Bruce From United States of America, joined May 1999, 4989 posts, RR: 21 Posted (8 years 4 months 2 hours ago) and read 3144 times:
I was browsing the contrail shots and I notice a trend - there are many more contrail shots from places in Europe! Even some shots that show more than one contrail. Is that just a coincidence? Or is it due to typical European weather conditions at cruise altitude that are somehow different than in North America? Or, just more European photographers with big-arse lenses who find such things interesting? LOL
Just so I understand this, the longer, thicker contrails that start closer to the plane and go all across the sky are due to higher humidity up there compared to the short thin contrails or even planes that leave no contrail at all?
bruce
Bruce Leibowitz - Birmingham, AL (BHM/KBHM) - Canon 50D/100-400L IS lens
Jetguy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (8 years 3 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 3033 times:
I would assume that it's because European traffic tends to be more concentrated on fixed airways/routings as opposed to here in the States and Canada where direct, point-to-point routings are give much more frequently. It's not that there is a greater propensity for the formation of contrails over Europe, it's just that everyone is "packed" closer together and they are just more apparent. Or, they could be chemtrails to make everybody agree to the proposed new European constitution.
Positive rate From Australia, joined Sep 2001, 2143 posts, RR: 1 Reply 4, posted (8 years 3 months 4 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 3015 times:
I'd say it's probably due to the European weather. Here in Australia where the climate is fairly dry contrails are very rare. I can go for months and not see a single contrail, and then some days the sky seems to be full of them, but that is very rare. I think it looks cool when you have a bright blue sky criss-crossed with contrails intersecting each other.
Bruce From United States of America, joined May 1999, 4989 posts, RR: 21 Reply 5, posted (8 years 3 months 4 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 3014 times:
It does look cool. But today here in Alabama was a beautiful blue sky day mild fall temps. And not one single contrail. must be too dry.
But when they are visible, they're really great.
bruce
Bruce Leibowitz - Birmingham, AL (BHM/KBHM) - Canon 50D/100-400L IS lens
Nudelhirsch From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 1438 posts, RR: 25 Reply 6, posted (8 years 3 months 4 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 2871 times:
It is due to weather, some days it's more, some days less. Shure, traffic density makes it more obvious, also of course the current FL of the AC...
I see contrails, chemtrails and even some other trails everytime over my house here, we live right under a big air-way-crossing...On a lucky day we even have some 737 or 320 heading for FKB pretty close by...
The best view is at this time of the year, when the sky is clear, only *trails to see, and lit orange to deep red, later even some purple, when the sets... For any reason I've never so far tried to catch this stuff on a picture...Some day I think I will...
AA61hvy From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 13946 posts, RR: 63 Reply 7, posted (8 years 3 months 4 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 2852 times:
We get a lot here in DAY in the winter, not in the summer. Unfortunatly we only get S80's 737s. Occasionally we will see a 763 or 777, those are much bigger in contrail size. I have only seen 1 747 contrail. It was real big and real nice, a UA 744...
At DFW we don't see a whole lot, mainly in the winter again..
Bruce From United States of America, joined May 1999, 4989 posts, RR: 21 Reply 8, posted (8 years 3 months 3 weeks 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 2795 times:
So why mainly in winter? I thought that the temperature at high levels is pretty constant -55c all the time, right?
bruce
Bruce Leibowitz - Birmingham, AL (BHM/KBHM) - Canon 50D/100-400L IS lens
Positive rate From Australia, joined Sep 2001, 2143 posts, RR: 1 Reply 9, posted (8 years 3 months 3 weeks 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 2785 times:
Yes 747 contrails certainly stand out, they are much thicker and obviously there are 4 of them. Plus a 747 can be heard flying over even at 30,000+ feet. It makes a real deep rumbling sound where if you are directly underneath you will hear it. One thing i've never seen though is contrails from a Tri-jet such as a 727, that would look pretty interesting i think.
B747skipper From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 10, posted (8 years 3 months 3 weeks 6 days 1 hour ago) and read 2723 times:
Many contrails...? Simply because of the traffic density, in many areas of Europe... in particular, the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands area...
That traffic is pretty heavy too along Italy, proceeding towards Greece...
xxx
No difference in the USA or areas where traffic is heavy... I am certain that the New York City to Chicago area, viewed from the ground, must have a lot of contrails as well...
xxx
Talking about contrails... I always sign off with "Happy Contrails"...
(s) Skipper
Zak From Greenland, joined Sep 2003, 1990 posts, RR: 11 Reply 11, posted (8 years 3 months 3 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 2662 times:
@positive rate
the 744 usually has its 2 contrails per wing merge into one shortly behind the plane. if you see a 4 pieced contrail chances are its a 340 as its one of the most common 4 holers next to the 744.
taking a look in the a.net pics database will show u the effect of the 747 contrail merge on all 747 pictures.
Luxair From Luxembourg, joined Jan 2001, 705 posts, RR: 2 Reply 12, posted (8 years 3 months 3 weeks 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 2647 times:
Here in the Netherlands, alot of contrails can be seen in the sky no matter which season of the year!!! And to be honest it can even be bad because in the summer somethimes the contrails are forming a kind of very intense smog that you can't see the sun anymore!!! I can even remember one day during the summer that our local TV channel presenting the daily weather report announced a nice warm and clear of clouds sky but they mentionned also that the sky will not be clear during the whole day because of the high airtraffic and that some kind of high altitude hazard must be expected during the afternoon!!! But at my place let's say a few miles from the atlantic coast I can observe very often big four wholers and even from time to time some big three wholers contrails heading the atlantic to crossing over the big pond!!!
Jwenting From Netherlands, joined Apr 2001, 10208 posts, RR: 25 Reply 13, posted (8 years 3 months 3 weeks 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 2586 times:
it is indeed chemtrails.
Europeans need constant conditioning or they'll rebel against their rulers, so much more spraying is needed here than in most of the rest of the world.
Nudelhirsch From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 1438 posts, RR: 25 Reply 14, posted (8 years 3 months 3 weeks 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 2554 times:
I saw DC10/MD11 contrails several times...it's weird, as I am now used to 2 or 4 engine layouts...look almost like somthing's missing, but then it's well spread along the AC, so it looks still harmonic...it's though!
I was working at the north sea coast, where the birds for HAM made a 180°turn back to HAM...fascinating...
Prebennorholm From Denmark, joined Mar 2000, 5739 posts, RR: 56 Reply 15, posted (8 years 3 months 3 weeks 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 2485 times:
Here in Scandinavia the air is generally more humid than at most places, and when the sky happens to be blue (which happens far too seldom) then we see thick contrails all over.
But not today. Today is very cold with a dry wind directly from the North Pole. On my way back from work I noticed two or three very small contrails which seemed to evaporate two or three inches behind the plane. That is very rarely seen here.
Always keep your number of landings equal to your number of take-offs, Preben Norholm
Donder10 From Canada, joined Oct 2001, 6658 posts, RR: 27 Reply 16, posted (8 years 3 months 3 weeks 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 2486 times:
would assume that it's because European traffic tends to be more concentrated on fixed airways/routings as opposed to here in the States and Canada where direct, point-to-point routings are give much more frequently
I'm not sure about the rest of Europe but the UK contollers are very good with giving direct routings.LHR in particular has lots of contrails as we are on the G1 airway which goes from Belgium to Ireland and picks up lots of transatlantic traffic.Also,we get Nordic-Spain charter traffic and Manchester inbouds/outbounds galore.
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