Contrails the shape of an 8, ever seen that

[robert62]

Hi,

Yesterday I saw a contrail in the shape of the number 8. While I was watching closer I noticed a (2 engine?) jet that was making this contrails. It appeared to have completed this pattern for the third time.
Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me.
I live in Maastricht, The Netherlands and the contrails were southwest of me in the direction Brussels.

It looked like the plane was in a kind op holding pattern, but I never heard of an 8-shaped pattern and certainly not a this altitude (quite high, at least high enough to have contrails).

Does anyone have seen this before?


Regards

Robert

[Freightdogg]

It's possible that what you saw was an aircraft practicing for a type rating checkride. There is a maneuver on the checkride called "Steep turns" that is normally performed by making a 360 degree turn with a steep angle of wing bank, as the turn is completed the aircraft is rolled immediately into a similar turn in the opposite direction. If the aircraft was producing contrails they would form a figure 8 if the maneuver was done properly. Normally this maneuver is performed in a simulator with jets, but if a pilot is taking his first type rating checkride he must do so in an aircraft rather than a simulator. Subsequent checkrides may all be performed using a simulator. Since the maneuver was done more than once I suspect you saw a training flight preparing a new Captain for his/her first type rating checkride.

[AJ]

Could also have been a survey/aerial photography aircraft concentrating on a certain area.

[philb]

I would put Brussels west of you rather than southwest but, that apart, the figure of eight hold is unusual for that part of Europe.

First off, any passenger jet traffic holding at altitude high enough for a contrail in this week's weather is awaiting onward clearance from Eurocontrol, presumably to enter British, French or German airspace. As that area is particularly congested with a range of airways and at all flight levels, you can rule out any training sortie being allowed to conduct anything but a normal transit.

If it was a hold for onward clearance, due to either a missed slot time or early arrival at a given point, you are correct in assuming that a figure eight is the last sort of pattern to be flown, especially three times around.

So, the following are possible:

A military flight above airways (above FL450)

A pattern being flown to avoid other traffic (but very unusual to have to complete a full 8 more than once)

A navigation facilities calibration flight (though these are normally carried out at much lower levels).

Unless you find out differently, I'd go for a military flight

[DeltaASA16]

I saw what looked to be a MD-80 a few years back, make a huge holding pattern turn at FL300 or something as thick contrails were showing... very impressive

DeltaASA16