Flyabunch From United States of America, joined Nov 2004, 513 posts, RR: 5 Reply 1, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 days ago) and read 4593 times:
This phenomenon happens quite frequently in humid climates. The outside moisture enters the plane thru the open doorway and the moisture is picked up by the air conditioning and blown around. It usually freaks out people that have not seen it. There is actually enough moisture that when you put your hand in the air stream, it will get wet.
The moisture usually dissipates after the doors are closed. If there is a real excess of moisture, sometimes it doesn't go away until after takeoff.
I used to call TPA my home airport and I saw this situation a lot in the humid summer months.
EMBQA From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 9292 posts, RR: 12 Reply 2, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 days ago) and read 4578 times:
This was just asked a few days back... If the weather conditions are right and the humidity is high this will happen. VERY-VERY common in the summer time
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog"
Hiflyer From United States of America, joined Nov 2004, 2123 posts, RR: 4 Reply 4, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 days ago) and read 4562 times:
Don't know why but I see it far more on airbus products down in Florida than on any other....have seen an almost white out on the 320 just after deplaning...grin!
SAS333 From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 23 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 days ago) and read 4546 times:
Some years ago, I have seen it on a Qantas 717 in BNE. Some people start really to freak out, until the captain did an announcement.
When you see it in reality, it looks just fantastic.
SkyexRamper From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 6, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 4443 times:
There have been many times when the F/A on our jets would open the door and the "fog" comes pouring down the steps, kind of freaky to see. Not to mention on the hot days you can see the a/c flowing up the cockpit windows.
JetBlueGuy2006 From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 1615 posts, RR: 2 Reply 7, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 21 hours ago) and read 4290 times:
Yeah, I flew back from PHF and that happened on my FL Flight from ATL to FNT
Home Airport: Capital Region International Airport (KLAN)
Nomadic From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 399 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 4276 times:
I have seen it once in a while on various aircraft but it happened EVERY time I have flown on a Pulkovo Aviation IL-86.
Moscow & St. Petersburg can get very humid during the summer but I am beginning to think it might have more to do with the actual ventilation system.
Sulman From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 2029 posts, RR: 35 Reply 9, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 4270 times:
Falstaff From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 5708 posts, RR: 29 Reply 10, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 4248 times:
I used to have a 64 Mercury Comet that would do that when you first turned on the AC after getting in on a very hot and humid St. Louis summer day. Never seen it on a plane, that is cool! Literally.
Outlier From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 11, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 4242 times:
Fly around Hawaii and you'll see fog on many occaisions.
The first time I noticed it, I asked the guy next to me:
Are we making a movie?
My mother tells a story of a SEA-HNL flight on Pan Am where
"It rained. I'm telling you it rained" Uh huh, ok ma, whatever!
Took me a few years to believe her.
Zeke From Hong Kong, joined Dec 2006, 7770 posts, RR: 73 Reply 12, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 4133 times:
Quoting EMBQA (Reply 2): This was just asked a few days back... If the weather conditions are right and the humidity is high this will happen. VERY-VERY common in the summer time
SP90 From United States of America, joined May 2006, 386 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 4057 times:
Happens to me a lot when I turn on the a/c in my car during the hot and humid days. I see white smoke blowing out of the vents. Its almost like the vents are the engine exhaust ports and their pulling contrails.
Markabcan From Canada, joined Dec 2005, 205 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 4047 times:
Just happened to me on a Northwest Airbus 320, MSP-YYC! It was crazy inside the cabin at MSP, white vapor going everywhere. Cleared up sometime during taxi.
Lucky42 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 16, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 3941 times:
Quoting Zeke (Reply 12): My mother tells a story of a SEA-HNL flight on Pan Am where
"It rained. I'm telling you it rained" Uh huh, ok ma, whatever!
Took me a few years to believe her.
Anyone who has flown on an NW DC-9 a lot and were in the last rows in the summer will probably tell you they got wet....water would collect on hot humid days and when the a/c rotated they would get a waterfall effect in the last rows coming out of the PSU's. After NW went to the new interiors in the DC-9 the fasten seat belt sign and F/A call button were all controlled in each row were controlled with a curcuit board so when this would get wet would would see the call chime and reading lights in a particular row would go on and off....
