Drone? Plane? UAV? What Is This Flying Over Duluth + Superior?
My son told me the other day that he saw a weird-looking plane or drone or something flying over our house the other day. He happened to snap a photo of it. It's not uncommon for us to have planes flying overhead. We are just a stone's throw away from Sky Harbor Airport. We also see a lot of float planes come in to land this time of year. But this flying object was very different looking.
It has a pretty funky look. It's different than most aircraft designs. He said he heard a propeller as it flew over. I have no doubt it's man-made and fully explainable, I just can't find out what it is. It would have helped if I could have seen it with my own eyes, so I'll have to be on the lookout.
I did a Google Image Search and the results were disturbing.
The first to come up on the list is an IAI loitering munitions drone. Basically this drone hovers around a target until the command gives the order to deliver the payload. It does look a lot like that. Eerily similar. Why would this be out on Park Point?
Ok, probably not an attack weapon. Right? Google Images also suggested that it might be a Chinese Spy Balloon. Nope. I don't think it was that either.
So after doing more research, I think I have an idea of what it is. It's a plane with a Canard wing. That's the type of plane that has small wings on the nose of the airplane. They aren't nearly as common, but they do exist.
It just so happens also to be the same way a lot of drones are built now as well. We can't say for sure, but my bet is that it's a special type single prop plane that we don't see all that often.