The Aurora Aircraft Page

Wyoming, September 2000

This account comes to the AAP from Mike Jamison, who photographed a "donuts-on-a-rope" contrail on September 30, 2000 over western Wyoming. Mike's sighting report is impartial and makes no assertions beyond the "donuts" images. However, aviation authorities are encouraged to provide further insight on these photos. Inquiries may be made through the AAP.

At approximately 10:30 a.m. September 30, 2000 I photographed a strange contrail that may have been pulse technology generated. It had the now familiar "donuts" configuration and traced a northwest/southeast line over Beaver Rim and the adjacent Sand Draw oil field which lie 25-30 miles south of Riverton, Wyoming.

Enhanced B/W image [Click here to enlarge]

The trail ran just below or intertwined cloud cover sitting at an unknown altitude over the approximate 7,000 ft-above-sea-level Beaver Rim, which rises about 1,000 ft. above and partly surrounds the oil field. There was no sound that I could associate with the trail and no origin point for it was evident.

Enlargement of northwest section

Enlargement of southeast section

Two digital photographs were made as the configuration quickly deteriorated. A rather weak built-in zoom lens set to full telephoto was used; nevertheless, apparent 'pulse' rings are visible as very small but distinctive and regularly spaced dots even on the unenlarged and non-enhanced original photos. When enlarged, converted to black and white and contrast adjusted the pulses are accentuated.

Red-color enhancement of southeast section

We invite the eyes of others to judge what these images represent, as it is in the best interest of all viewers to evaluate each account on its own merit. Mike Jamison's account merely asks the familiar question again: What kind of aircraft makes this contrail?