Looking up we saw two bright orange lights high in the sky, flying west to east.

These were strange lights as they were orange flying abreast of each other. The source of the light seemed to be very large as if a flame and not a light which would be white.


The two lights were then followed by a third at a distance following the same trajectory, at a speed that seemed to be slightly faster than an aircraft.
 
Near to where we live is Heathrow airport, as we are used to seeing aircraft waiting to land in the stacks, or going off on their long journeys, also I have a mild interest in aircraft. I know the flight paths and the stacking patterns. These lights did not follow these paths.

We have helicopters flying over, but their flight paths are always further north.

I understand the lighting arrangements on the aircraft, the red and green lights, the white flashing strobe lights, and especially landing lights which at no matter what hight appear white.  

A few years ago we had seen strange lights in the sky of Malaysia in our home town of BM, Bukit Mertarjam, when the family were outside in the garden celebrating Chinese New Year. These 5 or 6 flame like lights hovered in the night sky, then one would suddenly speed up and move slowly away. It took a time that these were paper lanterns with a burner suspended in its' balloon like structure, thus making it a hot air balloon, as seen on recent Thai Airlines adverts.

What we saw last night were not these hot air balloons they were traveling too quickly.

They were not aircraft waiting to land at Heathrow or just taken off, as there were two aircraft in the stacks to be seen and heard.

As we watched, the three lights went overhead with no sound. Helicopters would be heard, I could hear the two other aircraft.

As they flew off towards London the lights disappeared, indicating that the light source was pointing forwards and directional, thus we would not see the light from behind.

Then another light appeared flying on the same path.

Must be helicopters, perhaps military, that was the only explanation, a little too fast, but then we will never know.

Going to bed at 12:50pm, I listened to BBC Radio Five Live, and I caught the last sentences of a discussion of strange lights in the sky, but heard no concussion.

Were they UFO's?                                                                                                                                        index