9.2 Weather Hazards
For this week's blog topic, I will be writing about wake turbulence as one of the most dangerous hazards in aviation. It is extremely dangerous when a small plane is following a large plane and is so close to the ground that an encounter occurs. Every airplane creates wake turbulence while in flight, and this is normal. When an aircraft provides lift, it causes two counter-rotating vortices to form behind the aircraft, which is known as wake turbulence. Because of the power, duration, and direction of the vortices, wake turbulence from the generating aircraft can have an impact on approaching aircraft, depending on the circumstances. Wake turbulence can create rolling moments that are greater than the roll-control capability of the encountering aircraft, providing a danger of injury to passengers as well as damage to the aircraft itself (Wake Turbulence, n.d.). To avoid a wake turbulence path, it is recommended that the pilot of a smaller aircraft take off behind a larger aircraf