>>1491
>Although the issue is that some possibilities leading to such exotic modes of propulsion are quite expensive to fabricate and test
Not all of them are. The lifters popularized by JLN among others have been replicated throughout the world and its easy enough to build one. A lot of effects have been downplayed, like static electricity.
>While I do believe that this technology exists to some capacity; I feel that having more data on such phenomena would solidify the desire to push forward with experimentation
I've studied all of the information I could get my hands on related to this for at least 10 years. The lifter design was the tip of an iceberg of information and possibilities which eventually convinced me that it could be made into something more practical.
>If all of the videos were fabricated then it wouldn't really contribute towards any solid scientific understanding of the operation of such craft
The ideas had to come from somewhere and usually there's some truth to a notion if there's been a lot of sightings and experiences of it.
From my studies I've got the impression that there are many ways to accomplish these abilities or features mentioned in the OP, some of them we have some ideas about while not knowing anything much about others, except that there's something unexplained going on.
A balloon with balancing could be made in the shape of cube, pyramid or tetrahedron
There's also this thing called an Omnicopter;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIi80LMLJSY
Both of these would be pretty silent and maneuverable, but most likely neither would be what's inferred by the OP, since it would have to be built quite large and still be fast and possibly appearing and disappearing from sight. But it shows that there are many ways to make things like that, even given tech that we're used to (as an example).