Wake turbulence
8 min read
The vortices
Every aircraft making lift leaves two counter-rotating vortices from its wing tips. They are strongest behind aircraft that are heavy, clean and slow. They sink (a few hundred feet per minute) and level off some 500–900 ft below the flight path, and drift with the wind; near the ground they spread sideways. A light crosswind can keep the upwind vortex on the runway.
IN THIS LESSON
- Categories (ICAO)
- Separation examples
- Avoiding them
Read the whole lesson with FL340 Pro.
ATPL theory course by course: short lessons written from the EASA Learning Objectives, with questions that explain the answer. Free with an account.