diff --git a/src/main.c b/src/main.c
index 0e0aab0..1c1b228 100644
--- a/src/main.c
+++ b/src/main.c
@@ -436,7 +436,14 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     bool show_ground_track = false;  // ground projection off by default
     bool classic_colors = false;     // K key: toggle classic (red/blue) vs modern (yellow/purple)
     bool show_edge_indicators = true; // Ctrl+L: screen edge drone indicators
-    int corr_mode = 0;               // Shift+T: 0=off, 1=ribbon, 2=line
+    int corr_mode = 0;               // Shift+T: 0=off, 1=line, 2=curtain
+    // Per-vehicle trail_count snapshot at the moment Shift+T entered
+    // curtain mode (corr_mode == 2). vehicle_draw_correlation_curtain
+    // clips to samples added since this baseline, so toggling Curtain
+    // mid-flight always starts the ruled surface from "now" instead of
+    // dragging the whole accumulated trail into it. Trails / ribbons
+    // are unaffected — they keep using the full trail buffer.
+    int curtain_baseline[MAX_VEHICLES] = {0};
     bool show_corr_labels = true;    // Ctrl+L: distance labels in ortho correlation
     bool show_axes = false;          // Z: axis orientation gizmo
     bool insufficient_data[MAX_VEHICLES];  // drones with no position data
@@ -818,10 +825,20 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
             }
         }
 
-        // Shift+T: cycle correlation overlay (off → ribbon → line → off)
+        // Shift+T: cycle correlation overlay (off → line → curtain → off)
         if (IsKeyPressed(KEY_T) && (IsKeyDown(KEY_LEFT_SHIFT) || IsKeyDown(KEY_RIGHT_SHIFT))
             && is_replay && num_replay_files > 1) {
             corr_mode = (corr_mode + 1) % 3;
+            // On transition INTO curtain mode, snapshot every active
+            // vehicle's current trail_count. The curtain draw clips to
+            // samples added past this baseline so the surface starts
+            // empty and grows from this moment forward instead of
+            // dragging in pre-toggle trail data.
+            if (corr_mode == 2) {
+                for (int i = 0; i < vehicle_count; i++) {
+                    curtain_baseline[i] = vehicles[i].trail_count;
+                }
+            }
             const char *names[] = { "Correlation Off", "Correlation Line", "Correlation Curtain" };
             hud_toast(&hud, names[corr_mode], 2.0f);
         }
@@ -1187,7 +1204,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
             ortho_panel_update(&ortho, vehicles[selected].position);
             ortho_panel_render(&ortho, vehicles, vehicle_count,
                                selected, scene.theme,
-                               corr_mode, hud.pinned, hud.pinned_count);
+                               corr_mode, hud.pinned, hud.pinned_count,
+                               curtain_baseline);
         }
 
         // Render
@@ -1282,6 +1300,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
                             } else if (corr_mode == 2) {
                                 vehicle_draw_correlation_curtain(
                                     &vehicles[selected], &vehicles[pidx],
+                                    curtain_baseline[selected], curtain_baseline[pidx],
                                     scene.theme, scene.camera.position);
                             }
                         }
diff --git a/src/ortho_panel.c b/src/ortho_panel.c
index 6bed1cf..bbf49ce 100644
--- a/src/ortho_panel.c
+++ b/src/ortho_panel.c
@@ -249,7 +249,8 @@ void ortho_panel_update(ortho_panel_t *op, Vector3 pos) {
 
 void ortho_panel_render(ortho_panel_t *op, const vehicle_t *vehicles,
                         int vehicle_count, int selected, const theme_t *theme,
-                        int corr_mode, const int *pinned, int pinned_count)
+                        int corr_mode, const int *pinned, int pinned_count,
+                        const int *curtain_baseline)
 {
     Color bg_col = theme->sky;
 
@@ -273,6 +274,8 @@ void ortho_panel_render(ortho_panel_t *op, const vehicle_t *vehicles,
                             && pidx != selected) {
                             vehicle_draw_correlation_curtain(
                                 &vehicles[selected], &vehicles[pidx],
+                                curtain_baseline ? curtain_baseline[selected] : 0,
+                                curtain_baseline ? curtain_baseline[pidx]     : 0,
                                 theme, op->cameras[v].position);
                         }
                     }
diff --git a/src/ortho_panel.h b/src/ortho_panel.h
index 5d5031f..53ad65d 100644
--- a/src/ortho_panel.h
+++ b/src/ortho_panel.h
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@ void ortho_panel_init(ortho_panel_t *op);
 void ortho_panel_update(ortho_panel_t *op, Vector3 vehicle_pos);
 void ortho_panel_render(ortho_panel_t *op, const vehicle_t *vehicles,
                         int vehicle_count, int selected, const theme_t *theme,
-                        int corr_mode, const int *pinned, int pinned_count);
+                        int corr_mode, const int *pinned, int pinned_count,
+                        const int *curtain_baseline);
 void ortho_panel_draw(const ortho_panel_t *op, int screen_h, int hud_bar_h,
                       const theme_t *theme, Font font,
                       const vehicle_t *vehicles, int vehicle_count,
diff --git a/src/vehicle.c b/src/vehicle.c
index 261c0ff..c31f16c 100644
--- a/src/vehicle.c
+++ b/src/vehicle.c
@@ -1267,15 +1267,36 @@ void vehicle_set_ghost_alpha(vehicle_t *v, float alpha) {
 
