Wake Turbulence

[Snapadeuce]

Have any of you ever experienced a wake turbulence encounter? If so, would you please relate the situation, a/c type, wind conditions, etc. As a new pilot I'm trying to correlate FAA guidance on the topic and real world experience...

Thanks

[FlyingNole]

When flying along the coast in South Florida, one has to stay at about 500ft or lower in order to stay clear of airspace from FLL, MIA, PBI,etc. Often when crossing under the departure end of 9L at FLL, Ive encountered some wake turbulence....If you've read the rules/info already, wake turbulence moves down and outward, so don't stay too close. Flying underneath isnt a big deal when you're cruising through the departure end, however when on approach, and take off is when you really need to keep an eye out. Take caution wiith everything from a LearJet to a 757 (especially). As long as you follow the procedures for avoiding wake turbulence, you should be ok

[I_Money]

Having flown 172s into LAX and SNA, I have felt light buffeting before. At that point you just correct your flight path to get out of it and you are fine. Just be vigilant about it, stay above them and wait 3 minutes after departing traffic. If ATC tells you to go before then, it is your job to decline, and wait.

Also be careful of Jet blast at larger airports, ATC seems to forget about that!

[grotto]

I was looking at AOPA's air safety site a while back and noticed that SNA has had a bunch of wake turbulence accidents on the both on the primary and parallel runways.

Flying at MYF, the tower is always giving wake turbulence warnings any time a buisness jet or even a big turboprop is landing or taking off. I never have had any problems, but about a week ago I was landing on 28L after a Hawker had landed on the Right and had the ass drop out at about 100ft agl. I added about 400 RPM and kept the approach stabilized but figured that I had encountered some wake turbulence, but I am relatively inexperienced so I can't say for sure. The winds were calm and not gusting, and I stayed above the jet's glideslope but I talked to an instructor afterword and he said that there was a pretty good chance I had encountered some wake turbulence.

[Kristie]

I was in an MD 80/90 and had a good shaking with some wake turbulence on takeoff one night. apparently, from talking to one of the pilots, a plane took off on a diagonal runway and we took off shortly after not realizing the time/space continuum between air "waves" (hehe just created a new term)... so we hit some pretty good turbulence - to where even the pilots were sweating for a second.

all i did was sit back and hold on for dear life! hahahaha

[Derek_S]

Practicing steep turns in my C152 I've hit my own wake before. Pretty rough wake...

[Doug Taylor]

Was that when we flew DFW-OAK-RNO?

[Kristie]

yeeeaaaaaa....

[Doug Taylor]

Aww, that wasn't THAT bad, was it? I certainly thought my story about how the 58 year-old captain fell alseep shortly after we turned west and didn't wake up until final approach into OAK was scarier!

"Wake up gramps, we've still got another leg left..."

[I_Money]

[ QUOTE ]
the 58 year-old captain fell alseep shortly after we turned west and didn't wake up until final approach into OAK

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like SOP to me!

[FlyinRyan]

Well Snapaduece I have a story for you!

I took a flight home this year from LAX to DTW for Thanksgiving on a A319 for NWA. The flight started out fine typical accent over the pacific and turn over the LA metro area as we swing twards the mountains and to the northeast. About the time we got over the mountains near LA, alt. probably 13,000, the plane took a dramatic and quick dip to the left. I was sitting in the last row left window seat and I was looking straight down at the snow covered peaks below. The wing just fell about 60 degrees and it seemed like we hovered there for a split second until the plane rolled quickly back to the right past level to maybe 45 degrees to the right and then came back to level. This all happened in about 1.5 to 3 seconds. It was crazy in the cabin stuff started to come out of the overhead bins and people were flyin around. If you were out of seatbelt you'd be hovering or out of your seat for a split second. The steward in the back was getting ready to serve drinks and he got knocked over by the kart as it levatated then flew from the left to right side of the plane. He got pinned against the right side wall and was hurt fairly bad with cuts to his legs thru his uniform. Lucky for him the lady at the end of my row was a RN and she attended to him till the bleeding in his legs stopped. It was dead quiet for like 5 minutes until the flight deck came on and stated "we got cought up in the wake turbulence of a heavy about 11 miles ahead." My first thought was that we lost some kind of control and I seriously for the first time ever thought this may be it. I knew the mountains were not far down, and it felt like the plane was going to flip over. I knew if we did that would be all she wrote. It was like slow motion and I remember saying a short prayer in my head.

If that wasn't crazy enough as we go to Michican the weather went to crap. We were on decent to DTW and the weather was bad typical Michigan winter weather blowing and driving snow, winds over 40mph and from looking out the window almost whiteout conditions. The flight crew warned us that the landing would be rough well in advance. On final approach we were getting blasted fairly hard from what I felt was crosswinds and the plane was dipping and rolling and pitching forward to aft as he was trying to guide her in. You could tell he was really fighting to get her on the ground. I wonder how hard that was for him or if it just seemed rough for us in the back. I think some passengers were mad at him for the flight but I just shook his hand and told him that it was a sweet ride!

[MidlifeFlyer]

Guess I'll post mine here too.

Other than the minor steep turn wake, one encounter on purpose.

A newly minted pilot fro the west coast was visiting friends in Denver and wanted to experience a little density altitude. We ended flying down to Pueblo where, on our way out, Tower cleared us for takeoff on 35 shortly after two C130s were landing on the crossing runway 8L. Although he clearly saw them (if he didn't, we'd have to get him an eye test!), he headed out onto the runway and put in th power.

I had been watching closely and knew that the first of the pair touched down before crossing our runway. The second, however touched down after crossing. Although safety time was yet up, I figured it was safe enough for a lesson and let him go.

