Debunked: Chemtrail Plane Interior (Ballast Barrels)

https://www.metabunk.org/debunked-chemtrail-plane-interior-ballast-barrels.t661/

THIS THREAD COMES FROM A BLOG DISCUSSION. VERY INTERESTING TO READ ALL THE INFO ON THERE...

There are several photos that crop up on a daily basis on Facebook chemtrail groups with descriptions like "Chemtrail Plane Interior". These are almost all photos of pre-production test aircraft which are fitted with ballast barrels, although there are a few that are interiors of firefighting planes. I'll try to make this post be a comprehensive explanation of all the photos. Let me know if I miss any. And if you see some chemtrail promoters using this photos in error, then please let them know.

Ballast barrels are just big barrels of water that are used to simulate passengers when testing various configurations of weight and balance on the aircraft during test flights. The barrels are sometimes isolated, and sometimes connected with tubes, so water can be pumped around in flight to simulate passenger movements.

Note several of the following images are copyright, and are used here under "fair use", as non-profit, educational, and critical usage.

Many of the photos are very large, so set your browser to the full screen width to see them best.

Here's a description of one such system, showing the Boeing 777 tests in 1994:
http://books.google.com/books?id=iJ2FqbrRqyYC&pg=PA76&dq=inside boeing: building the 777 barrels&as_brr=3&ei=R_IpSr74EISmkATV-7T7Bg


And another in (the caption for the photo next to it says it was a 747 in 1969)
http://books.google.com/books?id=OEniu9ff-_sC&lpg=PA15&ots=wPQCw1mUFC&dq=747 flight testing ballast&pg=PA15#v=onepage&q&f=false



Here's a photo of what looks like the same system taken in 2005. A doctored version of this commonly shows up in Chemtrail groups:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Boeing/Boeing-777-240-LR/0855967/L/


Here's the same plane, showing all the test equipment and computers:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Boeing/Boeing-777-240-LR/0855966/L/


And some more from 2003:
http://www.x-plane.com/adventures/the long room.html


And another of the 777. This one is also heavily used by the chemtrail web sites.


This photo from airliner.net has been used to promote the chemtrails conspircy theory by claiming Facebook are closing accounts of people who post it:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Boeing/Boeing-747-8JK/1939853/L/


Quite possibly the copyright holder has complained to Facebook, however there are numerous other photos they could post, including this Creative Commons licensed one from Wikipedia:
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cabin_nose_section_of_747-8I_prototype.jpg

Note the overhead "mood" lighting is a different color, and the photo is at a slightly different angle allowing you to see where some wiring for test instruments is ported out the windows.


From the outside you can see the window, looks like some kind of pitot tube:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boeing_747-8_N6067E_Paris_Air_Show_Beltyukov.jpg



And if you pull back a bit more, you can see the plane is actually being exhibited to the public, at the Paris air show:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Boeing/Boeing-747-8JK/1970519/L/&sid=8403fff013802dcf46572d95a966c8ea


The following are from a 747-8F, from Aviation Week


"Water ballast barrels in the Section 41 nose section for center of gravity testing. We counted 33 in all for the whole aircraft, each of which holding around 1,000-lbs."


"Between the ballast barrels around 16 racks of test equipment and engineer’s test stations occupy the bulk of the main deck."


"The reel mechanism for deploying and stowing the trailing static cone sits on the main deck just forward of the aft pressure bulkhead."

Here's a video of the 747-8 setup:
[video=youtube;IxMSoxzYhG8]


Here's a close up of the barrels one the 747-8 taken during a tour. Note there's a placard on the right explaining the water ballast system. 
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Boei...2071369/&sid=c71cd59e408c63a31acb0ea6dcd94164


Another of the 747-8, taken from a different airshow:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28042007@N07/6039811699/



Here's the 747-8 showing all the test equipment:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28042007@N07/6040299722/in/photostream/


Another 787 image, from Wired:
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/02/peek-inside-boeing-747-8/

"Water ballast tanks used to control center of gravity during test flights.These tanks are filled with water and engineers can transfer water between the tanks during flight to shift the weight of simulated cargo or passengers. The center of gravity, or CG as pilots call it, is important to the flight characteristics of any airplane. During flight test, Boeing must ensure the plane is safe and efficient at full forward and full aft CG as well as any combination between the two."

