Contrail tale
A type of contrail usually seen at higher altitudes forms soon after a KC-135 Stratotanker flown by an 18th Air Refueling Squadron crew takes off from McConnell Air Force Base on Sept. 13. A contrail (short for condensation trail) can form at low altitudes when air hits a moving wing surface in very humid conditions. Consecutive days of rain that ended on Sept. 13 made 2008 the second-wettest year on record for the area around McConnell. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jason Schaap)