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The contrail you see drifting is 'way off in the distance and 30k+ft up. The plane is somewhat lower, in warmer, dryer air, no longer making anything but a short contrail "fan". The drift of the "plume" and the path of the A/C on approach have next to nothing to do with each other.

Another problem with that is that the plane was not lower while it was still off of the coast.

post #792
UPS902 was over Catalina Island at 17:31:33. Its altitude was ~ 30,000 feet. It was 35 miles south of Long Beach at 17:33:01. Altitude ~ 29,000 feet. It was then 20 miles south of Costa Mesa at 17:34:29 at ~ 29,000 feet. At that altitude should have been contrailing the whole way. Never got close to Long Beach. Traveled south of FallBrook and started major descent then. Turned north and was at 11,100 feet over Hemet heading north.

Contrail formation, lifetime, and spread are not solely a function of elevation. If it were, the A/C who consistently fly the major west-east corridor I live under would always make persistent contrails. [ve seen days where planes flying straight and level have contrails that "switch on and off" as they traverse streaks of air with different properties.

You probably could get better info from the gentleman at contrailscience.com if you address him nicely -- but I guess that is a (your word) suggestion...:-}

Compare:

#1) UPS902 was over Catalina Island at 17:31:33. Its altitude was ~ 30,000 feet. It was 35 miles south of Long Beach at 17:33:01. Altitude ~ 29,000 feet. It was then 20 miles south of Costa Mesa at 17:34:29 at ~ 29,000 feet. At that altitude should have been contrailing the whole way. Never got close to Long Beach. Traveled south of FallBrook and started major descent then. Turned north and was at 11,100 feet over Hemet heading north.

#2) “I’m not convinced the missile was launched at 5:00-5:15 as has been widely reported. That time frame fits well into the Flight 808 theory, since we know Flt 808 was over Catalina at 5:00pm. However, in an interview with the man who shot the video, he said it was around 4:45. The helicopter shown on the Bob Hope monitor was there at 4:45, but disappeared prior to 5:00pm. I was also reading viewer comments at the KCBS/KCAL website.

One man said he and his wife were walking along Venice Beach at 4:45 and saw it.”

So it seems a 4:45 witness vs a 5:30 arriving plane perhaps?

This is their “science”. And typical of all that they say and do.

They wish to force one plane or another on top of what is very obviously a missile launch.

A plane contrail.

What a hoot.