Black contrails cockpit video-is it real?

[Jay Reynolds]

This short video surfaced on X:


Source: https://x.com/FLskywatchers/status/1906915369769640274



At first I thought it was a clip out of Lou Boyers cockpit video here @:30 but it was brought to my attention Lou is showing a tri-jet while the dark video is a quad. At first I saw the shadow line, and, well older eyes late night on a phone I missed the engines. Interesting that the shadow closely but not exactly matches, is that a clue?


Source: https://youtu.be/HIVLrTSNP6s?si=e4yGKHS4n66QVnWN



So does anybody recognize the source, is this AI generated, any clues which someone might notice?

 

[Mick West]

Google Image search shows one version by Dave Stratos, a pilot (and bodybuilder) on Instagram.

Source: https://www.instagram.com/aviationdaily/reel/C4TlEtvPcJH/

I don't see on Stratos' feed. The label "747-8 vs 747-400 crime" is a bit ambiguous as to intent.

 

[Trailblazer]

Sorry if this might be off topic, but by coincidence I saw a very black contrail from a 747 this evening. Not a great photo as it was on a phone just after sunset.

However what I found interesting is that five minutes later, it looked much lighter – even though it was heading eastwards into deeper shadow.

Presumably there is some kind of light phase effect going on here, to explain it? The sun had set just off to the left of these photos, which are looking roughly northwest.

 

[Ann K]

Sorry if this might be off topic, but by coincidence I saw a very black contrail from a 747 this evening. Not a great photo as it was on a phone just after sunset.

Is is possible that it was just taking off and thus the contrail was in shadow, and then got into the sunlight as it climbed higher?

 

[Mick West]

However what I found interesting is that five minutes later, it looked much lighter – even though it was heading eastwards into deeper shadow.

Can you post the ISO/Exposure/Aperture data for each photo?

 

[JMartJr]

Is is possible that it was just taking off and thus the contrail was in shadow, and then got into the sunlight as it climbed higher?

Possibly -- it may also be a contrast thing, with the contrail of the same brightness being viewed against lighter and darker sky. As is happening in this image:

Or, to look more contrail-ish:

I know it does not look like it, but that grey streak is the same all the way across the picture!

Which I guess is why Mick is asking about the ISO/Exposure/Aperture...

 

[MapperGuy]

Sorry if this might be off topic, but by coincidence I saw a very black contrail from a 747 this evening. Not a great photo as it was on a phone just after sunset.

View attachment 78749

However what I found interesting is that five minutes later, it looked much lighter – even though it was heading eastwards into deeper shadow.

View attachment 78750

Presumably there is some kind of light phase effect going on here, to explain it? The sun had set just off to the left of these photos, which are looking roughly northwest.

When you took the first photo, the sun had set at the altitude of the contrail, but the background sky was still being illuminated by the sun. The sun had not set from the perspective of the background sky.

 

[Trailblazer]

Is is possible that it was just taking off and thus the contrail was in shadow, and then got into the sunlight as it climbed higher?

No, it was en route from Mexico to Luxembourg, and in level flight at 39,000ft. Track log.

Can you post the ISO/Exposure/Aperture data for each photo?

First image (black contrail)

Second image (paler contrail)

Subject to the usual failings of phone cameras to pick up sunset colours totally accurately, the scene in the photo appears pretty much as it did to the naked eye - the contrail looked almost jet black when I took the first one, and quite bright when I took the second.

Local sunset where I am was 7.37pm yesterday, so just over 20 minutes before the first pic.

 

[Mendel]

From the OP:

It's not just that one aircraft.

But the one in the back has white borders, as if it was inexpertly retouched (black painted over a white contrail).

 

[JMartJr]

But the one in the back has white borders, as if it was inexpertly retouched (black painted over a white contrail)

That effect looks more like artifacts of the camera and/or compression to me, but I don't insist I'm right as I don't have a lot of expertise in that area -- I've just looked at a lot of pixels in my day. (Obscure reference intended but not vital!)

 

[Mick West]

First image (black contrail)

Second image (paler contrail)

Subject to the usual failings of phone cameras to pick up sunset colours totally accurately, the scene in the photo appears pretty much as it did to the naked eye - the contrail looked almost jet black when I took the first one, and quite bright when I took the second.

The first one is +3 EV (calculated from f-number, shutter speed, and ISO) over the second. Which doesn't really tell us anything other than it was darker, the sun was below the horizon, and the contrail was in shadow - but we can already see that.