This is part of some research I have yet to fully write up.Like many people, I have become concerned about the number of these trails on some days and therefore have even gone to the trouble of investing in an AirNav RadarBox "virtual radar" device for my computer, so that I can determine a little more about air traffic movements over my house. (The CAA and other people I wrote to could not provide this information in retrospect).
Like quite a few people I was surprised to detect this result – as I had kind of assumed that only unmarked planes would be “caught” making trails.
I was asked by someone about the AirNav RadarBox picking up military flights. Here are the notes from the manual for the unit:
Why can I see aircraft in the list but they do not appear on the map?
Some aircraft, although they are fitted with ADS-B equipment, do not transmit their position. Without position information, it is impossible to display the aircraft on the map. In the example below, the first 2 aircraft in the list have ADS-B equipment, but they are not transmitting position information. However, it is still possible to see the identity and type of the aircraft and their altitude. The last 2 aircraft are transmitting full position information (shown by the Globe in the first column) and will appear on the map. Note that military aircraft will often show in the aircraft list, but for security reasons, do not transmit their position.
Using the Radarbox over time allows data to be captured and I am hoping to make some comparative measurements between days with no trails and days with high numbers of trails to see what emerges. Some of the log files I have collected have 800,000 lines of data.
Some civilian flights do not broadcast their position either – only their height – and some don’t broadcast anything.
22 Mear Drive,
Borrowash,
Derbs,
DE72 3QW.
Tel: 01332 674271
e-mail: ad.johnson@ntlworld….
4 June, 2010
Re: Easyjet Air Traffic Enquiry
Dear Madam/Sir,
I am writing to enquire about a “persistent jet trail” incident which occurred over (or nearly over) my house on March 05, 2010.
I have become concerned about the number of these trails on some days and therefore have even gone to the trouble of investing a not inconsiderable amount in a “virtual radar” device for my computer, so that I can determine a little more about air traffic movements over my house.
My question is fairly simple. I tracked 2 Easyjet flights over my house – details below – and one flight was leaving a long, persistent trail, the other was not. I photographed them and took a short video clip. I have made this into a video, a copy of which is on the enclosed disk. You can see in the 2nd video clip that there is another plane, ahead of EZY239 which is also leaving a much longer trail.
So, why was one leaving a long trail and the other was not – they were flying at almost the same height, at nearly the same speed, in the same general direction, on the same day and it was the same type of aircraft.
I would be very pleased to have an explanation about this – and I know quite a few other people who are also interested in this subject.
Yours Sincerely,
Andrew Johnson
Date: 05 March 2010
|
Time |
Flight No |
Reg. |
Route |
Min Ht |
Max Ht |
Aircraft Type |
Ground Speed |
|
16:32 |
EZY067 |
G-EZIR |
Luton – Glasgow |
32525 |
33675 |
A319-111 |
380-390 |
|
17:24 |
EZY239 |
G-EZIN |
Stansted – Edinburgh |
32900 |
33000 |
A319-111 |
384 |
Photographs
These photographs were taken with an Canon SX20-IS which is a 12 Megapixel unit and has a 20x optical zoom (Approx 1 minute difference between camera time setting and PC time setting).
16:32 – EZY067
(Photo taken facing roughly west).
Airnav Radar Box Track
17:24 – EZY 239
(Photo taken facing roughly east north east).
Airnav Radar Box Track
On 14th July 2010,. I received a much more prompt, but unhelpful response by e-mail on
Sent: 14 July 2010 12:22
To: ad.johnson@…
Subject: Letter Sent by Post o 04 June – no response [Incident: 100713-020119]
Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support centre.
| Subject | |
| Letter Sent by Post o 04 June – no response | |
| Discussion Thread | |
| Response (Jacqueline Kenny) | 14/07/2010 11.21 AM |
| Dear Mr Johnson,
Thank you for contacting us. I apologise but I am unable to answer your operational query. I would like to inform you that if you wish to talk to one of our representatives, our Customer Experience Team is available under the following telephone numbers: In the UK, 0871 244 2366 (calls cost 10p per minute; calls from mobiles and other networks may cost more). Our Operations department is option 1. If you are calling from abroad, please telephone the relevant number below: In Spain, 807 260026 (calls cost €0.87 per minute; calls from mobiles and other networks may cost more) If the country you are calling from is not included in the list please call 0044 870 6 000 000 (calls made to this number will be charged at the prevailing overseas call rate). Furthermore, our contact centre is open for business from 08:00 to 20:00 hours Monday to Friday and from 09:00 to 17:00 hours on weekends (UK time). I realise that you have had a negative experience on this occasion and I hope that this will not deter you from using our services again in the future. Once again, I do apologise for the inconvenience caused. I do hope I have been able to answer your question fully. To update your query please reply to this email and we will be happy to assist you further. Yours sincerely, Jacqueline Kenny |
|
| Auto-Response | 13/07/2010 06.44 PM |
| Dear
Thank you for submitting your question. Your reference number for this question is 100713-020119. We would like our Customers to have a speedy response to their enquiry, with this in mind we have looked at your email and have provided you with some suggestions for an instant answer to your question. We hope you will find these helpful. Title: easyJet’s Lowest Price Guarantee Title: I had a flight from/to East Midlands Airport. What do I do now? Title: How do I request a refund for my cancelled flight? If we have not found an immediate answer to your question, we aim to respond to your question as soon as possible. Yours sincerely easyJet Customer Experience Team |
|
| Customer (Andrew Johnson) | 13/07/2010 06.44 PM |
| Dear Sir/Madam,
I am still awaiting a response to a letter I sent over 1 month ago to you I included a disk, which I cannot include here, though I have posted a video If this query is not answered, I will have to escalate it through the Yours Sincerely, Andrew Johnson |
|
