Contrail spotting May 2007

contrailwatcherUK · Post by **contrailwatcherUK** » 11 May 2007, 17:43

Thanks for the info on that one. I think you are right. You see that shot was taken early in the morning, so the quality wasnt so good. At the moment I am waiting for clear skies, saw one or two gaps in the clouds this morning where some nice clear photos could have been taken.

maaspotter · Post by **maaspotter** » 12 May 2007, 09:42

contrailwatcherUK wrote:737 1/5/07 6:40AM

Your unknown B737 could also be a C40 from the US Navy, it looks very similar to your picture... See:
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1073283/L

regards, Rob

Skystef · Post by **Skystef** » 12 May 2007, 11:21

maaspotter wrote:
contrailwatcherUK wrote:737 1/5/07 6:40AM

Your unknown B737 could also be a C40 from the US Navy, it looks very similar to your picture... See:
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1073283/L

regards, Rob

This could be your definite answer: on May 1 around 0800LT, 165835 B737 "ALLIED 1" passed near BUB eastbound. So if your bird was cruising eastwards (looking at the sun on the nose it was) it matches 100%.

contrailwatcherUK · Post by **contrailwatcherUK** » 12 May 2007, 12:29

Hello,

I have to agree with you an that one. It was heading easbound and I saw the contrail heading over DVR, so I guess it would have followed onto Belgium.
Thanks to you both!

contrailwatcherUK · Post by **contrailwatcherUK** » 17 May 2007, 23:44

Hi,
From today:

XS606

G-MACE

AAR587 E KJFK-EBBR UN20

SQC7879 E KLAX-EBBR UM140

RYR**** W UR8

Skystef · Post by **Skystef** » 20 May 2007, 16:11

contrailwatcherUK wrote: XS606

Amazing picture, seems it dropped something out of it, hopefully not on your head

.
Such scenery never (to be) seen at my location as near a "big" airport.

Last couple of weeks pooring rain with only some small breaks, hence not much to show.

May 19

UL607 @ 2115LT Royal Jet B737-700BBJ A6-RJY (now with UAE flag in tail) heading eastbound at 37000 ft as ROJ2

May 20

UL607 @ 0647LT US Airways A330-300 N277AY cruising at 37000 ft enroute Charlotte-Frankfurt as USA704

contrailwatcherUK · Post by **contrailwatcherUK** » 20 May 2007, 23:25

Cheers Stef, the doors are open but I did not see anything drop out. I was suprised they even let him fly around in that airspace, cos there was also a lot of military activity that day

That was about the biggest plane I get around my area flying low because I dont live any big airports, so I dont get low commercial aircraft. The only low flying planes I see are miltary as I live near Yeovilton and Boscombe Down.

I have two pics from yesterday. I only managed to capture them through the gaps in the clouds

CSA6063 E UN20

DLH4?? W UN20

Skystef · Post by **Skystef** » 23 May 2007, 12:58

Hi contrailwatcherUK,

seems you're also keen in buying a barlow lens?

Meanwhile the test results of a 2X Geoptik 2" barlow doesn't give much joy. First of all I have the same vignetting problem (although a bit less) than with a 1,25" I'd tested before". Secondly, there seems a kind of blur when viewing off the center. I though it could have something to do with the collimation thing, but even after setting this straight, no change in the relative poor (= misty) output. Now as this barlow is quite expensive (same price class as the Soligor), I would have expected some better quality in images. Thinking of trying a different mark (perhaps the Soligor on which the Polish fellow has very satisfying results), but then again this also could turn out to be a big dissapointment...because it may have a different result on each different scope. Perhaps you can say something about my problem in his Polish forum.

So, if you decide to buy, hopefully worth the money and please show your results of your'e chosen mark.

contrailwatcherUK · Post by **contrailwatcherUK** » 23 May 2007, 14:15

Indeed, was thinking about it but the one that Grzegorz is using - the Soligor 2" I think (judging by his fantastic pictures) is probably the best way to go. The only trouble is that I cant find it anywhere in the UK and no where that delivers to the UK that supplies that barlow lens. So it seems I will have to go to Poland to buy one

The other option would be to risk it and buy a similar barlow lens from another company (like you have) but I dont know if its worth the risk

I could also ask my local dealer however they dont seem to know much about contrailspotting!

Its not easy taking photos through lenses, before I know that I could directly connect my cam with my telescope I was shooting through my eyepieces, and that gave similar results as to what your experiencing.

Skystef · Post by **Skystef** » 23 May 2007, 16:13

contrailwatcherUK wrote:Indeed, was thinking about it but the one that Grzegorz is using - the Soligor 2" I think (judging by his fantastic pictures) is probably the best way to go. The only trouble is that I cant find it anywhere in the UK and no where that delivers to the UK that supplies that barlow lens.

If I know in advance that the Soligor also gives satisfying pics with my scope (Polish guy has an 10", I have an 8") I would not hesitate in buying. So this doubt remains and is a crucial point for a definite yes. Soligor is a German mark, and is (also) not to be found in Belgian optic stores. Now, E-shopping is an option, there are some E-stores in Poland, Germany, Austria, etc, which sells them. Perhaps you're bit afraid in ordering and receive the thing via mail, but till know I have had no troubles in doing so... even my scope was sended by mail after E-shop.

If I only could test and compare... but with E-shopping that's a bit difficult.

