Wingtip vortex strength is greatest under which aircraft configuration?

Wingtip vortex strength is greatest under which aircraft configuration?

• A. Heavy, Dirty, Fast
• B. Light, Clean, Slow
• C. Heavy, Clean, Slow
• D. Heavy, Clean, Fast

Answer: (C)

Wingtip vortex strength is governed by how much lift the wing is producing and how that lift is achieved. Heavier airplanes must generate more lift, and flying more slowly forces the wing to operate at a higher lift coefficient to stay level. A clean configuration means the wing isn’t augmented by flaps or other high-lift devices that alter the lift distribution and wake in a way that doesn’t maximize the basic vortex circulation. Put together, a heavy airplane in slow, clean flight produces the largest circulation around the wing and thus the strongest wingtip vortices. The other options either involve less lift (lighter weight), higher speed (lower lift coefficient at a given attitude), or configurations that modify the flow differently, yielding weaker vortices under the same conditions.

Wingtip vortex strength is governed by how much lift the wing is producing and how that lift is achieved. Heavier airplanes must generate more lift, and flying more slowly forces the wing to operate at a higher lift coefficient to stay level. A clean configuration means the wing isn’t augmented by flaps or other high-lift devices that alter the lift distribution and wake in a way that doesn’t maximize the basic vortex circulation. Put together, a heavy airplane in slow, clean flight produces the largest circulation around the wing and thus the strongest wingtip vortices. The other options either involve less lift (lighter weight), higher speed (lower lift coefficient at a given attitude), or configurations that modify the flow differently, yielding weaker vortices under the same conditions.