Talked to a retired pilot about contrails and now I'm second-guessing everything

I was at a diner in Flagstaff last weekend and this old guy starts talking about how he flew cargo for 30 years. He says contrails are just water vapor, but then he got real quiet and said 'you never know what else they might be mixing in up there.' I asked him what he meant but he just tapped his nose and changed the subject. Has anyone else gotten half-answers like this from people who used to work in aviation?

2 comments

2 Comments

abby_henderson20h ago

Read somewhere that military pilots have different training about what comes out of planes, but regular commercial guys just stick to the script. Probably just some old dude trying to sound mysterious over eggs though.

the_riley1d ago

Wait, did this guy actually fly cargo for 30 years or did he just look the part? Because real pilots don't usually hint at secret chemtrail stuff unless they're pulling your leg or really bought into some wild stories themselves. Contrails are literally just ice crystals from jet exhaust, that part's settled science. The "mixing in" thing he said sounds like he was messing with you or repeating bar talk he heard somewhere. I've talked to a few retired pilots and they're usually pretty boring about this stuff, they just shrug and say it's water vapor and leave it at that. The whole "you never know" thing is more of an airport lounge rumor than something a career pilot would actually believe. Honestly, diner talk from an old guy who doesn't want to explain himself isn't worth second-guessing everything over.