Exotic Military Aircraft
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Exotic Military Aircraft
I found this interesting thread on the Google Earth Community Forums.
Donuts on a rope contrail? - Google Earth Community
Most of it seems plausible, I wonder what others think ?
Donuts on a rope contrail? - Google Earth Community
Most of it seems plausible, I wonder what others think ?
More bang for your buck
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I'd be more interested if the picture showed the aircraft at the head of the trail, but as it is we have no way of knowing how old the trail is and therefore no means of determining the cause of the "pulses"
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The VC10. Particularly mid-route and the rather delicious cpl(w) air stewardess gives you the come on, the few pax are fast asleep and the cabin is dark.
Oh, sorry I thought the title said erotic.
Oh, sorry I thought the title said erotic.
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Well I’ll be …. I saw a similar thing last week, for the first time ever. Blue sky over Cambridgeshire and a north-bound contrail with well defined and regular dough nuts. Much better defined than shown, and much bigger. I'm guessing one was produced every 3 seconds or so. I went to get a camera but got diverted, so no pics. The aircraft was out of sight by the time I saw the contrail so no idea of type, but it was on a regular commercial route. I’m intrigued. Anyone with any sensible ideas?
So that's what donuts on a rope look like.
I've seen such contrails many times and on every occasion they've been pulled across the sky by a common or garden airliner.
I've seen such contrails many times and on every occasion they've been pulled across the sky by a common or garden airliner.
What would be the value of some high tech 'spy plane' which left a visible trail?! Always thought half the benefit of the Blackbird was that it flew at a level where it didn't make contrails in the first place...
But yeah, those lights are interesting.
But yeah, those lights are interesting.
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... donuts on a rope ...... I've seen such contrails many times and on every occasion they've been pulled across the sky by a common or garden airliner.
The main contributor seems to know what he's talking about - and in the wilds of Nevada strange things are going down. (It may be he's even discovered the final destination of the other Valkyrie.)
Mind you, my problem is how to connect Peterborough with China Lake.
I thought there was a `china lake` outside P`Borough....
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Most contrails disperse in such a way...keep your eyes skyward chaps and see what I mean. There have been more convincing 'pulser' photos published by Aviation Week & Space Technology, though as per previous comments without knowing the circumstances (winds aloft, etc.) it's difficult to tie down to something with Groom Lake in its flight plan.
As for string of lights...anyone can do that with a time exposure of anti-colls flashing on an airframe flying over!
Now this is far more intriguing: YouTube - Mysterious Lights Over East El Paso, News Channel 9
As for string of lights...anyone can do that with a time exposure of anti-colls flashing on an airframe flying over!
Now this is far more intriguing: YouTube - Mysterious Lights Over East El Paso, News Channel 9
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Most contrails disperse in such a way...keep your eyes skyward chaps and see what I mean.
Perhaps that was only the third contrail I've ever seen and I'll take your word for it. (Rationale; My claim makes as much sense as your claim.)
... it's difficult to tie down to something with Groom Lake in its flight plan.
PS. Your El Paso lights are fascinating. Again - Anyone with any sensible ideas?
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Norma, the clip you linked is the US Army Golden Parachute team practicing for the El Paso Amigo Air Show 2010. 
Here is another clip for you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaqvrv-8jIY&feature=player_embedded#!
Here is another clip for you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaqvrv-8jIY&feature=player_embedded#!
The string of lights is a bit different...
The film (or digital sensor) only 'sees' the pulse every few seconds so you get a string of light. Nothing special I'm afraid.
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At Istres in 1957/8 I saw the Leduc Ramjet blow 'doughnuts' quite a few times.
It was the a/c in the bottom photo at this link:
Leduc, the test flights
It was the a/c in the bottom photo at this link:
Leduc, the test flights
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A very big assumption is being made here that just because the vapour trail breaks up into reguarly spaced blobs the thrust of the engine is pulsed. This doesn't follow.
There are three known engine types that are sometimes connected (journalistically) with skunk projects, only two of which are feasible.
Pulse jets are out - inefficient, hard to control, unlikely to operate supersonically.
Ram jets don't pulse, and PDE engines are intended to pulse at several kilohertz, wheras the "pulses" shown in the photos are more akin to a cartoon Panther motorcycle firing every other lamp-post, and would sound similar. A PDE operating at kilohertz would scream, shriek or roar, not go put-put-put.
Usual urban-mythology stuff I'm afraid, smoke and mirrors. Nothing more.
There are three known engine types that are sometimes connected (journalistically) with skunk projects, only two of which are feasible.
Pulse jets are out - inefficient, hard to control, unlikely to operate supersonically.
Ram jets don't pulse, and PDE engines are intended to pulse at several kilohertz, wheras the "pulses" shown in the photos are more akin to a cartoon Panther motorcycle firing every other lamp-post, and would sound similar. A PDE operating at kilohertz would scream, shriek or roar, not go put-put-put.
Usual urban-mythology stuff I'm afraid, smoke and mirrors. Nothing more.
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Hi 'forget'....alas my claim comes from (opens cloak) being a dot spotter in my teens and early 20s and seeing the trails dissipate in such a way (closes cloak).
Thanks Diedtrying for the Golden Knights answer...shame 'Channel 9 News' didn't research it properly before airing, but hey.
Going back to mare tangible evidence, Steve Douglass (google him) is an aviation radio nut in the US who sent his data to AW&ST magazine. One of his snippets was photos of a 'pulse contrail' (though I'd beg to differ) seen whilst monitoring the exotically callsigned DARKSTAR MIKE....which, alas, was/is an E-3 out of Tinker AFB.
Thanks Diedtrying for the Golden Knights answer...shame 'Channel 9 News' didn't research it properly before airing, but hey.
Going back to mare tangible evidence, Steve Douglass (google him) is an aviation radio nut in the US who sent his data to AW&ST magazine. One of his snippets was photos of a 'pulse contrail' (though I'd beg to differ) seen whilst monitoring the exotically callsigned DARKSTAR MIKE....which, alas, was/is an E-3 out of Tinker AFB.