Photos of Planes and Contrails (That you took yourself)

What I find most striking is how, from the ground, the aircraft appeared almost directly above me yet is shown to be some 10-15miles to my east. I had maybe a 10/15 degree tilt on the camera from vertical.
I've taken the FR2083 flight track from FlightAware (attached) and displayed it in Google Earth. At the closest approach the aircraft was about 10 km away and 11.2 km above, which gives the actual camera tilt being about 42-45°. However, the aircraft was banking to the left at the time, tilting away from you, therefore you could see more of her underside than in a straight flight at the same distance and altitude.
Screen Shot 2016-05-17 at 13.15.53.png

PS It was not a Dreamliner, which is Boeing 787.
 

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I've taken the FR2003 flight track from FlightAware (attached) and displayed it in Google Earth. At the closest approach the aircraft was about 10 km away and 11.2 km above, which gives the actual camera tilt being about 42-45°. However, the aircraft was banking to the left at the time, tilting away from you, therefore you could see more of her underside than in a straight flight at the same distance and altitude.

Come to think of camera angle, I may have been confused with the screen and 40/45 degrees does seem quite plausible. As for the dreamliner faux pas, that's what it showed as the livery - still learning the FR24 nuances of using stock photos. But I'm also unclear when you say FR2003 flight track, whereas my screengrab shows FR2083 - is that a typo?
 
Come to think of camera angle, I may have been confused with the screen and 40/45 degrees does seem quite plausible.

45° is generally steeper than you think. It does not sound very steep, as it's "only" half way up. But it's actually quite a neck-craning angle. Try using a theodolite app to get a better sense of the angles.
 
45° is generally steeper than you think. It does not sound very steep, as it's "only" half way up. But it's actually quite a neck-craning angle. Try using a theodolite app to get a better sense of the angles.

I can estimate elevation angles quite accurately Mick but I was estimating from memory after noticing the distances shown on FR24 the next day and, as mentioned, having a rotating viewing screen also likely muddled my estimate though I suspect I'd stopped recording before it got as low 45 degrees. (I need to check the camera clock for accuracy).
 
Thank you for info. I came across your youtube video and those of your fellow Cambridge planespotters and read the comments after I updated my previous post. An earlier explanation of the diversion to STN that I could found was the CBGs runway isn't long enough for A330 landing in wet weather. No technical problems was mentioned. If there was a problem, then perhaps PH-IBC will stay at CBG for longer. I'd like to take the opportunity and ask you a question. How do you know in advance when an interesting aircraft arrives/departs CBG? Is there a public site where one can find this information?

Hey! No they can land in the rain quite happily. They made a pan pan over the radio, after a landing checks showed a flap lock problem thus the divert. Glad you like the videos, one of the videos online of PH-IBC is actually someone nicking mine and spotting mate Daves video claiming it for there own. I know hardly in advance but they post NOTAMs showing a heavy arrival/pushback/engine start as they have to tug them on and of the runway atm till the taxi ways are compete. There is a form out there that posts times for CBG.
 
Hey! No they can land in the rain quite happily. They made a pan pan over the radio, after a landing checks showed a flap lock problem thus the divert. Glad you like the videos, one of the videos online of PH-IBC is actually someone nicking mine and spotting mate Daves video claiming it for there own. I know hardly in advance but they post NOTAMs showing a heavy arrival/pushback/engine start as they have to tug them on and of the runway atm till the taxi ways are compete. There is a form out there that posts times for CBG.

For those of us not familiar


pan-pan
ˈpanpan/
noun
  1. an international radio distress signal, of less urgency than a mayday signal.
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Yet another Hercules (C-130J?) in our sky today afternoon. Unusually, its tailfin was painted not in a camouflage pattern, but in red, yellow and blue with a picture of what I think is the demoiselle crane:
Screen Shot 2016-05-18 at 19.47.36.png
Does anybody have an idea what it belongs to?
 
Yet another Hercules (C-130J?) in our sky today afternoon. Unusually, its tailfin was painted not in a camouflage pattern, but in red, yellow and blue with a picture of what I think is the demoiselle crane:
Screen Shot 2016-05-18 at 19.47.36.png
Does anybody have an idea what it belongs to?


Tail code 'M' appears to be training squadrons. I think you're likely right though. Can't seem to find another pic of this bird.
 
Tail code 'M' appears to be training squadrons. I think you're likely right though. Can't seem to find another pic of this bird.
It arrived home yesterday:
Number 47 Squadron Centenary Tail Art by RAF Brize Norton, on Flickr
A Royal Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules, ZH880, painted in No. 47 Squadron colours to celebrate the Squadron's Centenary, arriving at it's home base RAF Brize Norton.
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Tail code 'M' appears to be training squadrons. I think you're likely right though. Can't seem to find another pic of this bird.

There will be a heavy in tomorrow at around 730am-830am.
 

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I wouldn't have thought that was the case either! Apparently the runway is 6,447ft long. Looks like at sea level on a dry runway it's just about long enough for the max landing weight of a 747-400.



If they nail the landing!

Looks like the jumbos are maintained at CBG?

