SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/comm-wingtip-vortices-heavy-clean-slow
Wingtip vortices from another airplane are strongest when it is flying how?
Heavy, clean and slow, such as on approach or departure.
- Light, dirty and fast
- Heavy, clean and slow ✔
- Light, clean and fast
Why: A heavy airplane needs a high angle of attack to make enough lift, and a clean, slow one is flying near its highest angle of attack. That makes the strongest vortices, mostly during takeoffs and landings.
Huh, didn't know that: Wingtip vortices lead to a dangerous hazard to flight called wake turbulence.
Why do pilots follow heavy jets with extra space? Nobody likes a wake-up call.
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References
Answer: Heavy, clean and slow. A heavy airplane needs a high angle of attack to make enough lift, and a clean, slow one is flying near its highest angle of attack. That makes the strongest vortices, mostly during takeoffs and landings.
- PHAK ch 5, Aerodynamics of Flight (FAA-H-8083-25C) www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/07_phak_ch5_0.pdf
heavy, clean, and slow
Checked 2026-10-11. - PHAK ch 5, Aerodynamics of Flight (FAA-H-8083-25C) www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/07_phak_ch5_0.pdf
This condition is most commonly encountered during approaches or departures
Checked 2026-10-11. - PHAK ch 5, Aerodynamics of Flight (FAA-H-8083-25C) www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/07_phak_ch5_0.pdf
vortices lead to a particularly dangerous hazard to flight, wake turbulence
Checked 2026-10-11.
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