Serious question about lines in the sky

[Lawrence00]

When I try to internet search on this it's all defensive, not a conspiracy, not a conspiracy!

The thing is I'm old, and I do not recall these view spoilers appearing until a handful of years ago.

So do planes fly higher now? Did engine manufacturing change?

The internet sites say they've been around for a long time.

The Middle East does mess with the weather with cloud seeding, but I don't live there.

Do we have at least one ex-pilot in this group?

 

[Magna-Carta]

When I try to internet search on this it's all defensive, not a conspiracy, not a conspiracy!

The thing is I'm old, and I do not recall these view spoilers appearing until a handful of years ago.

So do planes fly higher now? Did engine manufacturing change?

The internet sites say they've been around for a long time.

The Middle East does mess with the weather with cloud seeding, but I don't live there.

Do we have at least one ex-pilot in this group?

Are you referring to Contrails, short for Condensation Trails?

I used to work with someone who used to work for Rolls Royce Civil Aerospace. I used to think those contrails were water vapour from the engines, causing a cloud line, but he said what we can actually see is ice crystals. At high altitude the air temperature can be -40°C or colder. The huge amount of air, and therefore moisture that the engines pull in obviously then goes out of the engine's exhaust side. The moisture/water then quickly freezes and forms small ice crystals.

Additionally, I know there is around 12 to 15% hydrogen in petrol/gasoline. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a similar amount of hydrogen in jet fuel/kerosene. When hydrogen burns it combines with oxygen to form H2O. In other words, water. That water from combustion then also freezes in the cold air behind the jet engine.

A large Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine can pull in about 1.5 tonnes of air per second. Even with relatively low moisture content at high altitude, the sheer volume of air means the engine is still pulling in a noticeable amount of water. I believe though that most of the water is produced by burning jet fuel.

 

[Lawrence00]

Are you referring to Contrails, short for Condensation Trails?

I used to work with someone who used to work for Rolls Royce Civil Aerospace. I used to think those contrails were water vapour from the engines, causing a cloud line, but he said what we can actually see is ice crystals. At high altitude the air temperature can be -40°C or colder. The huge amount of air, and therefore moisture that the engines pull in obviously then goes out of the engine's exhaust side. The moisture/water then quickly freezes and forms small ice crystals.

Additionally, I know there is around 12 to 15% hydrogen in petrol/gasoline. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a similar amount of hydrogen in jet fuel/kerosene. When hydrogen burns it combines with oxygen to form H2O. In other words, water. That water from combustion then also freezes in the cold air behind the jet engine.

A large Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine can pull in 1.5 tonnes of air per second. Depending on the time of year and location around the world, I would have thought that even with a small percentage of moisture in the air, the amount of moisture the engine is pulling in could at times be considerable. I believe though that most of the water is produced by burning jet fuel.

When reading about the controversies, that Is what the websites are saying, Contracts, not Chem trails.

 

[Magna-Carta]

When reading about the controversies, that Is what the websites are saying, Contracts, not Chem trails.

There are chemicals in those trails too, but if the engine is working efficiently, most of what is coming out of the engine, apart from water, is CO2 -- Carbon Dioxide. In that the Oxygen in the air within he engine combines with Carbon in the fuel to create CO2 during combustion.

There are conspiracy theorists who believe the government is using civilian aircraft to poison its population. Conspiracy theorists who don't understand chemistry or physics?

 

[Magna-Carta]

 

[Lawrence00]

There are chemicals in those trails too, but if the engine is working efficiently, most of what is coming out of the engine, apart from water, is CO2 -- Carbon Dioxide. In that the Oxygen in the air within he engine combines with Carbon in the fuel to create CO2 during combustion.

There are conspiracy theorists who believe the government is using civilian aircraft to poison its population. Conspiracy theorists who don't understand chemistry or physics?

Thus my original question. I wouldn't trust skywriters to not be trying to mess with the weather, but poisoning is far fetched in my opinion... fewer consumers, voters, profits.

But I do not recall the skies looking like this for my first several decades.

 

[dilettante]

I've heard about UK plans to experiment with creating highly reflective chemtrails on purpose, to dim the sun. Because, climate alarmism.

Such tampering would seem unadvisable. Such hubris! And what happens to solar panel investments under skies of crystalline fog?

Quite a lot of mention of using sea water. What happens to lungs and land fertility over time? Inland corrosion?

Hopefully they aren't serious.

 

[Nathan]

The hot exhaust from high flying aircraft causes ice crystals to form in trails.

 

[Magna-Carta]

Thus my original question. I wouldn't trust skywriters to not be trying to mess with the weather, but poisoning is far fetched in my opinion... fewer consumers, voters, profits.

But I do not recall the skies looking like this for my first several decades.

Newer engines have improved fuel efficiency, but they create more water vapor per unit of thrust and have cooler exhaust relative to outside air, favoring ice crystal formation. Mainly, I believe due to the more modern jet engines having larger High-bypass turbofans. Plus there are a lot more commercial aircraft in the sky than there used to be.

These days most of the air going into a commercial jet engine doesn't actually go into the jet itself. Only a relatively small amount goes physically into the jet engine. Most of the rest goes around the engine, but within the outer casing of the engine. On a commercial jet, most of the thrust is produced by the bypass air, not from the jet itself. With the big fans on commercial jets these days, that's a lot of air, with potentially a lot of moisture.

So yeah, you aren't imagining it. The skies probably do look different to how they did in the '60s or '70s, partly because aviation technology changed and partly because the skies are just busier.


High-bypass turbofan vs earlier turbojets.

 

[Judycat]

I live under a flight-path out in the sticks PA. I don't live near an airport, but especially in the evening, many jets mark the sky with their trails, almost all are going west. Perhaps that is what you are observing.