These clouds are contrails, short for condensation trails. Water vapor is one of the byproducts of jet fuel combustion and will
turn into ice crystals
in the cold air at the high elevations where jet airplanes fly. Those ice crystals create a cloud (the contrail), which does not pose any public health risk.
Why do jet planes leave white trails?
Jets leave white trails, or contrails, in their wakes for the same reason you can sometimes see your breath. The hot,
humid exhaust from jet engines mixes
with the atmosphere, which at high altitude is of much lower vapor pressure and temperature than the exhaust gas.
Why do some planes look like they are hovering?
One reason is the
aforementioned higher air density near the ground
. The other is due to wing flaps, which are activated during takeoff and landing. When the flap is raised, it increases the coefficient of lift associated with the airplane significantly.
What are the clouds behind planes?
Planes create their mesmerizing contrails as they soar high in the thin, cold air. Water vapor quickly condenses around soot from the plane's exhaust and freezes to form
cirrus clouds
, which can last for minutes or hours.
Is a jet faster than a plane?
Jet aircraft have several distinct advantages over traditional propeller planes. The largest of these advantages is that
jets can travel much faster than propeller planes
, up to and beyond the speed of sound. Jets can also travel at higher altitudes due to the specific needs of their propulsion systems.
Do planes dump fuel before landing?
Usually, airplanes won't dump fuel in mid-air or when taking off or landing;
they only do so immediately before they land the plane
.
Why do planes stop in mid air?
Why do planes stop in mid air? No a plane doesn't stop in midair,
planes need to keep moving forward to remain in the air
(unless they are VTOL capable). What it can do is simply turn around or go over/under the obstruction. VTOL means vertical takeoff and landing.
Can an airplane stand still in mid air?
Can an Airplane stand still in mid-air? Technically,
it is possible for an airplane to hover for a few moments
, but only in the rarest of circumstances. If weight and lift cancel each other out at the same exact time that thrust and drag cancel each other out, the plane would hover until one of these variables changed.
What happens if a plane stalls mid air?
When an airplane stalls,
it's no longer able to produce lift
. … When this occurs, there's an insufficient amount of air traveling under the airplane's wings to keep it up. As a result, the airplane will drop, thereby reducing its altitude, until the angle of attack is correctly adjusted.
What is the highest cloud ever recorded?
Formation.
Noctilucent clouds
are composed of tiny crystals of water ice up to 100 nm in diameter and exist at a height of about 76 to 85 km (249,000 to 279,000 ft), higher than any other clouds in Earth's atmosphere.
Is fog a cloud?
Fog is
a cloud that touches the ground
. … Fog shows up when water vapor, or water in its gaseous form, condenses. During condensation, molecules of water vapor combine to make tiny liquid water droplets that hang in the air. You can see fog because of these tiny water droplets.
Why is there smoke in the plane?
Condensation in Exhaust Gases
The reason airplanes leave a white smoke trail in their wake is
because their exhaust gases contain moisture that condenses at high altitudes
. As the airplane's engines release exhaust gases, moisture vapor is released as well.
What is the fastest jet in the world?
The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
is the fastest jet aircraft in the world, reaching speeds of Mach 3.3–that's more than 3,500 kph (2,100 mph) and almost four times as fast as the average cruising speed of a commercial airliner.
Can you smoke on private planes?
Technically,
smoking in the cockpit is allowed by US law in some circumstances
, but smoke wafting into the cabin isn't something that people want to experience — especially passengers who pay thousands of dollars for a seat, since first and business class are directly behind the flight deck.
Is a jet faster?
Private jets can typically travel at speeds between 400 mph and a little over 700 mph, with an average cruising speed of about 600 mph. The fastest private jet is the
Cessna Citation X
, which has a top speed of 711 mph. … However, the average speed for a commercial aircraft can range between 460 mph and 575 mph.
Do planes dump poop?
Airlines are not allowed to dump their waste tanks
in mid-flight, and pilots have no mechanism by which to do so; however, leaks sometimes do occur from a plane's septic tank.
