Wingtip Vortices: They’re One of the Costs of Lift

Wingtip Vortices: They’re One of the Costs of Lift

When people want to talk about something unpleasant, they often invent nicer-sounding phrases to disguise what’s really going on. “Wake turbulence” is the kind of term that can bring to mind vague, unpleasant imagery. “Wingtip vortices” sound nicer—more refined, perhaps—but actually may be more frightening. The FAA’s definition in its Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK, FAA-H-8083-25C) doesn’t help much: “The rapidly rotating air t…