In any event, wake turbulence is still out there and it can put a pilot and the aircraft at risk. This page was prepared as a reminder to pilots, to make them aware of wake turbulence and how to best avoid it. Remember, the best defense against wake turbulence is to know and avoid areas where it occurs. All Aircraft produce wake turbulence. Wake vortices are formed any time an airfoil is producing lift.
Lift is generated by the creation of a pressure differential over the wing surfaces.
The lowest pressure occurs over the upper surface and the highest pressure under the wing. This pressure differential triggers the rollup of the airflow aft of the wing resulting in swirling air masses trailing downstream of the wingtips. Viewed from behind the generating aircraft, the left vortex rotates clockwise and the right vortex rotates counterclockwise. The strongest vortices are produced by heavy aircraft, flying slowly , in a clean configuration. For example, a large or heavy aircraft that must reduce its speed to 250 knots below 10,000 feet and is flying in a clean configuration while descending, produces very strong wake.