Solved: Portsmouth UK, "Alien Flight Path" UFO Contrail [Private Jet + Perspective]

[Mick West]

A supposedly unusual contrail turns out to just be a business jet making a slight course correction. This seems much more dramatic than it actually was, because of the forced perspective.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/514401/Second-Portsmouth-UFO-Sighting-Contrail-Alien-Flight-Path

Published: Tue, September 23, 2014

The contrail – a thin water vapour trail that forms behind an aircraft – suggests an as-yet unidentified flying object swerved abruptly as it flew over Hampshire.

The mysterious contrail then banks sharply again, leaving a sharp hook shape etched into the sky, above Portsmouth.

Teacher Florence Lehmann first saw the puzzling shape as she left her Southsea home at around 7.20am.

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Looks like a normal flight that was vectored (directed by air traffic control) away from its course for normal traffic avoidance

UK is on BST right now, so 7:20AM is 06:20 UTC. The photo was taken Monday Sept 22, 2014

UPDATE: Solved! See the following posts.

 

[Trailspotter]

I think that it was this private jet:


The flight was from Guernsey (EGJB) to Copenhagen (EKCH) or Malmö (ESMS).

A quick photo fit of the above flight route on Google Earth:

 

[Pete Tar]

As far as the 'swerve' manoeuvre goes, how long would it take over that distance? Does it represent several seconds, or several minutes?

 

[Trailspotter]

As far as the 'swerve' manoeuvre goes, how long would it take over that distance? Does it represent several seconds, or several minutes?

It takes less than five minutes to lay the contrail segment inside the frame of the second photo.

 

[Pete Tar]

Still rather a long time for any 'swerve' - which implies a reaction time of seconds.

 

[Mick West]

Very good, and the difference between the trail and the track can easily be accounted for by wind. I'd say this one is solved.

 

[Trailblazer]

I just logged on to try and track this one down and see I have missed the boat (or the plane!)

It amazes me that nobody in a newspaper office anywhere thought to fire up FR24 to identify this.

I suppose having a "mystery" is more of a story than having facts. Depressing but true.

 

[Trailblazer]

It is a good illustration of how perspective can make a gentle turn look much sharper. Over in the "photos of planes and contrails" thread I posted another example a few weeks ago:



That looks like quite a sharp dog-leg but was actually a rather gentle turn:



(Photo was taken from just off the top of that screenshot - you can see the edge of the blue location circle on the word "Fleet")

 

[Trailspotter]

Caught in the act.

The same trail as seen from New Forest at 7:13 am

www.flickr.com/photos/nicklucas/15303195286

A Change Of Flight Plan
Early morning contrails looking eastwards across the New Forest.

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[derrick06]

I just don't get how people have to assume that just because its a turning contrails its "UFO Sourced." It cant just be a contrail from an aircraft? Jeez.... When I was on an aircraft carrier watching a flight demonstration of jets I watched their contrails practically make figure 8's! Its not unusual for them to turn with the craft. Good article!

 

[Trailblazer]

Another example I took earlier today showing how a very minor turn can appear like a sharp curve from the right perspective:



It's a bit hidden in the clouds but this "sharp turn" was produced by this plane: the gentle course correction just before crossing the south coast.

 

[Mick West]

Another example I took earlier today showing how a very minor turn can appear like a sharp curve from the right perspective:



It's a bit hidden in the clouds but this "sharp turn" was produced by this plane: the gentle course correction just before crossing the south coast.

Printed it out, put it on the ground:


Viewed from an angle a long distance away:


Looks like a "right angle" turn: