[D-fendr]

How many airliners do you know of that are capable of a vertical trajectory?

Like this one:

As has been demonstrated numerous times, airplane contrails can appear to be have vertical trajectories depending on perspective.

[Sprite518]

LOL! Great photo!

Yeah that looks like an airplane that I always see flying over. (sarcasm off)

[editor-surveyor]

You’re playing your strawman game again.

The subject video had a short portion that was vertical, and then a linear path approaching constant elevation in the distance.

The one you posted, on the other hand is entirely constant elevation and headed toward the camera. The difference between the two can be discerned by the shadow portion of the one you posted that is entirely missing from the subject video because it is headed into sunlight.

It started in the light, and headed to the west, remaining lighted.

[TigersEye]

As has been demonstrated numerous times, airplane contrails can appear to be have vertical trajectories depending on perspective.

There are lots of still pics like that, of airplanes and their contrails, that look similar to missiles but not one video. The lighting in that pic doesn't match either.

[ThunderSleeps]

You're right. I don't know about anyone else's universe...but in mine, if that were a vertical smoke column at sunset the lower (dispersed) part would be dark while the higher part would be in light. Now, if it were a horizontal contrail of a plane headed east... The westernmost dispersed part would be brightly lit, while the easternmost part would be headed into shadow... Say... ;-)

Also, in my universe the airspace around LA is not exactly no-mans land. I think a few pilots would notice a big missile blowing up through their controlled airspace. I think they'd get on the radio and demand to know what the {expletive} was going on. However, a routine contrail viewed from their perspective wouldn't even rate a second look - other than being kind of pretty at sunset.