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/INC...ge-Airport/story-22821258-detail/story.html#1

An airport spokesman said: “We have had Boeing 777s at the airport many times before, and in fact aircraft bigger than that, Boeing 747s – jumbo jets.
“In the 1940s, 50s and 60s, we carried out maintenance on large aeroplanes such as the Vickers Valiant and VC10, and in the 1960s, began work on the RAF’s Hercules fleet.
“In 1982, we began servicing TriStars for the RAF, which are about the same size as a Boeing 777, and in the 1990s, Boeing 747s.
“Whenever a large aircraft comes in, we use traffic lights to halt the trafifc because of the aircraft’s wake, turbulence which can affect cyclists on the ground.”
He said aircraft coming in to land always followed a three degree glide path, and that large ones often appeared much closer to the ground than they actually were.
The spokesman added: “The arrival of these bigger aircraft is part of the maintenance contract work we have, on which many jobs depend.”
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Bigger.. We have had an AN-124 at Cambridge before and can go up to 744/A346 commercial wise.
 
a few snaps found in my other work camera, sos no history of aircraft sourced a mild halo with some trail shadow and um whats this effect called again when a planes trail splits open cloud cover


IMGP7473.JPG IMGP7472.JPG
 
It's a distrail where the plane makes a clear line in cloud - but those look like shadows.


ah yes ok thanks i was being a tad lazy not looking it up myself and yes looking more carefully its more so trail shadow than distrail
 
Boeing E-3 Sentry (AWACS) flying over today afternoon
IMG_4272.JPG
and its contrail
IMG_4274.JPG

Unfortunately, I could not get a sharper image of the aircraft through the high thin cloud :(
 
Last night, June 11, 2016, starting about 5:00 pm pacific time, I noticed a couple of planes laying down some aerodynamic contrails. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera ready, so this was taken a few minutes after the second plane passed.

DSCF1208.jpg

To the left was QR740, to the right CI5.

QR740.jpg
CI5.jpg

I was able to capture EY170 laying a decent aerodynamic contrail, but as the cirrostratus layer thickened it became more difficult to see the planes.

DSCF1225.jpg

EY170.jpg



It was about this time, I began to notice the distrails, I was not able to identify the specific planes creating them.

DSCF1220.jpg
DSCF1232.jpg
DSCF1236.jpg
DSCF1237.jpg
 
What I find most striking is how, from the ground, the aircraft appeared almost directly above me yet is shown to be some 10-15miles to my east. I had maybe a 10/15 degree tilt on the camera from vertical.

36Kftcontrail.JPG

I have also been caught out by that so now if I see a plane and think it is directly above me I put my hand straight up (as long as nobody is around of course otherwise I look like a dill) and it is amazing how it shows it is not as straight above as first thought. Then it helps to more clearly see the direction. I think I learnt that here somewhere.
 
Instead of taking photo of a B747 contrail, I videoed it and made an interesting observation that could be easily missed otherwise. A very short aerodynamic contrail formed behind in addition to the engine exhaust contrails when the plane hit a small parcel of wetter air (at 0:10):

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClfQXHeKZ4k

In about a minute, the remaining parts of the contrails were in that parcel and also entrained in the wake vortices ("hybrid" contrails).
 
A DC-10 tanker passing over my house on the way to the Dutch Fire near Lake Isabella, CA. 7:30 pm, June 18.

DSCF1385.JPG

DC-10.jpg



‪#‎DutchFire‬: At 6:11 PM, KCFD received multiple calls for a grass fire on the west side of Hwy 155 in the French Gulch drainage. When crews arrived on scene, the fire was burning approximately 10 acres of grass and brush with a moderate rate of spread and structures immediately threatened. A first alarm wildland response as well as an additional task force of 3 engines and 2 patrols was dispatched to help protect 20 immediately threatened homes with the potential of 60 homes. Ground crews were supported by KCFD Helicopter 407, which made several water drops along with 5 Air Tankers making fire retardant drops to protect the homes. Crews had stopped the forward progress of the fire in approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes, holding it to 31.5 acres. Crews will remain on scene for the entire night and into tomorrow reinforcing the fire line around the perimeter while continuing mop up within the fire.
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https://www.facebook.com/kerncountyfire/posts/10153822879257833
 
Spotted a faint contrail quite far away and got curious of it's distance to me.DSC_0704.JPG

Turns out it was this little guy here, from Moscow to Miami:
Screenshot_20160621-115951.png

That's about 100km or 62 miles! As of finishing this post on mobile, it's already pretty far over the ocean but still visible. I thought this could be a useful example among many to share
 
Here's some contrails photographed near the empty-populated BWCA, Minnesota/Canada border...
Agenda 21......all the effort way up here ? Come on._DS23695.JPG _DS23702.JPG
 
Spotted a faint contrail quite far away and got curious of it's distance to me.DSC_0704.JPG

Turns out it was this little guy here, from Moscow to Miami:
Screenshot_20160621-115951.png

That's about 100km or 62 miles! As of finishing this post on mobile, it's already pretty far over the ocean but still visible. I thought this could be a useful example among many to share
Yes, it is. Nothing can beat getting your own experience, but, perhaps you'll be interested to read this old thread:
https://www.metabunk.org/whats-the-farthest-distance-a-contrail-is-visible-at.t5628/
 
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I saw one of these but flying low without trail. It would be very interesting to see how the trails made by inverted turboprop engines look like.

I didn't notice anything unusual about the trail TBH. It only really stood out to me because it was a bit of an unusual path and initially a narrow trail
 
It would be very interesting to see how the trails made by inverted turboprop engines look like.
Having thought more about this, I concluded that there will be little or no differences between the turboprop contrails regardless the propellers being in the front of or behind the engines. In both cases, the engine exhaust contrails initially will be similarly shaped by the propeller wakes. Checking up available images supports this conclusion.
 
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