TIGHAR
Chatterbox => Extraneous exchanges => Topic started by: Jeffrey Pearce on November 28, 2014, 12:12:22 AM
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I took the two photographs shown. One is actually the result of my zooming in of another photograph and saving the resultant image. There are three contrails shown. I can see what is producing two of the contrails. The source of the third contrail, the one closest to the front of the aircraft, is not apparent to me.
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It's four contrails, not three...look at the tip of the third one and you can see it actually has two tips. The second contrail also passes just in front of the tail, not on the other side. The angle makes it look like the "third" one is under the plane, but it's really on the other side; the Sun angle doesn't help as it's made the third and fourth contrails blend together. To me, that looks like an Airbus 580 from the shape of the nose, which is a four engine airplane.
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Good analysis, Dr. Riddle.
Beautiful photo, Jeffrey P. You caught one of those 'common' sights that we tend to take for granted far too often, caused us to stop and think about it. It's not until someone sees it and shares the wonder it it that most of us will pause and think about what we're really seeing: many tons of metal, people and goods gliding along on a carpet of clear air, leaving a streak of ice crystals in its wake to remind us of the incredible effort expended with human-designed efficiency to make all that stuff move along a path of flight at speeds that only the most visionary could dream of a century ago.
Despite a lifetime of learning and exposure, it's still a human miracle every time I watch one soar. I'm with Lewis Grizzard on airplanes to this day - it is still hard to believe that something much bigger and heavier than a Greyhoind bus can leave the ground and fly through the air like that... ;)
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Thank you Dr Riddle for the information you provided in your November 28 post. Yes, I did notice the two spikes on what I called the third contrail right after I took a look at my posting of the photos.
I spent some time on Google looking up pictures of the Airbus 580. This may very well sound impossible to you but I was not able to find a picture that was definitely identified as an Airbus 580. Maybe you have some insight concerning my coming up with nothing to show for my effort.
Jeff
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I wonder if Dr. Riddle meant "380" - try that.
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My first impression was that it might be a modified 747 known as the Dreamlifter. I can sort of make out a "double bubble" in the forward fuselage.
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Yes, I meant 380 (and it's really the A380), just a typo. The new Airbus jumbo has that sort of sloping nose and an extended body, but at that angle the Dreamlifter may be an option, and the tail actually looks more like the 747 than A380.
Also, take a look at (http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TTDb9ew_ItU/0.jpg), that's an A380 with a similar view of the contrails (without the Sun), you can see how the two on the opposite side blend into one from that angle.