PETALUMA, CA — A slow, silent giant drifted across Sonoma County skies, prompting residents to stop, stare, and post.
When questions spread across social media, authorities had an answer. The “big ole blimp” was real—but it wasn’t from another world.
Residents in Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, and Sebastopol who spotted a mysterious aircraft over Sonoma County last week were watching a test flight, not a UFO.
The Petaluma Police Department identified the aircraft this week as Pathfinder-1. It is an experimental airship developed by LTA Research. The prototype completed test flights aimed at pushing the limits of lighter-than-air travel.
According to The Press Democrat, the aircraft appeared over Sonoma County on the morning of April 8, prompting sightings between 10 a.m. and noon. Witnesses described a slow-moving craft resembling a blimp as it crossed the region.
Instead of an obelisk like a UFO, the vessel was a long oval, shaped like a blimp but larger, surrounded by a sort of fuzzy halo of light.
The airship, Pathfinder-1, launched around 8:30 a.m. from Moffett Federal Airfield and remained airborne for nearly four hours, according to flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange, the Press Democrat reported.
Developed by LTA Research and backed by Sergey Brin, Pathfinder-1 is a “lighter-than-air” vessel larger than the Hindenburg.
Take note, Petaluma police: while the more than 400-foot-long vessel (the largest aircraft of its kind) appears similar to a blimp, the prototype is electric. Understandably, the responsible parties would like to distance themselves from blimps and especially the Hindenburg.
Technically, the Pathfinder-1 is classified as a dirigible, distinguished from a blimp by a rigid internal framework (made of carbon fiber tubes and titanium joints) and fueled helium (instead of the hydrogen).
The airship is the brainchild of Alan Weston, who founded (or co-founded according to different versions) LTA Research in 2013 with funding from Brin with the goal of reviving dirigible travel for cargo, disaster aid, and “low-impact travel.”
LTA has been testing at Moffett Field since 2023. The company is looking toward larger, faster designs that could reach 80–100 knots, according to the company website.
The design has caused confusion since its first flight.
Below, on the ground, Petaluma police encouraged residents who see something unusual, like the Pathfinder, to check official alert systems. The department encouraged people to sign up for Nixle to receive verified emergency updates, advisories, and community messages.