I'm a total cloud freak and I have never seen anything quite like this before! Truly remarkable. The International Cloud Atlas should get on the case and add this to their database if/when they release another edition!
Nice views of wingtip vortices. It is a basic topological requirement that vortex filaments are endless. What we have here is a ring vortex which passes through the boundary layers around the wing, down one side of the wingtips, through the starting vortex left behind on the runway, and then back up the other wingtip vortex. It is vorticity in the vicinity of the wing which generates lift by the Magnus effect, or alternatively by the Kutta-Joukowski circulation theorem which is the same thing.
Pia Hincapie hey, first of all they are extremely cool to lookt at, it's but amazing what happens at the wings. but i definitely think in some scenes the creator of this clip cheated a bit to mutch with videoshop e.g. 1:22 or 4:17, to me it is pretty obvious, but for the rest of it this is quite authentic footage ;)..as far as my knowledge goes this is the physics behind it: as the air travels arround the upper surface of the wing it is beeing accelerated, due to the laws of flowing gases and fluids it means that while the air is accelerated it's (air)pressure decreases and thus it's temperature..so when suddenly the temperature is decisivly lower the water in the airpackage starts to condensate..this is very cool because when that happens we actually "kind of" can see the airflow :D and no usually they don't cause any significant turbulences except you fly with an other airplane through the vortices that emerge at the wingtip ;)..pls if anything of my explanation is wrong feel free to criticise it and appologize possible grammar mistakes or mispronunciation :)
Michael Schmitt Actually photoshop has not been used at all, just some simple contrast enhancement to make vortices etc a bit clearer. This is often essential when filming in mist and haze otherwise you wouldn't see anything on the video at all!
Nicest video on RU-vid I've found that shows wingtip vortices through natural clouds and not in a demonstration of wingtip vortices hazards to a smaller aircraft trailing behind a larger one Impressive
Fantastic footage, many of it looks totally surreal. Do you have a way of predicting when such vortices and other condensation will most likely be visible?
When the dew point is about the same as the air temperature, trailing vortices and wing condensation will likely be visible. Cloud effects depend on the cloud or cloud base being at the right height for the planes you are observing!
flugsnug Thanks! Most of the time when dewpoint and temperature are close, the cloud base will be very low, but I'll keep a look out. I'm also wondering if these effects are sometimes visible on light single-engine GA aircraft. And thanks again for flawless video quality! An absolute joy to watch!
THAT FREAKED ME OUT ! I tought like wait hat, how can mini cloud tornadoes bend light ?! Element 115 or some weak kugelblitz....Anyway I feel smarter now, thanks !
That's not heat, that's fuel vapor and it's cause by wake turbulence, with the high pressure air from under the wing trying to join the low pressure air on top of the wing, while that's happening, the wingvis already gone by the time it wraps it's self around the wing. And because of that, you get little horizontal tornadoes and they spin around like that. And what ever is in it's way gets twirled up, like you see with the clouds.
Wake turbulence is caused by the high pressure air from under the wing trying to join the low pressure air on top of the wing. (as said in bernolli's principle) While that's happening, the wing is already gone by the time the high pressure air wraps it's self around the wing. And because of that, you get little horizontal tornadoes and they spin around like that. And what ever is in it's way gets twirled up, like you see with the clouds. And in ground effects those spirals stop due to interference with the surface of the earth and airflow patterns about an airplane. And without that high pressure air trying to get to the low pressure side of the wing, the airplane flies alot better in ground effects than when not in ground effects. That's why planes seem to float forever when on the point to flare.
This is a great visualization of wing tip vortex and low air pressure over the wings causing the clouds to form. Great for student pilots to visualize.
Those vortices in the clouds make it seem as if there is a creepy smiley face that appears and watches the plane as it passes through them lol... 5:45 especially... it's mesmerizing!!!
