this post was submitted on
1,879 points (64% like it)
4,125 up votes 2,246 down votes
shortlink:

pics

subscribe2,530,819 readers

7,371 users here now

Submit your Halloween pumpkin pics to /r/horror's carving competition!

A place to share interesting photographs and pictures. Feel free to post your own, but please read the rules first (see below), and note that we are not a catch-all for general images (of screenshots, comics, etc.)

Spoiler code

Please mark spoilers like this:
[text here](/spoiler)

Hover over to read.

Rules

  1. No screenshots, or pictures with added or superimposed text. This includes image macros, comics, info-graphics and most diagrams. Text (e.g. a URL) serving to credit the original author is exempt.

  2. No gore or porn. NSFW content must be tagged.

  3. No personal information. This includes anything hosted on Facebook's servers, as they can be traced to the original account holder. Stalking & harassment will not be tolerated.

  4. No solicitation of votes (including "cake day" posts), posts with their sole purpose being to communicate with another redditor, or [FIXED] posts. DAE posts go in /r/DoesAnybodyElse. "Fixed" posts should be added as a comment to the original image.

  5. Submissions must link directly to a specific image file or to an image hosting website with minimal ads. We do not allow blog hosting of images ("blogspam"), but links to albums on image hosting websites are okay. URL shorteners are prohibited.

  • If your submission appears to be filtered but definitely meets the above rules, please send us a message with a link to the comments section of your post (not a direct link to the image). Don't delete it as that just makes the filter hate you!

  • If you come across any rule violations, please report the submission or message the mods and one of us will remove it!

Please also try to come up with original post titles. Submissions that use certain clichés/memes will be automatically tagged with a warning.

Links

If your post doesn't meet the above rules, consider submitting it on one of these other subreddits:

Comics  
/r/comics /r/webcomics
/r/vertical /r/f7u12
/r/ragenovels /r/AdviceAtheists
Image macros Screenshots/text
/r/lolcats /r/screenshots
/r/AdviceAnimals /r/desktops
/r/Demotivational /r/facepalm (Facebook)
/r/reactiongifs /r/DesktopDetective
Wallpaper Animals
/r/wallpaper /r/aww
/r/wallpapers /r/cats
The SFWPorn Network /r/TrollingAnimals
  /r/deadpets
  /r/birdpics
  /r/foxes
Photography Un-moderated pics
/r/photography /r/AnythingGoesPics
/r/photocritique /r/images
/r/HDR
/r/windowshots
/r/PictureChallenge
Misc New reddits
/r/misc /r/britpics
/r/gifs Imaginary Network
/r/dataisbeautiful /r/thennnow
/r/picrequests /r/SpecArt
/r/LookWhoIMet
  /r/timelinecovers
  /r/MemesIRL
  /r/OldSchoolCool
  /r/photoshopbattles
  /r/PastAndPresentPics .

Also check out http://irc.reddit.com

a community for
to anything interesting: news article, blog entry, video, picture...
message the moderators

MODERATORS

reddit is a source for what's new and popular online. vote on links that you like or dislike and help decide what's popular, or submit your own! learn more ›

1878
1879

Air Flow (i.imgur.com)

submitted ago by dittidot

all 94 comments
sorted by:
best
best
top
new
hot
controversial
old

[–]noob_goldberg 32 points33 points ago

Wake turbulence isn't something you mess around with.

http://i.imgur.com/gni8S.jpg

Many little planes have been inverted from the wingtip vortices of larger planes.

[–]rvnbldskn 9 points10 points ago

Indeed.

The resulting turbulent eddie (seen in red smoke in the original post) detaches from the plane, and for a large plane it can stay in place for 5-10 minutes. As you normally can't see them, they are highly dangerous and one of the reasons little planes and large planes normally don't share the same air strip. Well, at least not in quick succession ;)

[–]ryumast3r 11 points12 points ago

Just to add on to all of this information flowing around about wingtip vortices:

That is why new planes (of all sizes) typically have "Winglets" on them. They significantly reduce the severity of the vortices as well as the amount of time those vortices stick around.

[–]jweinstein 4 points5 points ago

While one of the effects is reduced induced drag (wingtip vortices) I can assure you that airplane designers instead make fuel savings the priority. The travel of air from high to low pressure over a very long flight will sap a few percent of savings. Add that up over thousands of flights a day and an airline stands to save a lot of cash from simple devices like winglets and sharklets.

[–]ryumast3r 3 points4 points ago

Definitely not understating the importance (to both private and commercial pilots) of fuel economy, I was just stating the effects on vortices. This does have the hugely economic effect though of saving money, yes.

[–]hexy_bits 2 points3 points ago

Exactly. There's actually quite a bit of research going into ways to decrease the amount of time these vorticies are present. Time is money, after all.

[–]Liberty_Fight 1 point2 points ago

As an Aerospace Engineer I can confirm how devastating these vortices can be to small aircraft flying through them.

Furthermore, an aircraft's own wingtip vortices have the potential to knock them out of the air during takeoff because they interrupt the air flow and can decrease lift on the wing. this is why most small aircraft sport hoerner wing tips, to push the negative downwash effects further away from the wings.

[–]tha_ape 3 points4 points ago

Example XB-70

[–]SirSchilly 0 points1 point ago

Isn't this a common example of chaos theory?