As we passed the crossing runway, we got tossed into about a 60° bank - nothing major but it was enough to generate a yelp from the pilot (who did a fine job of recovery) and an inquiry from the Tower.

[flyhigh]

[ QUOTE ]
When flying along the coast in South Florida, one has to stay at about 500ft or lower in order to stay clear of airspace from FLL, MIA, PBI,etc. Often when crossing under the departure end of 9L at FLL

[/ QUOTE ]
I have heard it on my scanner while on the beach in FLL. A plane took off from PBI and I heard
"Cessna XXXXX maintain VFR at or below 500"
Then 3 minutes later, I see a 172 passing by the shoreline at 500ft.

[I_Money]

500 feet a long the beach - that is high! Here in Socal, 100 just of the coast is what people do. I tried to convince a guy to do it in his citation, but he was not game.

[Texguy]

[ QUOTE ]
I took a flight home this year from LAX to DTW for Thanksgiving on a A319 for NWA. The flight started out fine typical accent over the pacific and turn over the LA metro area as we swing twards the mountains and to the northeast. About the time we got over the mountains near LA, alt. probably 13,000, the plane took a dramatic and quick dip to the left. I was sitting in the last row left window seat and I was looking straight down at the snow covered peaks below. The wing just fell about 60 degrees and it seemed like we hovered there for a split second until the plane rolled quickly back to the right past level to maybe 45 degrees to the right and then came back to level. This all happened in about 1.5 to 3 seconds. It was crazy in the cabin stuff started to come out of the overhead bins and people were flyin around. If you were out of seatbelt you'd be hovering or out of your seat for a split second.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yikes!

[Cheechako]

One early morning coming into SFO we were vectored onto the ILS 7 miles behind a Air China Cargo 747-400. I thought sure we were far enough behind to avoid the wake. Nope. Just as we caught the localizer the airplane violently rolled into a 45-degree left bank. It kicked the autopilot off and my First Officer had full opposite aileron deflection to recover. We got everything back under control and flew the ILS to Cat II minimums!

Sometimes you can feel it coming. I call it the "nibble, nibble, roll." But that one above hit us without warning.

Our sim training includes "roll upset recovery." We simulate wake turbulence that usually rolls us inverted in a snap. Push forward and ease the airplane back right-side-up. The difference there is that we usually know when it's coming...

[Snapadeuce]

Yikes, thanks for the replies folks. It can come when you least expect it I suppose. Let me post a hypothetical: 757 is taking off from 35R. He's off about 3500' down the runway. After, say, three and a half minutes, you, in a 172, are "cleared for takeoff 35L. Caution wake turb departing 757." Winds are 030/4. I say no, since the light right crosswind would push his vortices into my climbout path...

[SteveC]

[ QUOTE ]
Yikes, thanks for the replies folks. It can come when you least expect it I suppose. Let me post a hypothetical: 757 is taking off from 35R. He's off about 3500' down the runway. After, say, three and a half minutes, you, in a 172, are "cleared for takeoff 35L. Caution wake turb departing 757." Winds are 030/4. I say no, since the light right crosswind would push his vortices into my climbout path...

[/ QUOTE ]

You should be OK if you take off well before his lift-off point, then just slide a little bit to the right (upwind) so that by the time you cross his (much steeper) flight path, you will be upwind of his vortice.

[Doug Taylor]

Yup, Vx isn't going to cut it!

[adreamer]

My only wake turbulance experience was on NWA DC-9-15(I don't think too many left). The flight departed from AZO to DTW. The Captian came on PA - "This leg will be fly by our FO." Well, I watch our flight join to other traffic in the pattern for runway 4L at DTW. While plane is about to complete its turn. The whole plane heard a very loud "bang" and jolt. The captian came on PA immediately - "Ladies and Gentlemen, The loud bang you just heard was not our FO hitting anything. It was a wake turbulance from company 757".

However, I would like to ask you guys about one of my experience. I am wondering why no wake turbulance at all. I was flying a little 152. Cessna 152 is so small when Canadian Geese fly by will cause wake turbulance. . I was flying into AZO. Approach advised me about a regional jet catch up with me. When I looked out the wind shield and right side, EMB145 flew pass me about a mile away, 500 feet up. I was expecting wake turbulance. However, I did not encounter at all. Can someone explain it? By the way, on that day, wind was calm.

adreamer

[Flight_Watch]

While doing touch and go's at OAK on a very foggy day my instructor and I ended up final on 27L when we thought we were on 27R. We hit wake turbulence from a Southwest 727 that had just landed on the left. (Their normal runway 29 was closed due to the fog.)

It shook us around pretty good and let us know that we were not supposed to be there. It wasn't too bad since it landed a min. or so in front of us, but could have been much worse. I definitely learned my lesson to stay clear of the jets and know where you are at all times.

[Windchill]

Wife and I flew to Bay Bridge last Monday (see "Happy Birthday, My Dear") and had an Air France Airbus pass a few miles ahead perpindicular to our flight path, and 1500ft overhead. I asked ATC if I needed to descend and he said no, the wake should only reach about 900ft below ... it must have, cause we didn't feel a hicup.

Passing by BWI, I must have hit a thermal or something because I was pushing 3000 when I was only cleared to 2,500 or below (under Bravo), and it got pretty choppy ... thought I might have hit some wake leftover from SWA 737s inbound to BWI.

[kellwolf]

[ QUOTE ]
We hit wake turbulence from a Southwest 727 that had just landed on the left. (Their normal runway 29 was closed due to the fog.)

[/ QUOTE ]

Either you saw one of the less than ten flights, or you meant 737.

[/SWA geek]

[Flight_Watch]

You are probably right. 737 I meant. Sorry about that