Televue Powermate lenses are normally the best, but then we're talking in amounts money that approach the cost of my scope.
So, still haven't made my mind up what to do.

Post by **tangolima** » 23 May 2007, 19:21

Hello,

Seen today above Ghent:
-British Airways B737,Embrear
-Air India B747-400
-XL Airways B767
-Lufthansa A340,A320 or A321
-Ryanair B737-800
-ThompsonFLY.com B767,B737
-Kuwait Airways A340-313
-Easy Jet A319

Greetings,
Kristof

Skystef · Post by **Skystef** » 24 May 2007, 23:01

Ok thx for log tangolima,

No news in saying conditions for taking pictures remain difficult due to radiation.

May 23

Way off course of any UL/UN @ 2052LT Tuifly B737-800 D-ATUA cruising as HLX2XV at 36000 ft northbound

UL607 @ 2122LT non contrailing UPS MD11 N273UP cruising at 30000 ft enroute Louisville-Cologne as UPS203

May 24

UL607 @ 0614LT LTU A330-200 D-ALPC cruising at 39000 ft enroute Punta Cana-Munich as LTU847

UL608 @ 0629LT Jet2 B757-200 G-LSAA cruising at 36000 ft enroute Athens-Luton

contrailwatcherUK · Post by **contrailwatcherUK** » 25 May 2007, 13:17

WOW!!
Such a nice collection!!
I really like the Tuifly and LTU.
BTW, that LTU flight is common over my house, so hopefully I will see that nice livery. Reminds me of the Emirates livery

Weather is pretty bad over here too, a lot of radiation, poor visibility etc, and the contrail level is about 36,000 ft so not many aircraft are contrailing.
but I have some pictures which I will post later.

contrailwatcherUK · Post by **contrailwatcherUK** » 25 May 2007, 22:52

Hello, some poor conditions, but also some nice 'rainbow' contrail effects occuring

All traffic heading West except DLH499 which was heading East.

23/5/07

DLH499 on UM140 - never seen a Lufthansa on this airway.

22/5/07
CSA6024? UN20

KLM??? UN20

KLM765 UN20

DLH412 UN20

BAW??? UR8

NWA39 UN20

NWA95 UN20

Sorry but I dont have time to give flight details

Skystef · Post by **Skystef** » 26 May 2007, 16:23

Some nice shots again CW.

The aerodynamical contrail of the the BA744 looks great, just like a combi of aerodynamical & exhaust contrail on the MD11.

Reminds me of making also these kind of shots if atmosphere allows it. But a real rainbow alike contrail remains quite rare.

An elder shot with the Bigma lens on October 18 2005: an eastbound BA 744 on UL607.

contrailwatcherUK · Post by **contrailwatcherUK** » 26 May 2007, 21:21

My BA 744 was quite low as it had just departed heathrow, was probably about FL220. They seem to only form in high cirrus cloud, or near to cirrus clouds. Not sure if I'm right though.
For now, the weather is looking to be unsettled for much of the week

I hope the skies of Belgium dont let you down too.

Skystef · Post by **Skystef** » 31 May 2007, 00:01

Sun was out for a couple of hours, so my sope too

.

Few addition of May 30.

UL607 @ 0746LT Aerosweet Airlines B767-300 UR-VVG cruising at 35000 ft enroute JFK-Kiev as AEW132.

UL607 @ 0747LT AirMalta A320 9H-AEF cruising at 33000 ft enroute East-Midlands-Malta as AMC6314.

UL607 @ 0807LT XL Airways Uk B737-800 G-XLAG cruising at 37000 ft enroute Gatwick-Kos as XLA5316.

UL607 @ 0824LT XL Airways Uk B767-300 G-VKNG cruising at 37000 ft enroute Gatwick-Kos as XLA5044.

UZ703 @ 0834LT TuiFly Nordic B757-200 SE-DUP cruising at 36000 ft enroute Goteborg-Las Palmas as BLX233.

0853LT: heading for its new job @ AMS, will operate for Emirates from June 1 on.
TNT Airways B747-400 OO-THA cruising at 15000ft enroute Liege-Amsterdam as TAY900E

contrailwatcherUK · Post by **contrailwatcherUK** » 31 May 2007, 16:11

Hello

Nice shots, I hope I get to see that TNT one day. I do see a lot of Cargo traffic to the USA from Belgium destinations, Kalitta is very common over my house. So I am hoping one day that TNT flies to some American destinations. 8)

Some unsettled weather over the past few days but managed to get a few shots:

30/5/07
UPS207 KPHL-EDDK UN20

UPS203 KPHL-EDDK UN20

VIR15 EGKK-KMCO UM140

29/5/07
FDX38 KMEM-EDDF UN20

24/5/07
JXX3611 OH-AFJ operating for JetX UN20

JXX2601 ESSA-LLPD UN20

ilpavone2004 · Post by **ilpavone2004** » 31 May 2007, 22:22

Hello guys!
As i promised yesterday i post some photos that i took during the last week with my scope. There are no flight, airline and airplane data.
Sorry for the bad quality

contrailwatcherUK · Post by **contrailwatcherUK** » 31 May 2007, 22:34

Cool pictures!! reminds me of when i went to Barcelona. I saw hundreds of Airbus A319/20/21 aircraft which is a lot different from what I normally see.
My fave is the 4th one... not sure what airline it is though...
What equipment are you currently using?