This A380 upper deck photo (from 2005) is commonly used by chemtrail promoters as "proof" of chemtrails:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21507453@N08/2100883130/

"Upper deck view showing ballast tanks on the A380 [F-WWOW]*. 15th November 2005"
*(Note: original source incorrectly stated G-WWOW)

Here's a video of this A380 test setup at a public air show in China:
[video=youtube;J_Wd3SSK8gQ]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8240000/8240634.stm

The large white cylinder in the foreground is a tow bar. The loop on the left end hooks to a tow truck, and the hooks at the right (the towhead) attach to the front landing gear. There are four handles on it for manual operation.

This one is the A380 ballast barrels from an article in the Seattle PI.
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/slideshow/Tour-an-Airbus-A380-3281.php






A nice HD image of the A380 upper deck:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Airb...49782/L/&sid=c71cd59e408c63a31acb0ea6dcd94164



http://www.airliners.net/photo/Emir...43009/L/&sid=c71cd59e408c63a31acb0ea6dcd94164


More from the A380:




http://www.planepictures.net/netshow.php?id=548816


Another A380-861
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Airb...08973/L/&sid=c71cd59e408c63a31acb0ea6dcd94164


This is a nice one as it shows the ballast tanks behind the seats:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Airb...41061/L/&sid=c71cd59e408c63a31acb0ea6dcd94164



This one is a bit unusual, it's a test BAe-146-300 from 1989. The ballast here is lead blocks! But there's also a single blue barrel at the back of the plane:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Brit...51730/L/&sid=c71cd59e408c63a31acb0ea6dcd94164


Here's one from a 777-300ER, also gets some play in "chemtrail" groups. Photo from 2002, Seattle PI
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/slideshow/Daily-News-Gallery-12-27-2002-14333.php#photo-922237

Caption: Craig Boyden works on water ballast tanks for the 777-300ER that will used for flight testing.

Last edited: Feb 9, 2014

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One plane that also shows up a lot labeled as "Chemtrail Plane Interior" is the Evergreen Aviation 747 firefighting supertanker. This is a single prototype plane that Evergreen Aviation have been trying to sell as a firefighting plane, but so far nobody is buying - probably because of the rather unwieldy nature of using such a large plane - even though it would be very effective if you could actually get it into the right place for it's two minute water dump.

Here's the interior, showing the tanks used to hold fire retardant, the photo was taken in 2009 or before, and is the one most commonly used by chemtrail promoters. They tend to equate patents with evil intent. http://wildfiretoday.com/2009/07/30/747-supertankers-world-tour/


The pressurized retardant tanks on the 747 Supertanker. The retardant is forced out by compressed air, much like on the MAFF C-130 air tankers.
And here's the exterior

Sam White of Evergreen points out the four nozzles that dispense retardant. Photos by Eric Engman



The Patent on the tanks is number 7413145 described as:
http://www.google.com/patents/US7413145

Content from external source

A method and apparatus for aerial fire suppression utilizing a potable fire retardant chemical dispensing system, readily adaptable, without extensive aircraft modification, to various makes of aircraft, for dispensing current types of forest and range fire fighting chemicals. The aerial delivery system is self contained and reusable. It enables cargo/utility aircraft to carry and dump a load, under control. The aerial delivery system is capable of attachment at the wing box, pressurized delivery from the nozzles, and nozzles directed straight downward.

Here's another couple of shots of the interior, taken in Hahn, Germany, July 7, 2009. This is probably when the above shots were taken, as Sam White appears in both, wearing the same suit, tie, and ID badge. But it's less useful to the chemtrail promoters, as it's more obviously from an air show - and people are not going to be showing a secret chemtrail plane at an air show. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/feuerwehrwiesbaden/3774864584/in/set-72157621902624044




Here's the supertanker doing its thing. Very unlike a contrail:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/feuerwehrwiesbaden/3774058645/sizes/o/in/photostream/



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Some photos that show up are actually NOT ballast tanks. Some planes have interior tanks for other purposes. This one is N844AA, and the tanks are used for diesel fuel for when it was operating as a mobile fuel station in Africa. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N844AA
http://globalste.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/the-727-that-vanished-stolen/



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And some planes actually are used to spray chemicals. Crop dusting, Bug Spraying, oil dispersement. This one (C-GBPA) is an old DC-4 bug sprayer used to spray Corexit in the Gulf in 2011:
http://www.semissourian.com/story/1741033.html (http://archive.today/dnt69)



Here's the plane from the outside:
^

Here's another dispersant sprayer:
http://www.oilspillsolutions.org/dispersantotherchemicals.htm (http://archive.today/OMOIu)

"ADDS" on the tank stands for "Airborne Dispersant Delivery System", and is a C130 specific add-on module, a 5,500 gallon tank. It's often refered to as an ADDS-Pack

