Explained: video of pilot showing off "chemtrail plane" (prank video)

[Trailblazer]

A video is doing the rounds on social media of a pilot revealing the "chemtrail spraying equipment" on his plane and discussing how he gets paid to spray chemicals.

It's pretty clearly a joke but people seem to be sharing it seriously. There are several posts using the same video; here is one example:


Source: https://twitter.com/MightyArty2/status/1659120806570467328?s=20


The pilot shows a sticker on the wing stating that the plane is certified for "Chemtrail Liquid DK-58.12 only", and the person filming explains how the tank holds 50 gallons.
He then says "We get paid about $10 a gallon to spray this stuff," before showing the interior of the plane which has a "government-issue retrofit kit" that includes a switch panel marked "Chemtrails" - "You can turn it on and then you just collect money, that's how it works!"

The plane is a Cessna and the registration number N5PJ is clearly visible during the video.

A search for that registration confirms that it is a Cessna 421B and is registered to Larson Air LLC in Scottsdale, Arizona.

A company search for Larson Air LLC in Scottsdale shows that it is associated with Larson Holdings LLC. The web result has the name and address slightly mangled but it matches the owner's name and address for Larson Holdings LLC: Brandon Larson.

Searching for Brandon Larson on social media quickly reveals the source of the video. He has an Instagram account under the name @lordbytor. At the time of writing this account link does not work on the website but is available on the Instagram app. See result screenshot below:

The video is currently the first video on his feed. (Screenshot below if link does not work)

Since it was posted he has also posted a Reel which includes a screenshot of an enquiry from a fact-checking platform who contacted him.

Note that the "chemtrail switch" in the video appears to be identical to a joke item sold online at Concord Aerospace for $49.

 

[Chuck]

Someone just sent the above TIKTOK vid to me via FB Messenger, in their constant attempts to prove that chemtrails are a thing. I initially laughed out loud but then became saddened at the gullibility of people who pass this satire along believing it to be real. I don't blame the uninformed because there's a deep-seated distrust in government… and rightfully so. It should be obvious that if this program was so secretive, then why would these supposed accomplices print "chemtrail" on the wings and have a button labeled "Chemtrails" inside the plane?

With all of the conspiracy theories floating around, some of which have been proven true, people automatically assume that all CTs are true. The line between fact and fictions is becoming ever so blurred. I think I'm going to buy one of those $49 Chemtrail buttons, secure it to my car's dash then make a Chemtrail Liquid DK-58.12 and put it above my gas tank. LoL It could make for some fun discussion, but then again some crazies might try to take me out. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Ann K]

With all of the conspiracy theories floating around, some of which have been proven true, people automatically assume that all CTs are true.

?? Apparently you move in conspiracy-prone circles, but among my friends people automatically assume they're all false, then go digging for evidence. Which "true" ones do you refer to?

 

[FatPhil]

Someone just sent the above TIKTOK vid to me via FB Messenger, in their constant attempts to prove that chemtrails are a thing. I initially laughed out loud but then became saddened at the gullibility of people who pass this satire along believing it to be real. I don't blame the uninformed because there's a deep-seated distrust in government… and rightfully so. It should be obvious that if this program was so secretive, then why would these supposed accomplices print "chemtrail" on the wings and have a button labeled "Chemtrails" inside the plane?

With all of the conspiracy theories floating around, some of which have been proven true, people automatically assume that all CTs are true. The line between fact and fictions is becoming ever so blurred. I think I'm going to buy one of those $49 Chemtrail buttons, secure it to my car's dash then make a Chemtrail Liquid DK-58.12 and put it above my gas tank. LoL It could make for some fun discussion, but then again some crazies might try to take me out. Thanks for sharing.

Did you forward the link to the webshop page to your friend - more specifically, has he now seen this accompanying text:

Entertain your inner conspiracy theorist with the Concord Aerospace CHEMTRAILS ACTIVATION PANELS. The launch item for our line of CONSPIRO-IDIOCY panels.

Whether you are a fan of fun collectibles and other sane interests.... OR an evil mastermind or a governing entity who likes to brainwash masses from the heavens, our Chemtrails Activation switch will not let you down as it gets the job done. 30000 feet above your pawns' unknowing feeble minds.

Technically, you don't need a $49 switch, which seems a wee tad overpriced - any old switch will do, you just need the stencil for the words. And yes, I totally would! (I have no car, the only thing that would make sense would be to stencil the sign on the back of my jeans.)

