Odd contrail

[tubby linton]

Over South East England tonight is a contrail which makes a 180 degree turn to the east of Gatwick and then heads back to the West/ Norh west. It is odd as it is the only contrail in the sky and I have never seen one with a course reversal in it. What aircraft made this unusual contrail?

[Binthere]

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=8e0b369d82&view=att&th=140e02f0255ad290&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P-XUWnLXy8mp7p1y-EJFklv&sadet=1378151054409&sads=w_voQMeAKgCi4Pc2jVPt29xzqwc

[RedhillPhil]

Chemtrail sprayer.
:ok:

[Captinbirdseye]

Glad somebody else has seen that!! Can see it here in Chelmsford. Was hoping fellow ppruners know what it is? Maybe doing air pollution test around London?

[Red Four]

I noticed it too - a lovely evening outside.

[aj log]

Saw something that sounds very similar here in Coventry at about 19:30.
Very high contrail, heading west made a smooth 90 degree turn to the south then another turning back toward the east.
Checked on Flightradar 24 and it looks like a Bombardier BD700 GLEX at 43,000ft, no registration shown.
Following it on Flightradar 24 it's been buzzing around the south of the UK, and is still up there now over Surrey.
Not sure what it's up to.

[treadigraph]

I saw it too, nice big turn southeast-wards over Reading way about 20:15, then the reversal as described a few mins later - couldn't see it on FR24. Looked superb in the evening light.

Friend of mine in Worthing photographed a similar course reversal well to the west of him about 20:00 - same aircraft?


Edit - see the aircraft AJ's talking about - RAF Sentinel maybe?

[DavidWoodward]

It's on a Swanwick Mil squawk so probably an RAF Sentinel.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Tubby. Whether a contrail appears depends on a lot of factors and they might only appear in a very narrow vertical segment. Today I watched two high flying commercial jets. One was trailing well at FL330 but the one just behind it at FL310 was not. Some days contrails may not form at any level and on other days the sky will be full.

[tubby linton]

HTH I have been responsible for making many thousands of miles of trails over the years but it was the 180degree turn over Gatwick which caught my eye. Other sources are saying it was a sentinel at 43000 that was responsible for its' formation.

[Dan Dare]

The route I saw at about 1915 Z was something like DTY-CPT-SAM-CPT-MAY-CPT. If it was sky-writing they didn't seem to be very good at it :}

Just looked on FR24 and it was indeed a Sentinel working Swanwick Mil at FL430. It flew many laps of a route between Devon-Oxforshire-Sussex.

[TCAS_Alert]

Definitely an RAF Sentinel, callsign SNAPSHOT 1 at FL430. Been doing this pattern for the last few weeks, a large figure of 8 pattern across the south of England for about 12 hours, must be one boring flight for the pilots!

[Midland 331]

A non-event up here on the edge of the Vale of York - those jolly lads from Waddo have been flying racetracks since the early-'nineties.

I've read that the biggest challenge on these sorties is not porking out on curries from the galley. I wonder if the spinny-thing on top is actually a tandoor.

[thing]

I've read that the biggest challenge on these sorties is not porking out on curries from the galley.

Sentry crews aren't known as the Station Eating Team for nothing you know...first and most important thing that happens after take off is the galley goes on.

[Midland 331]

Ah! So those chemtrails/contrails are actually fartrails. I think the public should be told.

[tubby linton]

Do they have a galley in the Sentinel?

[SpringHeeledJack]

They must have something, even if it's just MRE's and the like, plus coffee and water to quaff. Whatever they have it can't be big as the rest of the aircraft is stuffed with suites of equipment. Perhaps they only have room for a few microwaved curries ;)

[thing]

Do they have a galley in the Sentinel?

Yup, Eating Team on the Sentinel too.

[TCAS_Alert]

Sentinel ZJ693 doing a similar pattern over the north of England now, from Manchester across to the coast, FL420.

[1970s Spotter]

Having established that the aircaft making the unusual contrails an RAF Sentenial, do we know what it is up[ to exactly? Apart from acting as a high altitude curry house?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

I don't think anyone with commonesnse will say "exactly" what it's up to, nor should they. There are many flights on similar missions; have been for decades but it's best not to discuss them on a public forum.

[coldair]

Hi Bren,

good point and I have deleted my last post.


coldair


p.s. Are you blocking p.m.'s ?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

coldair. Yes, I take no mail from here but my addy is [email protected]

[Mayor1]

I saw an odd shaped contrail somewhere south of Luton today. The trail was in the shape of a sinusoidal curve. there were about 6 oscillations. Any Ideas???