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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/cap-wingtip-vortices

Wingtip vortices are created whenever a wing is doing what?

Producing lift, so even small airplanes make them.

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  1. Sitting parked
  2. Producing lift ✔
  3. Flying backward

Why: Whenever a wing makes lift, air swirls off each wingtip. These vortices are strongest when an aircraft is heavy, clean and slow, so pilots take care after big airplanes take off or land.

Huh, didn't know that: Induced drag also occurs whenever a wing is producing lift.

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What's another name for the movie Snakes on a Plane? The Boeing Constrictor.
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References

Answer: Producing lift. Whenever a wing makes lift, air swirls off each wingtip. These vortices are strongest when an aircraft is heavy, clean and slow, so pilots take care after big airplanes take off or land.

  1. FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Chapter 5 www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/07_phak_ch5_0.pdf
    Whenever an airfoil is producing lift, induced drag occurs and wingtip vortices are created.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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