LongHauler From Canada, joined Mar 2004, 4316 posts, RR: 36 Reply 18, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 3658 times:
Take it even further .... after airborne, as the packs achieve full efficiency with engine bleed source as opposed to APU bleed source, and it starts SNOWING in the cabin.
I see it alot after departure from BGI in an A319.
Never gonna grow up, never gonna slow down .... Barefoot Blue Jean Night
Lufthansi From Germany, joined May 2002, 454 posts, RR: 2 Reply 19, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 3643 times:
In TAM's A330s I got ice-cubes served through the instrument panel outlets of the air conditioning. That's cool! But it only works when it's very hot at CDG and when the pack selector switches are in high position and temp. selectors to cold.
MD80fanatic From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 2639 posts, RR: 10 Reply 20, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 3632 times:
That is water vapour, and it's inside the cabin at all times (even if in the desert). Assuming normal flight pressures...when this vapour is cooled by the air conditioning vent it will momentarily condense into a liquid that is visible. Once the now-liquid water warms again, past the air conditioning stream, it will re-evaporate into it's normal invisible gaseous state.
Zeke From Hong Kong, joined Dec 2006, 7770 posts, RR: 73 Reply 21, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 3614 times:
Quoting LongHauler (Reply 18): Take it even further .... after airborne, as the packs achieve full efficiency with engine bleed source as opposed to APU bleed source, and it starts SNOWING in the cabin.
I see it alot after departure from BGI in an A319.
Pack flow reduces with engine bleed, on HIGH with APU/ext high press, NORM with engines.
Quoting MD80fanatic (Reply 20): That is water vapour, and it's inside the cabin at all times (even if in the desert). Assuming normal flight pressures...when this vapour is cooled by the air conditioning vent it will momentarily condense into a liquid that is visible. Once the now-liquid water warms again, past the air conditioning stream, it will re-evaporate into it's normal invisible gaseous state.
That will depend on the relative humudity and temperature split from dew point.
We are addicted to our thoughts. We cannot change anything if we cannot change our thinking – Santosh Kalwar
IDISA From Italy, joined Jun 2004, 259 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 3590 times:
This phenomenon had happened to me once on a HAV-FCO flight, while at the gate, doors closed and pushback started. Some clouds of vapor started soaring and I remember an old lady sat next to me being freaking out and asked me what was happening...
26 KPDX: I saw this cool phenomenon when we were in our Frontier A319 taxing for our flight to DEN from DFW. KPDX
27 United_fan: I saw it last week on my ASA CR7 flight to ATL . Neat to see.
28 Cadet57: As others have said, its condensation from the outside. It has happened on both US flights I took to AUA; Shameless self plug ahead MyAviation.net pho
29 SkyTaxi: On a return flight from Mexico our plane had to stop in Monterrey (Mexico) for fuel,We sat on the tarmac for maybe an hour before the fuel truck showe
30 Scbriml: I've seen this quite often, but I must say that I can only ever remember seeing it happen on Airbus planes.
31 Afay1: I too have only seen it (vapor) on Airbus planes, but have seen actual water dripping from various Soviet aircraft.
32 Zeke: The selector has no effect on the ground at all with the APU only running, if you are doing it "to quickly cool the cabin down" (non standard) after
33 Jetfan: I have seen it raining on a DL 732 in MSY! FAs started to give out blankets, because at some seats it was raining onto passengers and some seats were
34 Brenintw: I've seen this a few times on B744's -- most obviously a full SQ flight from SIN - TPE -- the poor child sitting next to me was getting very wet. I e
35 MSPGUY: I was sitting in the last row of a NW DC10 MSP-LGW and had this happen upon desent in LGW. The F/A's were joking with me that NorthWest inculds a fre
36 LongHauler: I say again .... once airborne .... engine bleeds .... APU not an issue here!
37 EmSeeEye: The Challenger CL600's (600, 601 and 604) are notorious for doing this. More than once the big wigs who owned the planes look back when driving off an
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