Contrails inside clouds

[WildBat]

Hello,

I'm not sure contrails would be visible inside a cloud. I must admit I'm still looking about to find this information somewhere, but... Floating vapour mixed with floating vapour, I mean...

And I've just been shot down in MP after doing some evasive manoeuvers inside a really fat fat fat cloud of like 15.000 feets high. The temperature was -33°C.  A true Contrail party. When I got above, my follower was still behind me, but closer than when I entered... Aaaaand, death to me. When I asked the other guy, he said he was following me by my contrail.
While I was religiously looking my instruments to not loose myself in hell, the other virtual pilot just followed my contrail like a cat running after a string.

I understand "hiding" the contrail inside the clouds might be a really big challenge to implement but... In the actual state of the game, it's blocking a pretty cool way to evade someone, get back to airfield, an eat that pizza instead of being chased until the other guy got no fuel left and me to stay hungry.

So this is my suggestion, please, no more contrails inside such big clouds.
 

[SidtheGit]

Hi WildBat, what an interesting topic. You may well be correct in that the cloud water vapour and the contrails should merge and help your hiding but it appears that there could be reasons as to why they don't. Distrails, dissipation trails, can occur when an aircraft flying through a cloud can, under circumstances, create a visible corridor due to the aircraft's warm exhaust and it's wake causing existing cloud droplets to evaporate leaving a clear path. As far as the game is concerned, the visual contrail that shows at height within a cloud could be viewed as the equivalent of a clear distrail corridor within a cloud, either of which would give your pursuer an indication of where you are.

 

I'm not saying distrails are a reason and maybe distrails are very uncommon and are more appropriate for jet engines but a trail of some sort left by an aircraft within a cloud appears a possibility.  

 

[WildBat]

Interesting, didn't knew about dissipation trails. However it seems that it's mostly concerning the thin clouds. But sure it could also be because the process is more easily noticable in a thin cloud cut in parts.

I'd be really curious to see if there would be some records somewhere about this. But by digging I also noticed that there is the wingtip vortex effect wich may solve our question.