Aircraft generate wake just like boats do in the water. Unlike the water, you can't see wake in the air but should always ...

As an unavoidable consequence of lift a pair of counter-rotating vortices forms behind the wings. This long-lived vortex pair constitutes a potential risk to following aircraft. The proper prediction ...

Suddenly in the perfectly calm afternoon, the air disappeared from under the wings. You couldn’t miss that feeling—we were ...

Of the two, wingtip vortices are more stable and can remain in the air up to three minutes after a plane has passed through ...

These vortices can be exploited by a plane flying above them. It gives the plane lift and helps cut down on fuel consumption. Borschberg believes that, one day, planes will fly in formation ...

These nacelle strakes can induce stable longitudinal vortices to redirect and reenergize the airflow over the engines and back upwards to even the upper part of the aircraft wings, generating ...

Aircraft flying in formation create vortices around the wing tips, which cause drag. However, another aircraft flying through those vortices will experience less drag and more efficient flight.

Smoke released from the leading plane allowed cameras installed in the towed aircraft to capture vortices in the air that a glider can exploit to stay aloft. Their latest test aircraft is known as ...