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Wingtip Vortices and Wake Turbulence

Pilot Institute

As seen from the aircrafts tail, the vortex rotates in the anti-clockwise direction on the right wingtip and the clockwise direction on the left wingtip. Vortex size is also affected by proximity to the ground. If youre flying low enough to be in ground effect, the vortex isnt able to fully develop.

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High Wing or Low Wing – Which Trainer Should I Choose?

Flight Training Central

Then in 1956 Cessna moved the tail-wheel on the 170 to the nose and the resulting high wing 172, with well over 40,000 copies, became the best-selling civilian aircraft in history. Short field landings can be shorter because the drag robbing ground effect is lessened by the greater distance between the wing and ground.

Lift 97
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Tow Plane Flies Too Slow – Glider Heavy with Water Ballast

Chess In the Air

However, perhaps the safest response for everyone involved would have been the following: Rather than trying to climb with the tow plane, I should have stayed in ground effect while communicating the request for a greater airspeed. Staying in ground effect protects the glider from a stall because of lower induced drag.

Knot 52
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2025 Richard Collins Writing Prize Runner-Up: Tailstrikes and Tiedowns

Air Facts

Time seemed to freeze as I floated in ground effect. The aircraft had sustained little damage the tail tie-down was knocked off and no one had been hurt. There in his hand, hung elegantly from a necklace chain, was the tail tie-down. Then it was all over in a matter of seconds. In many ways, I had been lucky.

Knot 52
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How to Make a Perfect Soft Field Landing Every Time

Pilot Institute

Hold this extra power as you enter ground effect. Low-wing aircraft perform better in ground effect because of the wing’s proximity to the ground. Simultaneously, increase back pressure to keep the nose wheel off the ground. Make sure not to pull back too hard, or you could cause a tail strike.

NOTAMs 52
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Invisible Trap Kills Glider Pilot – How To Avoid Microbursts

Chess In the Air

There was no opportunity to recover and it hit the ground hard, thankfully just out of camera view. The Rifle ASOS recorded a gust of 43 mph from the south: a 100-degree shift in direction, putting it right on his tail. There was no opportunity to recover and it hit the ground hard, thankfully just out of camera view.

Pilot 52
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Today in Aviation History: First Flight of the Convair F-106 Delta Dart

Vintage Aviation News

Flying against Captain Tom Curtis, the two “Sixes” engaged in a “vertical rolling scissors” maneuver at 38,000 feet (11,600 meters), trying to get behind the other’s tail. During the climb, Lt. Foust’s F-106 stalled and entered a flat spin.