 

[Chuck]

?? Apparently you move in conspiracy-prone circles, but among my friends people automatically assume they're all false, then go digging for evidence. Which "true" ones do you refer to?

I have friends of all stripes and political persuasions.

 

[Chuck]

Did you forward the link to the webshop page to your friend - more specifically, has he now seen this accompanying text:

Entertain your inner conspiracy theorist with the Concord Aerospace CHEMTRAILS ACTIVATION PANELS. The launch item for our line of CONSPIRO-IDIOCY panels.

Whether you are a fan of fun collectibles and other sane interests.... OR an evil mastermind or a governing entity who likes to brainwash masses from the heavens, our Chemtrails Activation switch will not let you down as it gets the job done. 30000 feet above your pawns' unknowing feeble minds.

Technically, you don't need a $49 switch, which seems a wee tad overpriced - any old switch will do, you just need the stencil for the words. And yes, I totally would! (I have no car, the only thing that would make sense would be to stencil the sign on the back of my jeans.)

Yes, I sent the link but I don't expect much. Yeah, I agree that a $49 switch that does nothing is a bit overpriced. I like the back of your jeans idea. LoL

 

[FatPhil]

A search for that registration confirms that it is a Cessna 421B

Strange cross-threading, from recently resurrected https://www.metabunk.org/threads/ho...lons-per-gallon-of-fuel-used.4018/post-118389 :

Lead is not used in jet fuel, it has been used in Avgas (aviation fuel) which is used in small piston drive propeller planes. They do not fly at the same altitudes as jet airliners, which are the aircraft that are allegedly spraying deadly chemicals into the skies. Small prop planes also do not leave contrails in the skies, the ones that chemtrail believers allege to be deadly chemicals including aluminum, barium and strontium, or even blood pathogens and mind control drugs, depending on what chemmie you talk to. Their story changes quite frequently.

(emphasis mine)

 

[Mendel]

Technically, you don't need a $49 switch, which seems a wee tad overpriced - any old switch will do, you just need the stencil for the words. And yes, I totally would! (I have no car, the only thing that would make sense would be to stencil the sign on the back of my jeans.)

I'd probably order a "chemtrail cocktail" if it was on the drinks menu. Just saying.

?? Apparently you move in conspiracy-prone circles, but among my friends people automatically assume they're all false, then go digging for evidence. Which "true" ones do you refer to?

- Russia meddling in US elections
- goverment listening in on our phone conversations/internet

jury's still out on "trump is a russian asset" and "republicans prepare to steal 2024 election".

The fun thing about the chemtrail hoax is that the response reveals that many conspiracy theorists don't really understand the theory, they just like to be scared and outraged. Chemtrails are alleged to have the purpose of geoengineering or weather control, which suggests that they're deployed according to some plan or strategy. "You can turn it on and then you just collect money, that's how it works!" is the opposite of that. If you truly believe in chemtrails, you should call out this hoax!

Evidence-based conspiracy theories, on the other hand, may encompass clues that turn out to be false, but they don't get to the point where the core narrative becomes irrelevant.

You can kinda see this in the UFO community. We can pretty much assume that everyone who reads UFO reports hopes (or fears?) that aliens would someday visit Earth; but we have the CTists on one hand who are ready to trust any report, and the sceptics on the other who are looking for evidence and truth because they want the real thing.

 

[Chuck]

The fun thing about the chemtrail hoax is that the response reveals that many conspiracy theorists don't really understand the theory, they just like to be scared and outraged. Chemtrails are alleged to have the purpose of geoengineering or weather control, which suggests that they're deployed according to some plan or strategy. "You can turn it on and then you just collect money, that's how it works!" is the opposite of that. If you truly believe in chemtrails, you should call out this hoax!

Ashamedly, I was a true chemtrail believer. Many years ago, I had read quite a bit about the subject and was convinced that something was grossly wrong. As I was driving through Atlanta I was overcome by the "chemtrails" crisscrossing the sky in a milky web. I literally was overcome with emotion and I actually felt almost apoplectic. I became flushed and was nauseous. My wife was sitting next to me and I can remember thinking, I can't tell her. This is too evil. They are killing us like cockroaches! At that time the chemtrail CT was still undeveloped.

No one seemed to know why exactly they were doing this. People were reporting that their crops were dying and they were manifesting lung symptoms like COPD. Initially it was proposed that these "bond villains" like Dick Cheney had secret bunkers so they were disaffected by the toxic cocktail that was being sprayed all over the globe. Murphy's "What in the World Are they Spraying" came out and had not yet morphed into "Why in the World are They Spraying?". None of the CTists I knew seemed to yet have an explanation for the why but they were convinced of the what. And so was I!

