When I am travelling to school in the morning I always see planes with the white smoke coming out the back like they are writing long lines across the sky, what are they for? What are their purpose?
2007-05-07 01:21:47 · 3 answers · asked by ME 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
They are called contrails, short form for Condensation Trails. They are not for anything, its just a natural phenomena, you may consider them as artificial cirrus clouds made by either the engine exhaust or wingtip vortices.
And this is not the phenomena used in skywriting.
2007-05-07 01:32:27 · answer #1 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
At certian altitudes burning fuel which makes moisture freezes and this contrail Condensation Trail from the motors most likely is what you are seeing. Military air craft fly higher than comercial planes because it is very cold above 40,000 feet so most military flights leave con trails more often.
2007-05-07 08:30:04 · answer #2 · answered by John Paul 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you mean very high up in the sky?
Sort of like this? http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/9286/img1417js0.jpg
If so then it is called "contrails" caused by hot air leaving the engines and entering the cold air of the sky.
Sort of like what happens with a car's exhaust on a cold day.
2007-05-07 08:31:05 · answer #3 · answered by Chris G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