Large area of red synchronized blinking lights?

[kbsooner]

I was flying in from DIA the other night and on the approach to WR I noticed a large area of red blinking lights that were synchronized on the landscape. The array of lights was about 3 or 4 miles long and probably 1-2 miles wide. No discernable pattern, I would guesstimate 30-40 lights. I tried to find a landmark, but the best I could do is once they were out of view of my West facing window, I looked East and saw the Devon tower on the opposite side. So I would say they were 20-30 miles West of DT and 10 miles North. The dispersion reminded me of a windfarm, but I didn't think that there is any in this area and it was to close to OKC to be Clinton. Anyone frequent flyers out there seen this as well and know what it is? The guy next to me even commented on it, it just looked odd.

[Bellaboo]

Maybe it is the wind farm at Minco ?

[PennyQuilts]

The Minco wind farm is south of I-40 but it fits in terms of how far west of DT. The red lights would be obstruction/clearance lights. The Minco wind farm runs in an E - W direction. I am not sure if there is a wind farm north of there.

[Snowman]

If you were fairly close on your distance estimations from downtown, that could happen if El Reno lost power and their traffic lights were flashing, otherwise El Reno should have been a been a landmark from that at night.

[ABryant]

Last fall I was driving late at night through eastern Colorado. Suddenly I was surrounded by strange red flashing lights and thought I was either too tired to drive, having a life changing UFO experience, or somebody slipped me some LSD (like they warned me about in grade school). It turned out it was a huge wind farm. Very cool sight. Slightly off-topic I know, but sometimes it happens.

[kevinpate]

I was out to Arapaho toward the end of summer. Although a day time trip, so no lights to report, I seem to recall wind farm turbines being visible out a ways on both sides of I-40.

[Dulahey]

Those red lights ARE the windmills west of Minco. I drive out there often and have seen them many times.

[kbsooner]

No doubt it was north of downtown OKC, we did not circle on our approach in from the north from DIA. I think it effectively rules out the Minco windfarm. It did occur to me that it could be traffic lights for a smaller town, but I wouldn't think the entire system would be controlled on a single circuit. But I cannot rule that out. There wasn't any linearity to the lights, just didn't look like a traditional OK street grid.

[Bellaboo]

I'd bet 3 bucks it was the Minco wind farm. Coming from Denver, a lot of times they use the northwest/southeast diagonal runway. Your perception was that it was west of OKC, whereas it was actually southwest.

[kbsooner]

I'd bet 3 bucks it was the Minco wind farm. Coming from Denver, a lot of times they use the northwest/southeast diagonal runway. Your perception was that it was west of OKC, whereas it was actually southwest.

I was looking out the plane to the right side (what I interpreted as West) and saw the lights. Once the lights were out of view, I looked across the plane (perceived as East) and saw DT and Devon Tower as we crossed I-40. Then about a minute later we were on the ground at WR. No banking/turning prior to arrival that I remember and I saw all the bldgs from the West side of the airport area that I recognized. It sure seemed like we were bearing directly South... The NW to SE route could be plausible, but flying in so many times to WR I don't think it's the case.

[Bellaboo]

I was looking out the plane to the right side (what I interpreted as West) and saw the lights. Once the lights were out of view, I looked across the plane (perceived as East) and saw DT and Devon Tower as we crossed I-40. Then about a minute later we were on the ground at WR. No banking/turning prior to arrival that I remember and I saw all the bldgs from the West side of the airport area that I recognized. It sure seemed like we were bearing directly South... The NW to SE route could be plausible, but flying in so many times to WR I don't think it's the case.

When you are looking out of the window on the right hand side, if you are coming in on the NW/SE diagonal, it would make you seem to be due looking due West, where in reality you are looking due Southwest. Just as you crossed over I-40, and if you look to the other side, if you are looking straight to the Northeast, you will see downtown. You said there was no banking or turning, that means you did not land on the main North/South runways, you landed on the diagonal. Denver is a straight shot from the Northwest. I want my 3 bucks.......j/k

[Dulahey]

The windfarm isn't southwest of OKC. It's due west. The windmills extend nearly all the way to Hinton along SH-37.

[Bellaboo]

Okay,

My wife told me that while driving on the Kilpatrick that she noticed a wind farm out by Piedmont. She said probably a little northwest of Piedmont, but that she could see them from the turnpike.

I wonder if these are the mysterious blinking lights ?

[kbsooner]

NW of Piedmont would be about right....

[AAC2005]

From my backyard, it looks like it's in the Tuttle/Minco area. Cool to see, but it scared the heck out of me when I first saw them (early morning, before sunrise, no coffee).

[rcjunkie]

From my backyard, it looks like it's in the Tuttle/Minco area. Cool to see, but it scared the heck out of me when I first saw them (early morning, before sunrise, no coffee).

You thought they were coming for you, didn't you. LOL

[woodyrr]

On departure from Will Rogers (runway 30, northwest heading) last Thursday evening, I saw the very large area of perfectly synchronized red lights out my port side window and wondered what it was.

I agree that what I saw would have been in the general Minco area. On climb out, we made a right turn eventually heading south southeast and I didn't see any other concentration of red lights except the north TV antenna farm.

Thanks for the information.

[kbsooner]

Okay,

My wife told me that while driving on the Kilpatrick that she noticed a wind farm out by Piedmont. She said probably a little northwest of Piedmont, but that she could see them from the turnpike.

I wonder if these are the mysterious blinking lights ?

Could this be the new Crossroads wind farm in the paper yesterday? In Dewey Co, would be NW of Watonga. http://bit.ly/A7nljZ

[Bellaboo]

Could this be the new Crossroads wind farm in the paper yesterday? In Dewey Co, would be NW of Watonga. http://bit.ly/A7nljZ

More than likely, cause if they were real close as NW of Piedmont, we'd have heard about it.

I bet that is what you saw.

[OKCNDN]

I was out in El Reno last night. Southwest of the city there were approximately 40 to 50 red lights on towers. They seemed to be closely aligned on a line that stretched from east to west. The area is near the city airport, from the near southeast to the southwest of the airport.

[yukong]

What you saw were the lights on top of the brand new wind farm just northwest of Watonga. There are 30-50 new windmills, and the red beacons on top are synchronized. I have a case in Guymon and over the past few months of travel to and from Guymon, I watched them build that farm. It went up very fast. And just tonight, coming home, I could see them from northwest of Woodward, and then all the way down to the Frisco hill. Without a doubt, that was what you saw Pete.

[Teo9969]

Pete's original guess was 20-30 Miles W and 10 Miles N. It's truly insane how much being even only slightly in the air morphs the perception of distance. From the top of Burj Khalifa the visible horizon is somewhere between 50 and 60 miles away...and that's only some 2700 feet in the air.

[kbsooner]

I saw the "Minco" farm the other night flying in from Chicago. These were definitely not the ones I has originally posted about.

[Questor]

This may be a dumb question... but you last flew in right before Christmas. Is it possible you saw some sort of Christmas light display?

[kbsooner]

This may be a dumb question... but you last flew in right before Christmas. Is it possible you saw some sort of Christmas light display?

Nope, 100% sure it was not Christmas lights. Pretty certain it was the Watonga wind farm noted above.