After returning home from vacation I sent out a dire "sound the alarm" type email to well over 200 friends and colleagues warning them of our impending doom. I enclosed multiple photos of the planes and the milky chemtrail-filled skies and my best guess as to the reasons for this massive "CIA" program. I began to do what you suggested... I was marshalling support for march on D.C. I simply could not stand by idly while my children and grandchildren were going to pay this horrible health price.

One of my friends responded to my email simply by enclosing a link to Mick's Contrail Science website and they asked me to take a look. (At that time Mick went by a screenname). So I immediately began to scour the site and my first impression was, "Wow, the CIA has outdone themselves with subterfuge."

From there I realized that the place to debate was over at Metabunk. So, I began privately conversing with the site owner (whom I later found out was Mick). I was polite but I basically accused him of being a government asset/operative. I remember asking him how much they were paying him to run this disinformation campaign. Instead of getting defensive and reacting harshly, he simply began to dispassionately answer my questions. Although I didn't buy what I still thought was poppycock, I slowed down long enough to actually consider the evidence. That was a turning point for me.

It was a turn toward reality and an evidenced-based approach. I then began to read everything written about chemtrails and the various pro vs. con responses... then one by one my objections were being shot down. I began to realize how utterly ignorant I was. My unquestioned chemtrail faith was slowly disintegrating. The whole debunking process was quite an eye-opener for me. That's when I discovered the dangers of confirmation bias. Echo chambers are often the enemy of truth. It was proof to me that no matter the intelligence level of the CTist, false presuppositions can override and undermine rational thought processes and can short-circuit legitimate inquiries. It's a failsafe system. Everything that disagrees with one's premise is assumed to be disinformation. So you become impervious to dissuading facts.

After realizing that I had been hoaxed due to my own gullibility, I began considering other closely held conspiracy theories like "911 was an inside job", the JFK assassination and the moon landing. And the rest is history. I now try to the best of my ability to recognize my biases with an attempt to interpret evidence without prejudice. I still fail miserably but I've moved far from where I once stood. I look at everything on a case by case basis.

To your point about CTists wanting to believe the worst because it's somehow exhilarating. That may be true for some, but the vast majority I've encountered were convinced because of held biases and ignorance. In my case I truly didn't want to believe the chemtrail CT because it was so horrible, but after the seeming evidence became overwhelming I could no longer deny it.

So, in my view, there are three factors at play. 1. Ignorance 2. Confirmation bias 3. A deep-seated distrust in government and/or authority figures. Ignorance makes one gullible and susceptible to bunk... entertaining only supporting evidence is intoxicating... and immediately and unequivocally distrusting authority sends one down a circular path. Sorry for being so laborious.

 

[Mendel]

To your point about CTists wanting to believe the worst because it's somehow exhilarating.

That's not what I wrote. I wrote, "they like to be scared and outraged", and that fear and rage are genuine, they're just unfounded—manufactured, if you will.

So, in my view, there are three factors at play. 1. Ignorance 2. Confirmation bias 3. A deep-seated distrust in government and/or authority figures.

Yes, and the reason these factors matter psychologically is that that fear and outrage makes people feel real, feel alive (you wrote you were "overcome with emotion"), while they can bond over it, but like a drug it's long-term bad for their mental health.

By the way, congrats on making it out of the rabbit hole!

 

[Trailblazer]

Update: the pilot responsible for this prank has posted a recording of a call from the local police, who got in touch as a result of the video. From the recording, it sounds like they were giving him a friendly heads-up that it has provoked a lot of reaction and they have been fielding calls from people about it.

Transcript below:

...it's the police department. Kind of a silly call, but, uh, lots of people are sharing a video on social media, and we've got some, uh, interesting folks calling us about one of the planes that in fact Larson Air Inc, uh, supposedly outfitted with chemtrail stuff. I just wanted to give you a heads-up...

Incidentally, is the chemtrail fluid "DK-58.12" a reference to anything? I feel like there might be a joke I'm missing but my Googling doesn't turn anything up.

 

[MonkeeSage]

Incidentally, is the chemtrail fluid "DK-58.12" a reference to anything? I feel like there might be a joke I'm missing but my Googling doesn't turn anything up.

The "DK" makes this think this is not actually it, but would be kind of a funny if the 58.12 part was a reference to the operating schedules for ambient air quality collections under Title 40 of the federal code.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/58.12