Unusual Contrails Baffle Southern Coloradans

I thought all you chemtrail / contrail lovers out there would love this story. You don't see chemtrails / contrails talked about very much in MSM. These are at least fairly interesting compared to most of the ones I have seen.

Enjoy....
www.koaa.com...
Answers scarce as unusual contrails baffle Southern Coloradans

Unusual vapor trails in the skies over Southern Colorado Monday morning baffled skyward-looking residents and little to no explanation has been provided by agencies in charge of monitoring airspace in the area.

Viewer-submitted photos show a bizarre looping type of contrail over Pueblo Monday morning. Meanwhile, U-turn contrails were visible for miles to thousands of residents across Southern Colorado as up to a dozen planes and contrails could be observed simultaneously across the sky. A spokesperson for the Colorado Springs airport said tower operators were not aware of any unusual activity. A Federal Aviation Administration representative also said the agency was unaware of anything out of the ordinary. NORAD also told News 5 that it was not monitoring anything unusual

Anyone have any explainations for these? I really don't know much about contrail science, but I thought these would be interesting for those that follow these stories.

They look like the results of holding patterns for aircraft.

When an aircraft is held in a 'stack', the aircraft will fly an oval track in the sky but with each loop dropping in height.

Hence your picture shows multiple loops but each loop spaced between each other.

The trail shows up due to moisture in the air.
Nothing unusual here.

here is a little more info from another news sight apparently now airtraffic control says it was a plane but there were not in contact with the tower.

www.krdo.com...

It appears to be a holding pattern or someone orbiting the area for some reason (filming, testing, etc).
Compare the shape to the classic holding pattern: Holding (Aviation)

When PB or someone better at using flight tracker software sees this today you'll most likely get your answer.

reply to post by N3kr0m4nc3r


That's because the tower does not talk to planes that high. That plane was probably talking to Center. Also those look like holding pattern contrails.

You know, if I had access to a suitable aircraft, and the time and money, I think I'd have quite a bit of fun whenever conditions were conducive for persistent contrails to form - though not saying that this was necessarily a 'teaser'

reply to post by diddy1234

The representative with the Colorado Springs Airport says the plane was not in contact with the control tower at the airport and was not in airport controlled air space. NORAD also said the plane was not associated with their operations.

How could they be in a holding pattern if the plane was not in contact with the control tower?

I have a general understanding of how contrails are formed, but this statement from the Colorodo Springs Airport doesn't make sense if you are correct about it being from a plane in a holding pattern.

reply to post by isyeye


Is Colorado Springs the only airport in Arizona and surrounding States? Contrails can drift hundreds of miles with the wind and I would also assume it's possible for an aircraft to be in a holding pattern other than immediately above the airport at which it is waiting to land.

Originally posted by isyeye
How could they be in a holding pattern if the plane was not in contact with the control tower?

Because aircraft only talk to the control tower when they are in the airports controlled area, when they are outside that area they are in contact with other centers if they are IFR. If they are VFR then they don't have to be in contact with anyone at all.

Originally posted by isyeye
reply to post by diddy1234

 

The representative with the Colorado Springs Airport says the plane was not in contact with the control tower at the airport and was not in airport controlled air space. NORAD also said the plane was not associated with their operations.

How could they be in a holding pattern if the plane was not in contact with the control tower?

I have a general understanding of how contrails are formed, but this statement from the Colorodo Springs Airport doesn't make sense if you are correct about it being from a plane in a holding pattern.

This is why:

FAAO 7110.65 CLASS D- Generally, that airspace from the surface to 2,500 feet above the airport elevation (charted in MSL) surrounding those airports that have an operational control tower. The configuration of each Class D airspace area is individually tailored and when instrument procedures are published, the airspace will normally be designed to contain the procedures. Arrival extensions for instrument approach procedures may be Class D or Class E airspace. Unless otherwise authorized, each person must establish two-way radio communications with the ATC facility providing air traffic services prior to entering the airspace and thereafter maintain those communications while in the airspace. No separation services are provided to VFR aircraft.


Here is a good video link for holding patterns too www.youtube.com...

reply to post by defcon5

That makes sense. Like I said, I know just the basics about contrail science, and even less about how aircraft and flight patterns work. Thanks for the education!

reply to post by isyeye


Not a problem, even for someone that has worked around aviation for years figuring out airspace can be a pain in the butt.

Actually most folks think that the guys in the tower are controlling all the flights simply because its the most publicly visible structure to an airport. However, in reality they control very little of what goes on in during a flight. Their job is that they can see from that point if the runway and taxi ways are clear for the aircraft of make its final approach, departure, taxi, and push-back from the gate. The tower really only handles ground clearance.

They hand off almost immediately to a radar controller who is not in the tower but seated in a building usually somewhere below the tower called a TRACON. That controller is going to direct that aircraft to a certain location in the sky where he can be handed off to a Center once that aircraft reaches a certain distance from the airport (20 to 50 miles out). Centers are located all around the country so they can cover all the airspace between airports.

Of course there are entirely different rules if the aircraft was flying VFR or in military controlled airspace.

Those trails have been discussed in this thread yesterday:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Originally posted by Uncinus
He's flying a racetrack hold. The odd pattern is due to the racetrack hold being blown sideways by the wind. These holding patterns can be planes doing test flights or for practice. They can also happen to commercial airliners 100s of miles from their destination due to distant weather holds.

Here's an explanation of the racetrack shape:
contrailscience.com...

Here's a video showing lots of racetracks due to bad weather hundreds of miles away (several in the middle at 0:16 and then lots on the coast at 0:26, and at other spots)

Here's an example of a test plane making these
contrailscience.com...

Here's a simulator that shows how the patterns form with different wind speeds and directions
contrailscience.com...

edit on 2-1-2012 by Uncinus because: typos

Originally posted by diddy1234
They look like the results of holding patterns for aircraft.

When an aircraft is held in a 'stack', the aircraft will fly an oval track in the sky but with each loop dropping in height.

Hence your picture shows multiple loops but each loop spaced between each other.

The trail shows up due to moisture in the air.
Nothing unusual here.

That's exactly what it is; it was aircraft holding in patterns waiting to land at one of the busiest airports in the US, Denver International, on one of the busiest airline travel days, they Monday after News Years day (the official New Years day). You can listen to ATC online and hear them being put into holding patterns. If this would have happened in June when the upper atmosphere was warmer and less moist, no one would have noticed.

reply to post by Drew99GT


Yes:

You can listen to ATC online and hear them being put into holding patterns.

Here it is: LiveATC.net

That ^ ^ ^ is the home page. Let's enter a facility to listen to: Denver (KDEN)

Now, you have a menu of choices to click on.

Down near the bottom you have Denver Center (ZDV) frequencies listed. Looks like there are "audio archives" there too, for anyone who wishes to browse.....

reply to post by ProudBird


Thank you so much for that link. I didn't realize that something like that existed. I can see myself spending quite alot of time listening to what's happening on there.