[CaptainGyro]

Thought you guys might enjoy seeing this. We were flying the North Atlantic tracks just south of Iceland this morning at 37,000, and were gradually overtaking a Delta 777 at 38,000. The outside air temperature was super cold, around minus 60C, and everyone was leaving huge contrails. The other plane in the distance was a business jet up at 43,000.

Wish you could have seen it in person; it was more impressive than it looks in the photo.

 

[t-star]

that's me on the left- frozen pharts

 

[Charlie Petty]

cool

y'all drive careful now...

 

[CaptainGyro]

Well this is kinda' cool...I told the Delta pilot I had a picture of him that I'd be happy to send him, and he, in turn, took a picture of us after we emerged out from under them. We're in an Airbus A330-300:

 

[TommyGunn]

I get that box with the red square in it, Captain Gyro .. .

 

[Charlie Petty]

cooler still

 

[Diamondback]

Cool! My mother's with Boeing (for the moment, being one of the moles in the latest Age-Discrimination Layoff Whack-a-Mole game), so I forwarded that to her to share with her crowd...

My condolences on flying The Other Team, though New Boeing (read: "McDonnell Douglas") ain't nothing like what Heritage Boeing used to be either...

 

[Skeptic49]

Interesting set. Interesting difference in economical cruise.
Geoff
Who has noted the contrails here in FL, I think the F-15s out of JAX have fun on weekends.

 

[CaptainGyro]

Geoff, it is likely that our cruise speeds were very similar (we were at Mach .82). We only had about a ten knot overtake on him, and some of that differential can be accounted for by slight differences in the wind and air temperature at the two altitudes (mach number being entirely dependent on temperature within the same medium).

 

[Diamondback]

Hope you don't mind my sharing--as a recovering Boeing family, we still pass good photos of the things we've supported (she's in IT, supporting Commercial Airplane Services--the guys who do mods, provide warranty service and fix Aircraft On Ground incidents) around.

Any specific citation or credit you'd like?

 

[CaptainGyro]

Naw, that's OK. Thanks for asking.

 

[WaltGraham]

Yep, way cool pic - but way cooler is taking the ride that lets you take the shot.

 

[Charlie Petty]

Careful Walt... don' go givin' him da big head...

 

[shep854]

Watching the 'trails from the ground, I imagine watching another flight cross at altitude is fascinating.

 

[CaptainGyro]

It is fascinating, but you respect them. They are a visual cue that identifies where the otherwise-invisible wake turbulence of another aircraft is. If you hit that wake within a minute or so of the other aircraft's passage it will rock your world.

An interesting thing about contrails is that it is almost impossible to see your own. I've only done it once, in a T-38, when we continued a turn for almost 360 degrees. I saw cons in front of me, and realized that I was crossing my own path. Occasionally, if you're flying above an overcast with the sun at your left or right, you can see the shadow of your own con on the clouds below.

 

[IrishCop]

I'm like Pete...I love watching them from the ground.

Those two photos were way cool, Cap'n. Do you have any real photogenic flight attendants (female please) on board?

 

[Diamondback]

Those two photos were way cool, Cap'n. Do you have any real photogenic flight attendants (female please) on board?

Especially any single, from Seattle area and into geeky gun-nuts? LOL :mrgreen:

 

[shep854]

It is fascinating, but you respect them. They are a visual cue that identifies where the otherwise-invisible wake turbulence of another aircraft is. If you hit that wake within a minute or so of the other aircraft's passage it will rock your world.

An interesting thing about contrails is that it is almost impossible to see your own. I've only done it once, in a T-38, when we continued a turn for almost 360 degrees. I saw cons in front of me, and realized that I was crossing my own path. Occasionally, if you're flying above an overcast with the sun at your left or right, you can see the shadow of your own con on the clouds below.

As private ASEL pilot, respect for wake turbulence was solidly ingrained into me. Once, I aborted an approach after Approach vectored a 737 directly over me, to land ahead of me on the same runway. When I stated my intent, the controller told me I had adequate clearance, but that pilot proverb came to mind:
"Controllers and pilots have one thing in common;
If either screws up, the PILOT dies"
No controller ever died because a pilot screwed up...

 

[WaltGraham]

Do you have any real photogenic flight attendants (female please) on board?

I'm guessing that posting such would be unprofessional at best, and a resume de enhancement at worst.

Imagination is a wondrous thing...

 

[CaptainGyro]

Unfortunately, in the airline world, the folks who fly international are the most senior and therefore the most...well, let's just leave it at that.

Shep: smart move.