Quiz: Wake Turbulence Avoidance

As an airplane wing flies through the air an invisible danger swirls in its wake. The aerodynamic phenomenon known as wingtip vortices leaves behind a circular pattern of rotating air. The resulting wake turbulence can be a serious hazard to light aircraft and a firm knowledge of their creation and dissipation is essential to staying safe while in the cockpit.

Wake turbulence is especially hazardous in the region behind an aircraft in the takeoff or landing phases of flight. During takeoff and landing, aircraft operate at high angle of attack. This flight attitude maximizes the formation of strong vortices. In the vicinity of an airport, there can be multiple aircraft, all operating at low speed and low height, and this provides extra risk of wake turbulence with reduced height from which to recover from any upset.

Can you successfully answer all these wake turbulence questions?

The greatest vortex strength occurs when the generating aircraft is

heavy, clean, and slow.

heavy, dirty, and fast.

light, dirty, and fast.

Correct! Wrong!

Wingtip vortices created by large aircraft tend to

rise into the traffic pattern.

converge inward towards the center of the runway.

sink below the aircraft generating turbulence.

Correct! Wrong!

How does the wake turbulence vortex circulate around each wingtip?

Outward, upward, and around each tip.

Inward, downward, and around each tip.

Inward, upward, and counterclockwise.

Correct! Wrong!

Wingtip vortices are created only when an aircraft is

heavily loaded.

developing lift.

operating at high airspeeds.

Correct! Wrong!

When landing behind a large aircraft, which procedure should be followed for wake turbulence avoidance?

Stay well below its final approach flight path and land before its touchdown point.

Stay above its final approach flight path and touch down beyond where the larger aircraft landed.

Stay below and to one side of its final approach flight path.

Correct! Wrong!

The wind condition that requires maximum caution when avoiding wake turbulence on landing is a

light, quartering tailwind.

strong headwind.

light, quartering headwind.

Correct! Wrong!

When departing at an airport where heavy aircraft are operating, you can avoid wake turbulence by

rotating at the same point as the generating aircraft, since the vortices will have drifted to the side of the runway.

continue the takeoff roll beyond the point that the heavy traffic rotates and climb below the path of the generating airplane

takeoff before the point that the heavy traffic rotates and turn away from the path of the generating airplane.

Correct! Wrong!

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Want to learn more about runway safety? Check out Sporty’s Learn To Fly Course for more in depth training on this subject.

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Chris Clarke

Having a childhood dream of aviation, Chris first became an Aviation Explorer, motivating him to earn his private pilot's license as a teenager.During his four years at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University he earned his commercial, multi-engine certificate with an instrument rating.While experimenting in seaplanes, gliders, and a variety of other personal aircraft, Chris developed a passion for general aviation and shares that passion as he develops aviation training apps and content for Sporty's Pilot Shop.

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