Unusual, high speed, high altitude flyby over populated area - with possible picture bonus content.

Whoo, hoo. Took me 4 years to get full 20 posts, but finally I can start my own threads. (sorry that's Scotch is talking).

Not like I had anything interesting to put in here anyway. Hopefully, this will be at least a bit worth of your time.

Today, while I was walking a streets of one of the nicer cities in central Europe, I noticed an interesting view. A contrail of two planes, flying at high altitude, with high speed following each other. From my perspective, both planes were aligned on the same path, and at the beginning of the sighting, flying with the same speed. Few seconds into the sighting, I realized that the second plane is accelerating and gaining on the first plane. The planes were flying next to each other for a few second, what from my perspective looked like one plane with one thick contrail. Than they separated, and one was flying over another, until I lost them behind some tall trees and buildings.

What to me is so unusual about it is:

1. Living in a large metropolitan areas in US and Europe, with a lot of people, and large commercial airports nearby I have never seen an air traffic pattern like this. I stare in the skies all the time... Maybe I would live nearby the military airport, or training grounds, I would see fighter planes chasing each other, and could compare it with it - don't know.
2. The planes were going really fast. There is a regular commercial airliner in the first photo (top right) and this one was going real slow. The whole siting lasted lass then five minutes.

Photos were taken with my new smartphone with sophisticated build in camera...After few edits, I uploaded a smaller version of the photos into the post.




Now, the "possible bonus content".

When I uploaded photos on my computer, looked at the first one and noticed a weird glare, which I categorized as a sun glare. Without thinking too much, I moved to the second one, taken from the same spot, maybe with a minimally different camera angle, I have noticed another similar glare just positioned differently on the photo. Went back to the first one, noticed weirdly curved purple halo, next to the round orb.
I take a lot of pictures, with smartphone and DSL-R cameras with different lenses. I am no pro, so can't elaborate much about glares etc. I can tell you one thing, I never got this weird glares like this before. Plus when there are glares, their curvature is usually parallel and consistent with the curvature of the sun.

a reply to: Raczek

Oh yeah that is also a Bigfoot.
You can tell by the main that it's not a southern skunk ape variety.

a reply to: FinalCountdown

Whoops wrong thread

a reply to: Raczek

originally posted by: Raczek
helix

Where did it fly over? Article, link, personal story?

Anything...

What's a helix?

Sorry, messed something up, re posting, having problems with photos.

a reply to: FinalCountdown

Sounds like a tanker and receiver meeting up. Some of the bombers heading to the ME may be going over that way.

If you uploaded the picture to ATS the all you have to do is copy and past the link in the box labeled "BBcode for use in post:" in your post.

Easy peasy.

Nevermind, looks like you figured it out.

Sounds like a tanker and receiver meeting up.

Going so fast? I would imagine that my tanker would fly slower, comparable with the commercial airliner which I noticed moving a lot slower. The airliner was kind of directly over me. Visible on the 1st photo (top right corner). Anyway, I might have to figure out the way to put the original size photos on.


a reply to: Zaphod58

a reply to: Raczek

Speed can be deceptive. I've watched what I was sure were military aircraft giving over at a high rate of speed and had it turn out to be an E190 or 737.

East to West or West to East?

That's most likely from the description of the join up, but it could have been a flight of two of something. Fighters from nearby or bombers heading somewhere.

I did not tell they were military - don't know what were they. Maybe two reach guys were racing their new jets...don't know if its possible with European FAA (or however it is called here).

They were heading NNW, or simply N.

a reply to: Zaphod58

a reply to: Raczek

My bet is military, or ex military. I can't think of many private aircraft that would be flying like that that are capable of contrail altitudes.

ATC anywhere would freak out over non-military aircraft flown like that, unless they were a display team.

So it could be something interesting.

Another question for you. Few days back I sent you U2U. Did you get it by any chance, but did not reply - I won't mind if you did not reply, just curious if the U2U was working for me.

a reply to: Zaphod58

a reply to: Raczek

Huh, I thought I answered that.

a reply to: Raczek

You got any filters on your lens? I've used uv and polarized filters and they sometimes leave glares from bright lights. That's what it looks like to me I've seen many similar marks in my photos and videos.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Raczek

Huh, I thought I answered that.

Not sure what answer are you speaking of ?

I was very "social" with my threads today, and have to admit that it was artificially induced by a gold liquid poured from a green bottle. In no way my accounts where affected. I did a whole bunch of edits, but edited only type-o's and grammar errors.

a reply to: Raczek

I mean I thought I answered your U2U. Been a little busy so I might have meant to and forgot. I replied a few minutes ago.

I have different filters on my DSL-R lenses. Never seen anything like this before.

Photo was taken with IPhone 6, no filter just this new camera which I yet did not have a chance to test properly.

You have to admit that that glares are minimal, with a lot of details visible, and the camera lens pointed directly into the sun.

But I am not sure myself.

a reply to: mindseye1609

Sorry, but, all I see are a bunch of wires and sun glare. Could you not have stepped forward 10 or 15 feet to clear the wires and change angles for a better shot?

a reply to: Raczek

I'd be willing to wager the new iPhone has some kind of built in filter layer on its lense. With it being so compact and closeness to the chip it would more then likely ammolify the size and strength of the glare.

And yes that is a great photo for an iPhone looking into the sun. I've taken some at concerts with my iphone5 and they look better then ones from any of my professional cameras. Apple definitely has low and high light situations covered.