Wake Turbulence
What is wake turbulence?
Wake turbulence is the disturbance created behind an aircraft as it generates lift, taking the form of a pair of counter-rotating vortices that trail from the wingtips. These wingtip vortices form because high-pressure air below the wing spills over the tips into the low-pressure area above. Think of it as invisible horizontal tornadoes streaming behind every aircraft—strongest when an airplane is heavy, slow, and clean (gear and flaps up).
Also known as: wingtip vortices, wake vortices
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