Can anyone help me identify this?
Time: 9:02 PM EST
Location: Lakeside, VA, Henrico County
A friend just sent me this video, and I’m curious about the aircraft that’s leaving this trail. He’s about 30 minutes from the base in VA Beach and has never seen anything like it. Any thoughts on what it could be?
It sounds like your friend might have captured a video of an aircraft leaving a contrail, which can vary in appearance depending on altitude, atmospheric conditions, and the type of aircraft. If they’re near a military base in Virginia Beach, it’s possible that it could be a military aircraft.
Several possibilities come to mind:
Military Jets: These can leave distinctive contrails, especially during training exercises. The appearance can vary greatly depending on the altitude and the speed of the aircraft.
Commercial Air Traffic: While it might not be unusual, sometimes you can see different types of commercial jets creating contrails, especially if they’re flying at high altitudes in a humid atmosphere.
Weather Balloons or Drones: Depending on the specifics of the trail, it could also be a high-altitude weather balloon or even a large drone.
If you can provide more details about the trail’s appearance (e.g., how long it lasted, whether it expanded or dissipated quickly, etc.), that might help narrow it down further. You might also consider checking flight tracking websites or apps to see if there was any unusual air traffic in the area around that time.