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Similar to the ADDS pack above is the C-130 MAFFS system, which comes in two variants, MAFFS I (five smaller tanks) and MAFFS II (one big tank)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modular_Airborne_FireFighting_System




http://www.302aw.afrc.af.mil/photos/mediagallery.asp?galleryID=789



MAFFS system load, June 24

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Air Force Reservists assigned to the 302nd Airlift Wing load a U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System unit onto a C-130 Hercules here during the early morning hours June 24. The 302nd Airlift Wing has been tasked by the National Interagency Fire Center to support wildland aerial firefighting missions in the Rocky Mountain area. (U.S. Air Force photo//Ann Skarban)

http://kunc.org/post/maffs-c-130-s-activated-fight-western-wildfires




http://wildfiretoday.com/2011/06/17/military-maffs-air-tankers-activated/


"The interior of a MAFFS 2, showing the retardant discharge and emergency high pressure air release tubes going through the side paratrooper door. Loadmaster Bill Whitlatch operates a new MAFFS 2 unit aboard a C-130J aircraft with the Channel Islands Air National Guard. Photo by Stephen Osman, Ventura County Star."http://www.billwillson.com/maffs-7-memorial/#!prettyPhoto

"MAFFS7, which crashed killing all on board, July 1, 2012"

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I'm surprised none of the chemtrail crowd have picked up on ferry flight fuel tanks yet.

Turtlpac's website, with a whole bunch of photos that could be misused!!

 
 


[Update by Mick] Some more ferry fuel tanks:

Source: http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/your-photos-videos/31886-hawaiian-air-ferry-flight.html

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sonofgloin said: ↑

Belfrey, I am a regular star gazer, I started as a kid. I am keen and a member of the Astronomical Society. For the past thirty years I have looked up at the sky almost daily checking out the possibility of cloud cover for the nightly viewing. What I am seeing is not contrail, as I said it does not dissipate, it grows from a strand of jetsom coming from the aircraft and becomes thin and wispy over the following hours as the air current carries it.

When a band of real cloud merges with it there is an obvious difference in the colour and texture. I am deft at discerning which cloud cover will burn away as the sun reaches its zenith, but this stuff does not react to heat by breaking down to its core elements. It stays albeit thin and hazy. This is evident to me but if not to others so be it given it is an observation with no empirical evidence other than historic personal observation and recall.

SOG, Thanks for posting. I am assuming you are from the UK. During my time looking at the chemtrails controversy, I have communicated with some astronomers. Notably Holger Pedersen of Denmark had a very good website describing the problems that persistent contrails present for astronomers. As the chemtrail hoax progressed he was appalled that his genuine concerns were being overshadowed by a hoax. 

This is an example of the negative effects that a hoax giving out false information can distract from a real concern. 

Your observation matches with that of the International Astronomical Union, which in 1964, 48 years ago adopted Resolution R5:

On solar eclipses
During total eclipses of the Sun, important scientific observations made from the ground by
professional astronomers may be hampered, Or even ruined, by the vapour trails from aircraft
ftying in the zone of totality.
The Int~rnational Astronomical Union accordingly requests the competent authorities in
the countnes conc~r~ed to regulate ftights at the times and locations of total solal' eclipses in
su ch a way that thelr Interference with scientific programmes be avoided.
The necess~ry information for each eclipse, will be provided sufficiently in advance by the
relevant Workmg Group of IAU Commission 12 and communicated to those concerned by the
General Secretary.
Sur
http://www.iau.org/static/resolutions/IAU1964_French.pdf

So, despte your recollections of 30 years ago, the problem of persistent contrails was recognized long before.

Your observations have also been noted by a group of astronomers in the UK, who have been researching the subject, but who recognize that what they are seeing are simply ordinary jet water vapor emissions. They have been studying it on a professional level for years.

Here is a photo made by P. Leigh of Lancaster University on 19/12/2002:

 

Unfortunately, this photo by the Contrail Study Group has been misappropriated by a known hoaxer from Canada named William Thomas, who posts it on his website promoting his chemtrail theories. 
The same photo has been stolen and appears at these sites:

A site advertising a chemtrails propaganda movie:
http://wakeup-world.com/2012/09/10/...world-are-they-spraying-when-will-they-learn/

Here the photo is falsely claimed to show "Chemtrails over Los Angeles":
http://www.fourwinds10.net/siterun_data/environment/humans/chemtrails/news.php?q=132331191

And another, from a site which generates fear to dispensing all sorts of stuff to protect you:
http://beforeitsnews.com/chemtrails...lization-of-chemtrails-continues-2282475.html

Can you see how dishonest this thing can be?

