The "plume" was never reported over Catalina Island -- nor has anyone claimed that it was. The "plume" ended before the object passed over Catalina -- because UPS 902 passed from a region where persistent ice crystals were formed into a region where only volatile water droplets were formed. (Or, as Levyas said, it "detached from the plume".)
It appears that you have a lot of catching up to do... :-)
So ...you're saying 902 overflew Catalina but the plume was sighted northwest of the island by miles? I still say it is astounding that any of you here would accept the explanation that the "sighting" was "near" Catalina Island from the guy who filmed it...when the precise location was easily observable...
Link please. Where is your data to back that up?
Ala Occam’s Razor ...keeping it simple...there would be two things I’d want to ask the cameraman. What he thought the object was (since I’m sure he like all of us here in LA basin has seen countless airliner contrails before...but he made a big deal out of THIS particular one) and precisely where he said this took place. I wouldn’t get an answer of “near” and let it go at that...when the whole debate hinges on flight 902 of which we know the exact location at the time. Instead people are playing semantics with the word “near”...reminds of Clinton defining what the definition of “sex” was...I thought someone here talked to him? Ask him again. All I have is the yellow dot northwest of the island and all you have is flight tracking of a heavy jet in the area. Damn ...give me his email address and I’ll ask him if for some reason you people don’t want to.