As an unavoidable consequence of lift a pair of counter-rotating vortices forms behind the wings. This long-lived vortex pair constitutes a potential risk to following aircraft. The proper prediction ...

Winglets are used by airlines for a good reason — they save companies money by allowing airplanes to fly more efficiently, which reduces fuel expenses. Most airlines are notorious for trying to make ...

Alaska has retired its last Boeing 737 without winglets, a rather rare breed. The Seattle-based airline is in the process of ...

Winglets reduce wingtip vortices, the twin tornados formed by the difference between the pressure on the upper surface of an airplane's wing and that on the lower surface. High pressure on the ...

Aircraft flying in formation create vortices around the wing tips, which cause drag. However, another aircraft flying through those vortices will experience less drag and more efficient flight.

Von Karman vortices are spectacular in satellite imagery, are more common than they may sound, and, at least in one case, they have proven to be damaging. As a meteorologist, one of my favorite ...