Wingtip Vortices

They’re present whenever a wing generates lift. As with real estate, the keys to avoidance are location, location, location.

Jim Wolper

Saturday, July 06, 2024 at 08:26 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: Omar Filipovic

Key Takeaways:

Wingtip vortices are invisible, dangerous wake turbulence created by aircraft generating lift, most intensely when an aircraft is heavy, clean, and slow, particularly during takeoff and landing.
Encountering these vortices can lead to severe aircraft upsets and loss of control, necessitating constant pilot vigilance and avoidance strategies to maintain safe separation, especially near the ground.
Despite their danger, realistic training for vortex encounters is limited, underscoring the importance of pilot awareness and expecting their presence as an inherent consequence of flight.

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When people want to talk about something unpleasant, they often invent nicer-sounding phrases to disguise what’s really going on. “Wake turbulence” is the kind of term that can bring to mind vague, unpleasant imagery. “Wingtip vortices” sounds nicer—more refined, perhaps—but actually may be more frightening.

The FAA’s definition in its Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK, FAA-H-8083-25C) doesn’t help much: “The rapidly rotating air that spills over an airplane’s wings during flight. The intensity of the turbulence depends on the airplane’s weight, speed, and configuration. Also referred to as wake turbulence. Vortices from heavy aircraft may be extremely hazardous to small aircraft.”