Brown stuff falling out of the sky?!
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Brown stuff falling out of the sky?!
As I was just sitting outside enjoying the sun (at my home, not far from Northolt and Heathrow), a little droplet of light brown liquid no more than 2mm in diameter fell out of the sky and landed on my hand. It didn't look as though it was from a bird, but is something that happens fairly frequently, for example the marks can be seen on cars from time to time. Someone (with no aviation knowledge!) suggested that these droplets are waste released from aircraft - something I find hard to believe. I know it sounds like a ridiculous question, but does anybody have any idea what it is?! And does it have anything to do with the aircraft which fly over all the time?!
Thanks,
Leon (Confused!)
Thanks,
Leon (Confused!)
Usual disclaimers apply!
Joined: Nov 1999
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From: EGGW
Leon
It must have been a (small) bird. The trajectory of suspect sh1t would have been such that said feathered friend probably would have been long gone by the time you looked up.
Now if it had been a 747 on it's way home after a 13 hour sector that had dumped 320 gallons of the stuff............methinks you'd have known about it
It must have been a (small) bird. The trajectory of suspect sh1t would have been such that said feathered friend probably would have been long gone by the time you looked up.
Now if it had been a 747 on it's way home after a 13 hour sector that had dumped 320 gallons of the stuff............methinks you'd have known about it
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That's roughly what I thought, bird cr
p, but it really was a very tiny little speck of it. Still not totally convinced it was cr p, but I guess it makes sense. Does anybody else have any theories, or has anyone else had a similar experience (sht on by a bird? 
)
p, but it really was a very tiny little speck of it. Still not totally convinced it was cr p, but I guess it makes sense. Does anybody else have any theories, or has anyone else had a similar experience (sht on by a bird? )
Joined: Aug 2000
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From: UK
All lavatory waste goes into holding tanks. The only waste leaked overboard is galley & toilet sink waste. Maybe it was a teapot being emptied, BUT I'm fairly certain from several thousand feet such liquid waste would have long evaporated falling through air. Rain falls through almost 100% humid air which is why it doesn't evaporate, but through a <100% humid sky- no chance. It's dem boidies!
Joined: Jul 2000
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From: 1060 West Addison
May sound silly, but if it was quite a reddish brown, it may have been sahara sand. Have seen it myself, and an instance was reported in the west of Ireland yesterday. It gets blown up in sand storms, tends to travel with prevailing winds, then mixes with cloud over these islands and can be seen on your car as a dusty blotch(es) in the morning. Possible?
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Florida
Waste leaks from the lavs is blue in colour and typically freezes to a blivet of seveal pounds at altitude only to shear off when the aircraft skin warms up.
Your description would rule that out.
Bird poop in the air breaks up into white not brown droplets. To prove this just stand on a boat fan tail or poop deck of a ship and throw some fishing chum to the gulls. They will process it and give you back a favour.
I suspect that what you may be experiencing is the outfall of some smokestack upwind.
Your description would rule that out.
Bird poop in the air breaks up into white not brown droplets. To prove this just stand on a boat fan tail or poop deck of a ship and throw some fishing chum to the gulls. They will process it and give you back a favour.
I suspect that what you may be experiencing is the outfall of some smokestack upwind.
Joined: Oct 2001
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From: farrrr east
"Waste leaks from the lavs is blue in colour"
Many aircraft now have vacuum operated toilets and do not have the blue sanitizing and deodorising liquid, normally refered to as Racasan.
Many aircraft now have vacuum operated toilets and do not have the blue sanitizing and deodorising liquid, normally refered to as Racasan.
Last edited by allthatglitters; 22nd April 2003 at 04:25.
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: France
Brown rain
Almost certainly just a bit of light rain fall with some dust added to it. Lost count fthe number of times I've seen clumps of grass and bits of newspaper carried up a couple of thousand feet by summer thermal activity. And lost count of number of times I've flown in gusty conditions and come down with filthy aircraft covered in dust that was picked up into atmosphere. What you had was caused probably by the dust making just a few water droplets heavy enough to fall while otherwise it wasn't raining.
(Did you taste it?)
(Did you taste it?)
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Florida
What's the sense of tasting it unless you're prepared to run a control sample through your taste buds for taste comparison.
How else to tell what it taste like.
let's see "smokey barbecue that lasts on your tongue, with a hint of slightly salty etc. etc."..........my mind wanders
How else to tell what it taste like.
let's see "smokey barbecue that lasts on your tongue, with a hint of slightly salty etc. etc."..........my mind wanders
Joined: Jan 2002
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From: Europe
Brown stuff falling out of the sky?!
Last Friday I flew on an Airbus A300-600 and a member of the cabin crew asked me not to use the lav on the ground. Being very curious I asked why. He said that the sink leaks on the outside and there are security issues (he further elaborated that they were concerened of hiding a bomb there).
No the question remains why sink and galley wastes leak on the outside and not stored on board to be emptied later
No the question remains why sink and galley wastes leak on the outside and not stored on board to be emptied later