So, if you are truly interested in the astronomical implications of ordinary persistent contrails, here is a site for you there in the UK which should offer you a chance to make better sense of the whole thing, rather than hype from somebody demonstrating how to generate fear in order to sell you something.

The National Contrail Network, Lancaster University

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sonofgloin said: ↑

So I will commit to some prolonged observation and make a decision, it will be interesting. I will base my observations against known controls such as the height that contrails appear, 26000 ft and the minimum temp required -40. I know the cloud types and their height range, so what I am looking for is a low cloud control such as Altocumulus or Stratocumulus and Nimbostratus, and any contrail under that coud cover must be suspect because of the pressure and temperature variations at different heights.

It is great that you found your way here before becoming fully vested in the idea of chemtrails. It seems that once you get that inside it is very hard to get out.

There are some pitfalls using the methods you mention above. If you use weather data, it isn't aways precise enough to relate conditions to a particular area in time or space. The balloons are sent up too infrequently and their resolution is a single point in space and time which moves downwind. Can you see the problem with that. 

Using associated clouds is a good idea but altitude is hard to judge unless you have a way of measurement. 

These are all only ways to infer what you are seeing, but there is a way that you can directly gather evidence.
Direct evidence is much better than indirect, you see?

SOG, as am astronomer, you are in a unique position as far as I can see. I assume you have a telescope. You may not be aware that an entire hobby has come about called "contrailspotting". The participants do their best to make high-resolution telescopic photographs of the planes, and some are incredibly successful. 

Replicating their methods yields direct evidence of the airliners identity by livery colors and unique tail numbers. Some of these folks also buy receivers which capture in-flight data transmission from the aircraft itself showing their identity and other parameters of their flight are then available. 

This method removes the mystery and the uncertainty. Unless you take the illogical leap that ordinary passenger airliners are doing geoengineering(and there are plenty of reasons to doubt that) the observer is left with a physical record of the event, an exact identity of the plane is recorded. That can also be a baseline with which to establish your frame of contrail possibility. Even if a plane is seen which is unidentifiable, you can compare its contrail appearance and length of duration with a known event in the same general space and time. Over time, patterns will emerge which will improve your evaluation of the chances when contrails might spoil your other astronomy. 

I suggest these sites to get more info:

http://www.skystef.be/

http://www.luchtzak.be/forums/viewforum.php?f=25

http://www.opshots.net/tutorialshow-to/rubbernecking-contrail-spotting/

http://images.extremespotting.com/

Get back to us on your results. It is a true shame that the leaders of the chemtrail movement haven't taken this course of action. They can't claim they don't know, I wrote to them and told them all about it.
https://www.metabunk.org/threads/100-14-Years-of-Chemtrails-Comments-and-Suggestions

I think that shows more dishonesty on their part. 
They know how to solve the mystery, but they wont.
Why in The World Don't They Want To Know Who Is Spraying Them?

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thread # 50

Mick said: ↑

Why wouldn't they spread to cover the sky?

1. Because, as suspected in reference to CTs, they're merely adding Barium and other reflective/conductive materials at flight level, for numerous reasons (most classified with HAARP)
2. They're mixing chemicals 'in solution' at flight level, as can be seen with the naked eye - not painting the side of a house
3. Granted, not all contrails constitute 'chemtrails'; most researchers worth their salt are fast to make a distinction.
4. Apparently, unlike regular commercial overflights, CT flights don't require N numbers (as spotted and reported by numerous researchers - just threw this one in for fun).

I love this thread, because it proves scientifically that the technology to disperse - virtually anything - via air not only exists, but that it exists in sophisticated forms and for quite some time.

Granted the posted pics are all declassified, from airline texts, military journals, etc. Truth is we'll never see the classified applications (of which there can be many) - or at least not this easily.

If you doubt this, try getting hold of some pictures of the CIA's aerial dispersion of biological toxins over Cuban crop fields - this is a well documented program which flew dozens of missions trying to poison/sabotage Castro's economy, not only as being widely reported but it's also part of the Congressional Record. So go ahead, be my guest - ask the CIA for copies of their air reconnaisance photos from these missions if you'd like, with the expressed desire being so that you can publish them on your chemtrail-methodology debunking thread - just don't hold your breath.

So yeah, this is great. Please feel free to exhibit and talk about all the declassified applications of aerial dispersant technologies that you can - it merely bolsters the argument of CT enthusiasts and researchers as "proof in method".

If you want to hide something, put it in plain sight.