Perfect Figure-8 Contrails Over Offutt AFB

I've been admiring everyones photography here for a while now. I thought I would finally introduce myself with an interesting contrail I got shots of at work today. I did a search and saw all the contrail threads had been started in Transportation so I'm posting them here.

First, my name is Stephen. I'm originally from Jefferson City, MO, but I live in Omaha, NE now. I was stationed here at Offutt from 2004-2007 and then separated and stayed here (met a woman that I'm currently engaged to). I still work on the base in a section of my old job (2F0X1 - Fuels) that was contracted out.

I started shooting on a Sony Mavica CD-R/W camera when I was deployed to Iraq in 2003 (I didn't know much about photography or cameras at this point. I just wanted something I could document the deployment with). I used it off and on, but really didn't start shooting again until 2007. My girlfriend at the time was into photography and had taken classes in college. She had a Canon A430 when I met her iirc. She started getting me interested in actual "photography", and just the little bit I messed with her P&S got me hooked on Canon cameras. So since then I've owned the following:

-Canon SD900 (stolen in an airport)
-Canon SD970 IS (sold to get next camera)
-Canon SX220 HS (still in use)
-Canon Rebel T4i w/ 18-135mm STM lens (just bought in October through B&H with a Pixma Pro9500 printer for the Canon $500 rebate that was being offered)
-Nifty 50mm f/1.8 lens (got this for Christmas)

Anyways, I'm trying to learn as much as I can. The DSLR for beginners sticky helped me A LOT when I first got the Rebel and went straight to Manual. I'm looking forward to posting more on the forum and learning from all the talent and experience here!

Now the pictures. These are from my iPhone 4. (I didn't have either of my cameras with me at work.) I walked outside my shop this morning around 1030 and saw the contrails in a perfect firgure 8??

1.

Interesting find. I've never seen that before.

Nice catch & welcome.
I was with a crew many years ago doing some flight testing over a major city here in Australia which resulted in a lovely clover leaf pattern over the city which made the news with lots of questions being asked. If only our ground controller had told us we could have changed levels & saved a lot of PR effort!

Thats pretty impressive to get perfect circles considering the size of them and winds aloft.

I'd guess you had a U-2 visit Offutt. They typically spiral up to and down from altitude.

Nice chemtrail photos.

pretty sweet!

It's aliens i tell ya!!!

jwol wrote in post #15527446
I'd guess you had a U-2 visit Offutt. They typically spiral up to and down from altitude.

An interesting theory that only fails on two minor points. That isn't a spiral and it is all at the same altitude.

Man I dont miss that place...stationed there in '96 and '97. Even Thule AB was better than Offutt. Cool image thought!

Welcome to POTN.
Sometimes the best camera is the one you have.
Whoever drew that 8 went outside the lines, FAIL!