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Why do some days only a few planes have them? This past sunday was out at the park near SLC Int. Airport. Perfectly clear. Then one jet left two long contrails from the wings and not a single other jet left one the whole day. Spotted lots of other jets that day too but they just looked like shiny cans moving through the sky without a wake. Why would only one leave one?
You have to realize that contrails are clouds of ice crystals, subject to technical and environmental variables. If the air is "dry" (not saturated with water vapor), the contrails will not form. If the air is saturated enough for them to form, the conditions may not be homogeneous throughout large spaces. It has been established that the ice crystals that form contrails depend on the production of soot particles from the jet engine combustion, so the brand and thrust level of the engines may affect this. Finally, if there is a trail that truly is produced by the wings and not the engines, that is a slightly different phenomenon resulting from moist (but not saturated) air passing through the low pressure (and thus low temperature) airflow over the wing.
So in theory literally one jet out of the hundreds that came and went that day could find those conditions while none of the others could?
Sure. If the conditions are marginal, then only a few airplanes would make the contrails. Or maybe only one...or two. I live underneath an approach path to a major international airport and I see a motley of things. Airplanes at lower altitude (no contrails) and airplanes already at cruising altitude (with or without contrails).
Good to know. I appreciate the straightforward and respectful response.