 void vehicle_draw_correlation_curtain(
     const vehicle_t *va, const vehicle_t *vb,
+    int baseline_a, int baseline_b,
     const theme_t *theme, Vector3 cam_pos) {
     (void)theme;  // colors come from vehicle->color, theme kept for API consistency
-    if (va->trail_count < 2 || vb->trail_count < 2) return;
 
-    int n = va->trail_count < vb->trail_count ? va->trail_count : vb->trail_count;
+    // Effective post-baseline sample counts, capped at the ring capacity.
+    // Once the live trail has rolled past the baseline by more than the
+    // ring length, the baseline is lost and we fall back to drawing the
+    // whole ring (still bounded, still doesn't drag in pre-toggle data
+    // that was never there).
+    int new_a = va->trail_count - baseline_a;
+    int new_b = vb->trail_count - baseline_b;
+    if (new_a < 2 || new_b < 2) return;
+    if (new_a > va->trail_capacity) new_a = va->trail_capacity;
+    if (new_b > vb->trail_capacity) new_b = vb->trail_capacity;
+
+    int n = new_a < new_b ? new_a : new_b;
     if (n < 2) return;
 
-    int start_a = (va->trail_count < va->trail_capacity) ? 0 : va->trail_head;
-    int start_b = (vb->trail_count < vb->trail_capacity) ? 0 : vb->trail_head;
+    // Starting index of the post-baseline window in each ring.
+    // Pre-wrap (trail_count <= capacity): samples live at indices
+    // [0, trail_count); the window starts at trail_count - new_*.
+    // Post-wrap: newest sample is at (head + capacity - 1) % capacity;
+    // window of the last new_* samples starts new_* positions back from
+    // there, i.e. (head + capacity - new_*) % capacity.
+    int start_a = (va->trail_count <= va->trail_capacity)
+        ? (va->trail_count - new_a)
+        : (va->trail_head + va->trail_capacity - new_a) % va->trail_capacity;
+    int start_b = (vb->trail_count <= vb->trail_capacity)
+        ? (vb->trail_count - new_b)
+        : (vb->trail_head + vb->trail_capacity - new_b) % vb->trail_capacity;
 
     Color ca = va->color;
     Color cb = vb->color;
@@ -1284,10 +1305,10 @@ void vehicle_draw_correlation_curtain(
     rlBegin(RL_TRIANGLES);
     for (int i = 1; i < n; i++) {
         // Map index through fractional position for trail length alignment
-        int idx_a0 = (start_a + (int)((float)(i - 1) / n * va->trail_count)) % va->trail_capacity;
-        int idx_a1 = (start_a + (int)((float)i / n * va->trail_count)) % va->trail_capacity;
-        int idx_b0 = (start_b + (int)((float)(i - 1) / n * vb->trail_count)) % vb->trail_capacity;
-        int idx_b1 = (start_b + (int)((float)i / n * vb->trail_count)) % vb->trail_capacity;
+        int idx_a0 = (start_a + (int)((float)(i - 1) / n * new_a)) % va->trail_capacity;
+        int idx_a1 = (start_a + (int)((float)i / n * new_a)) % va->trail_capacity;
+        int idx_b0 = (start_b + (int)((float)(i - 1) / n * new_b)) % vb->trail_capacity;
+        int idx_b1 = (start_b + (int)((float)i / n * new_b)) % vb->trail_capacity;
 
         Vector3 pa0 = va->trail[idx_a0];
         Vector3 pa1 = va->trail[idx_a1];
diff --git a/src/vehicle.h b/src/vehicle.h
index fa269e5..12ccbfa 100644
--- a/src/vehicle.h
+++ b/src/vehicle.h
@@ -174,8 +174,14 @@ Color vehicle_marker_color(float roll, float pitch, float vert, float speed,
                            Color drone_color);
 
 // Draw correlation curtain between two vehicles (cross-vehicle overlay).
+// baseline_a/baseline_b: trail_count snapshots taken when curtain mode
+// was entered. Only samples added since then participate in the
+// curtain, so toggling Shift+T to Curtain mid-flight starts the ruled
+// surface from "now" instead of dragging the entire accumulated trail
+// through it. Pass 0/0 to draw the full trails (legacy behavior).
 void vehicle_draw_correlation_curtain(
     const vehicle_t *va, const vehicle_t *vb,
+    int baseline_a, int baseline_b,
     const theme_t *theme, Vector3 cam_pos);
 
 // Draw thick correlation line between two vehicles at current positions.