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 encountered severe and unexpected wake turbulence from a preceding PT-19 during a low-altitude landing approach.
Despite the pilot's extensive awareness of wake turbulence dangers, he misjudged the required separation, and calm wind conditions allowed the preceding aircraft's vortices to linger dangerously at 50-100 feet AGL.
The pilot's immediate and precise emergency actions—including full throttle, nose-down pitch, and coordinated rudder/aileron inputs—were crucial in recovering from the uncontrolled roll and descent, preventing a potential accident.

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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.