The Wake: Invisible Gremlin Grabs Your Attention

It's important to be aware that any airplane can create wake turbulence.

Leonardo Correa Luna

Monday, December 09, 2024 at 08:50 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

The dangers of wake turbulence, no matter the size of the aircraft, are real. [Image: Joel Kimmel]

Key Takeaways:

An experienced pilot flying a Cessna 170 unexpectedly encountered severe wake turbulence from a preceding PT-19 at low altitude (around 50 feet AGL) during landing.
Calm wind conditions, surrounding trees, and the lead aircraft's long landing combined to cause the wake vortices to linger dangerously over the runway threshold.
The pilot's rapid and correct response, including immediate full throttle and precise rudder/aileron inputs, prevented a stall-spin and averted a near-certain accident.
The incident underscores the critical importance of vigilance regarding wake turbulence from all aircraft types, as environmental factors can cause vortices to persist unpredictably.

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I pressed the push-to-talk button on the yoke and called, “We are done, Jim. We got the photos. You are lead. Let’s go home.” Jim started a left turn, and I enjoyed the beautiful lines of his PT-19 as he crossed one more time in front of the sun—on fire, majestic.

As Ed, my safety pilot, was not rated in taildraggers, I asked him to allow me to take over—“My plane, Ed.” I was happy to have an excuse to take over as the conditions couldn’t be better. The air was still and smooth, and the fields of Michigan started the metamorphosis from yellowish green to dark blue as the sun was going down.