wiggy. If asking information is having a hidden agenda I am guilty.
If asking information to learn, I am guilty.
You be judge and jury if you wish.
There are some who like to learn.

There's certainly been a gradual increase in traffic over the decades, but I'm really not sure it's a "huge increase" in the last year.
Ask people from the area then.

Is the weather better this year (fewer clouds) than in previous years and therefore the trails are more visible?
No, much more cloud an overcast that previous years and certainly not like being shown on national, regional and local weather, yet just a couple of miles away and totally different, at the same time.

Have you changed jobs/working hours and are "spotting" at peak times?
No to job/working. Times vary and on a like for like basis.

As for the reliability of the "radar sites", no they don't show everything.
So that simple statement could be a possibility?
Could be seven up there but nothing showing with 50 miles.

"Ask people from the area then" .....:bored: and there I was trying to be polite.

You have access here to people who have flown or controlled aircraft over Wales for decades. They have given you honest answers, including the fact that there has not been a massive increase in traffic over the last year, but for some unfathomable reason you don't seem to "like" the answers.

FWIW my own theory (which I am also sure you won't like) is that you have started looking at the sky on a more regular basis than in previous years, perhaps prompted by the "radar sites" and have gone " blimey I've never noticed all that lot up there before". You've convinced yourself and possibly others that something has changed and nothing anybody posts here can now convince you otherwise.

I'll sign off now with a final comment that there's nothing going on up there other than the normal mix of civil and military traffic in normal numbers. I will be overflying your part of the world later today so I'll be sure to wave.....

"Ask people from the area then"
Have and their thoughts are the same as mine. More traffice.

They have given you honest answers
I have not claimed different, but have asked where I can see evidence of what flights are there at any time.

including the fact that there has not been a massive increase in traffic over the last year, but for some unfathomable reason you don't seem to "like" the answers.
Ypu opinion of course. Don't you like people having inquisitive minds and wishing to learn. What is the problem?
Liking the answer does not come into it.

FWIW my own theory (which I am also sure you won't like) is that you have started looking at the sky on a more regular basis than in previous years
Many thanks. I am so glad you have the technology to support that :ugh:

"perhaps prompted by the "radar sites" and have gone "
The viewing a radar site was done, as my posting on here, to seek guidance.

You've convinced yourself and possibly others that something has changed and nothing anybody posts here can now convince you otherwise.
Did you know the world is not flat?

I'll sign off now with a final comment that there's nothing going on up there other than the normal mix of civil and military traffic in normal numbers.
Did not claim and had no reason to believe there was anything "going on".
You do have an obsession about something:rolleyes:

I will be overflying your part of the world later today so I'll be sure to wave.....
Your welcome. Don't expect acknowledgement, as you may be aware, there is very low cloud, so you cannot be seen.

World Air Traffic has increased by an average of 5% a year since 1970. That's very nearly exponential. Go to Metabunk.org if you want to see this hoax debunked.

Can you confirm that when you are looking at the contrails the plane is still visible when you look at the trail? Could it be possible that the trail you are looking at has been there for a while (they tend to linger) and the aircraft is now further than this 50 mile radius you are looking at on flight radar? Seeing 7 contrails does not mean 7 aircraft are within your field of view.

An aircraft flew over my patch the other evening leaving a beautiful pinkish-orange chemtrail. Is this just a different flavour? (or flavor, depending on where you're reading this! :))

No doubt leaving delighted shepherds in its wake.

Another favourite puzzle for people is when contrails just disappear -a common site around London when the aircraft is at a marginal contrail level and suddenly enters an area of slightly warmer air and bingo no trail-
I livid in Bermuda for many years and this phenomena was very common- contrail over sea- disappears over island- re appears when over sea again
They are very capricious and complicated things as many here have suggested with a huge number of variables affecting their formation .

Given that government agencies tend to stuff up a lot of things they do the idea that any serious effort at chemical distribution via them is pretty remote- its like the use of poison gas in WW1-oh **** the winds changed and we are gassing our own side.

Pretty to look at tho and I miss them when in parts of the world that are 'off airways or after the volcanic ash problems
PB

Trails
 

I use and contribute to Planeplotter. Having been watching aircraft for 57 years I can say that, even with the after effects of 9/11 and the world economic downturn, the number of flights over UK and Irish airspace has increased during the last 3 years or so and the levels are pretty much equalling the all time high.

West Wales is a happy hunting ground for both RAF AND USAF aircraft which do not show up on FR, some do on Planeplotter. Also there has been a significant increase in direct routings to Atlantic Ocean entry points for traffic out of mainland Europe and a not insignificant number of LHR departures, all which not many years ago would have been tied to airways. As I'm typing there is an example of a very short haul flight from LHR to DUB over Builth Wells at FL320. He will exit the UK on a direct track to DUB over Aberystwyth. He is on FR and, given the weather tonight, will be pulling a contrail. In days gone by he, and the Atlantic bound traffic would have routed either via Brecon and Strumble or via Wallasey. At the same time there are 4 other Aer Lingus flights visible that have followed, or are about to follow, a similar routing. Further south there is a Kerry to Stansted Ryanair flight at FL390 over Haverfordwest.

This year these islands have had much better weather than the previous three summers. From my vantage point on the west coast of Ireland I've sighted far more aircraft trailing this year than for many years previously both on airways and on direct routings. Primarily this is because of the predominance of winds on the Atlantic favouring flights crossing my airspace, the temperature gradients being conducive to contrail formation over a wide range of flight levels and, of course, far more days with reduced or zero cloud cover. Most aircraft have shown up on Planeplotter, far fewer on FR, and there have been times when three or four Delta B767-300s have been sighted at the same time and these do not show up on any plotter. What the OP is observing is nothing more than the average day's use of part of the UK's increasingly crowded airspace.