# More questions regarding chemtrails **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [May 2, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440 "2011-05-02T02:55:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/23 "2011-06-01T23:40:14Z")
I just searched on the term “chemtrails” and I think the blinking font conspiracy theory websites already caused me to lose a couple billion neurons. Is this stuff just made up out of whole cloth by people who can’t get over the cancellation of _The X-Files_? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/24 "2011-06-02T00:30:58Z")
A number of things: “I know a BIG secret that other people don’t know.” “The Establishment is out to get me, and that’s why I can’t get a better job.” “All that stuff they teach in school is bullshit, so I was right not to work on it.” “All those so-called smart people aren’t really smarter than I am; they just don’t want to let me into their snooty club.” “Any sort of bad news is an attempt by my enemies to thwart me.” But I really think the one greatest factor is that it takes a person of more than usual sanity to say, “My first belief was wrong; I must reject it in favor of a new hypothesis.” ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/25 "2011-06-02T02:43:02Z")
> [@fgasparini](#): > > Because the engines on DC-9s are tail mounted, if that’s the right way to phrase it. > > EDIT: Although now I see the 727 engines are also…so I don’t know. That’s my point. If someone posted they’d seen what I’d seen, skepticism would abound. In fact it took me about a 30 seconds to puzzle out what I had seen. This occurred in November on a clear day, and could see other contrails from other jets–that’s when I made the connection about the weird shadow I was seeing on the wing. I’ve flown dozens of times since then, but the circumstances never repeated themselves again… ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/27 "2011-06-04T20:17:27Z")
> [@charlespearl](#): > > You think I do not know the difference between a contrail and chemtrail. I certainly think that. Your pictures show a phenomenon that is identical to pictures of contrails. What proof do you have that they have “chemicals” in them? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/28 "2011-06-04T20:19:04Z")
> [@charlespearl](#): > > Why even join this thread if you don’t have anything constructive to say. Because The Straight Dope’s mission is to fight ignorance. ‘Chemtrails’ are a fantasy cooked up by conspiracy theorists and/or people who don’t understand atmospheric/aviation phenomena, and so we try to explain what they’re actually seeing. Not that it ever helps. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/29 "2011-06-04T20:57:54Z")
> [@charlespearl](#): > > You think I do not know the difference between a contrail and chemtrail. How do you tell the difference between a contrail and a chemtrail by looking at it? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/30 "2011-06-04T21:39:50Z")
> [@charlespearl](#): > > You think I do not know the difference between a contrail and chemtrail. Yes, I think exactly that - you don’t know the difference between a real phenomena called a “contrail” and fantasy with the all the validity of unicorns called a “chemtrail”. > [@](#): > > Also, do you think I do not know what airports are near the suburbs? Get real. As if I like to make stuff up and post them on blogs like I have nothing better to do. > > I took these pictures because these airplanes and chemtrails were occurring over a 3 hour period and staying for hours. Not a few minutes or even twenty minutes. Hours! I watched the airplanes throughout that day and these were not normal airplanes doing it. > > Why even join this thread if you don’t have anything constructive to say. I am a licensed pilot. I was based at Chicago Executive for two years. _Based on that experience_ I think your interpretation of what you saw is faulty. There is no reason contrails can’t persist for hours. Traffic patterns can alter due to factors not apparent to someone standing on the ground - winds aloft, traffic patterns at other airports, in-flight emergencies on one airplane that shunts others to a holding pattern. In other words, you saw normal contrails but fell prey to conspiracy theories that have come up with some sort of bizarre and fantastical explanation for very commonplace phenomena. I don’t know why people do that, perhaps soap operas and \*Oprah \*aren’t interesting enough anymore. As for “not normal airplanes” - true enough, there are some unusual airplanes. I should know, I’ve flown several types registered under the “experimental” regulations. However, just because an airplane is unusual does not make it part of some sinister, secret, government black ops program. Please describe these “unusual aircraft” in more detail, I’d be fascinated to know more. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/31 "2011-06-06T13:15:56Z")
> [@charlespearl](#): > > Get real. As if I like to make stuff up and post them on blogs like I have nothing better to do… > > I took these pictures because these airplanes and chemtrails were occurring over a 3 hour period and staying for hours. Not a few minutes or even twenty minutes. Hours! I watched the airplanes throughout that day. This is perhaps the working definition of “having nothing better to do”. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/32 "2011-06-07T01:49:46Z")
**charlespearl** has posted this rubbish to possibly 20 or more websites the last month or so. Since he returned to defend himself, I won’t ban him as a spammer. But, I think it’s a lost cause. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/33 "2011-07-06T05:18:28Z")
… never mind… ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/34 "2011-07-06T06:12:52Z")
Operation **TEH PWN II** is a success! **charlespearl** was never heard from again ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/35 "2011-07-06T09:59:39Z")
> [@user\_hostile](#): > > Operation **TEH PWN II** is a success! > > **charlespearl** was never heard from again Actually, you missed [del]the fire works[/del] feeble, pathetic bleatings. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/36 "2011-07-06T15:58:50Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Actually, you missed [del]the fire works[/del] feeble, pathetic bleatings. Just to clarify, **charlespearl** came back last night and posted a bunch of nonsense. The posts were removed and he was banned. ---
**Author:** ![galveston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/41988e/32.png) [@galveston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galveston)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440/37 "2011-07-11T18:09:11Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > The behavior you describe doesn’t happen. Planes don’t cross back and forth over cities, but they do avoid each other in high traffic areas. So you’ll get multiple contrails all going the same way because … wait for it… the planes are avoiding each other. Also, you never see more than one contrail over a secluded area because air traffic only concentrates where the airports are. Airports, naturally, are near cities. That is not always true. Five years or so ago, on a clear Sunday morning, a friend pointed out to me contrails in a clear calm sky. They were pretty much in a grid, and I live more than 100 miles from any major airport. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-questions-regarding-chemtrails/580440.md?page=1)