local police department overwhelms the 911 call centers, making it difficult for smaller departments to respond to other calls for service like house fires, accidents, and crimes.

Here are some tips to accurately report what you see. In addition to the date, time and duration of what you witness, include also (1) where you are standing; (2) which way you are looking; (3) which way the aircraft is moving when you see it; (4) if you see lights, what colors, are they flashing and how are they oriented; (5) Listen for any sounds; and lastly but most importantly (6) try to take a picture or video.

The FBI call center is 1-800-225-5324. The FBI website is https://tips.fbi.gov/home

The New Jersey See Something Say Something UAS Sighting Reporting Form.