[econjack]

Like I said, I don't want to point to a Chinese missile as some are want to do, but even in light of your evidence, I'm still having a hard time accepting this ex post argument. Also, given the heavy air traffic in the area, if atmospheric conditions are the cause, why aren't there other contrails that look similar to this one?

[Yo-Yo]

Like I said, I don't want to point to a Chinese missile as some are want to do, but even in light of your evidence, I'm still having a hard time accepting this ex post argument.

And like I said, this isn't the first time that an aircraft contrail in the Los Angeles area has been mistaken for a contrail. It also happened on December 31^st, 2009.

New Year's Eve Contrail.

[SeeSac]

Also, given the heavy air traffic in the area, if atmospheric conditions are the cause, why aren't there other contrails that look similar to this one?

Answered 10,000x in other threads. Most of that traffic was not high enough to produce contrails.

[Tommyjo]

There are other sunset aircraft contrails that have sparked smaller missile flaps in the US. One during 2008 and one during 2009. This one on the 8th took on a whole new meaning due to the media attention and the people that they got on-air comments from.

Debated to death on the following Freeper threads.

Link to Freeper thread1

Link to Freeper thread2

Link to Freeper thread3

The helicopter cameraman, Gil Leyvas, also reported that he saw a similar event on the 4th November. On that date Flight UPS902, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, was flying the same route and time as the UPS902 MD-11 on the 8th. Was Gil Leyvas fooled twice by an MD-11 contrail twice within the space of a few days during sunset?

The type of aircraft is important here. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a tri-engined airliner. It has been known to produce unique blended contrails due to the three engines and has confused many sky watchers.

See analysis by contrail experts from NASA.

Link to NASA story

It has all been debated to death on the Freeper threads posted above.

[TXnMA]

Contrails form at 30Kft+, Local traffic is much too low to form contrails.