[–]Bladelink 1 point2 points ago

Dat drag.

[–]Serule 0 points1 point ago

my uncle actually died from this :(

[–]ProctorBoamah -1 points0 points ago

I would upvote you but that doesn't really seem appropriate. :(

[–]M0b1u5 -1 points0 points ago

Sorry, not wake turbulence: Tip Vortex coming from the end of the wing.

Wake Turbulence is partly formed by this, but most of it is engine wash and the down-planing air leaving the back of the wing.

[–]noob_goldberg 2 points3 points ago

Engine wash and down-planing air is not why there are 3-5 minute wake-turbulence separation standards in air traffic control. Almost all of that is due to persistent wing-tip vorticies.

http://fromthecontroltower.blogspot.ca/2010/01/wake-turbulence-part-2-controller.html

[–]arachnivore 1 point2 points ago

Did you know that some researchers have found a way to avoid wingtip vortices by mimicking whale fin tubercles. Apparently it reduces drag and allows a wing (or wind turbine blade) to operate at a steeper angle of attack.

[–]tophmctoph 0 points1 point ago

Its real cool that they came about after observing how hawks deal with the vortices.

[–]IWasGregInTokyo 0 points1 point ago

Flying from Sydney to Melbourne many years ago the little jet we were in got in behind something much bigger. We rolled 90 degrees in each direction before the pilot got us sorted out. Shit was all over the place, my mum just about had a heart attack.

[–]willak0 -3 points-2 points ago

The ultimate down vote.

[–]Maxables 10 points11 points ago

For anyone who's curious, this phenomenon is a vortex of air caused by the mixture of high and low pressure air at the wing's edge.

[–]imakeairplanes 9 points10 points ago

Introduction to Aerospace Engineering 101

[–]Afa1234 5 points6 points ago

Private pilot, and commercial pilot certificates

[–]petaboil 3 points4 points ago

congrats man :)

[–]Afa1234 2 points3 points ago

Thanks! I'm pretty much fully rated now, only lacking taildragger, float, and ATP, finding a place to fly for seems tough though with only 308 hrs

[–]petaboil 2 points3 points ago

good luck in getting that flying job :)

[–]GAU8Avenger 1 point2 points ago

Only 1192 more hours!!

[–]Afa1234 1 point2 points ago

I'm either going to hop on a cargo plane as an fo or I'm gunna spend a lot more time in my 150

[–]GAU8Avenger 1 point2 points ago

I just finally left my CFI job and am on my next phase

[–]Afa1234 1 point2 points ago

Nice! I'm taking a slightly more old school route and getting my hrs without CFI or CFII

[–]GAU8Avenger 1 point2 points ago

I'm jealous. I hated teaching, and I just felt that I had no choice

[–]Maxables -1 points0 points ago

Who do you build for?

[–]lets_do_this 1 point2 points ago

That's awesome! I expected to come to the comments to see that it's shopped. Glad it's a real thing.

[–]grapelookinslut 6 points7 points ago

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100225043648/villains/images/9/93/Giygas-1.png

[–]BIG_PY 4 points5 points ago

As someone who has recently read Uzumaki, this terrifies me.

[–]G3ML1NGZ 3 points4 points ago

uzumaki owns

[–]Cpt2Slow 1 point2 points ago

Not totally unrelated: watch steam interact with the surface of an espresso. Fluid dynamics is a pretty fucking cool field.

[–]btribble 3 points4 points ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wingtip_vortices

[–]mattbear 3 points4 points ago

if anyone is interested, the same vortices are formed at the point where two densities mix in ocean currents, and can be imaged using the sound waves usually used to look at the structure of rocks beneath the ocean's bed. Reference: Sheen, K L and White, N. J. and Hobbs, R. W. (2009) Estimating mixing rates from seismic images of oceanic structure. Geophysical Research Letters, 36 . L00D04.

[–]rvnbldskn 0 points1 point ago

Upvoted for the expansion to marine hydraulics!

But yeah, these processes/phenomena appear in all kinds of flow. Of course different scaling in different flow media due to different densities (air vs. water) and different driving processes (by-effect of lift vs. density gradients).

After dealing with water related turbulence (for instance the flow field after a groyne) for a few years and knowing that Navier-Stokes is used for all kinds of flow I was still kind of surprised to see these detaching vortices in air, hehehe...

[–]JimmySticks2001 2 points3 points ago

Informative video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMvvVbQcCBo

This video gave me the willies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6K1ArSyiuI Action starts around 2:50

[–]forgetyoueversawthis 2 points3 points ago

OMG CHEMTRAILS WAKE UP SHEEPLE

[–]TheBlackReaper 0 points1 point ago

No that's just Gore's new Anti-Manbearpig-Initiative. This repellant should keep him out of the U.S. and is projected to only make several million citizens ill in the process. However it is clearly worth the sacrifice when facing a menace like this.

[–]forgetyoueversawthis 1 point2 points ago

Everyone agrees that there is no sacrifice too large in the war against The Manbearpig.

[–]grkirchhoff 1 point2 points ago

First thought: somebody used photoshop. Its cool to learn that the effect is real, though.

[–]Ridered435 1 point2 points ago

So..are wing tip vortices comparable to wing tip tornadoes? (i know that wing tip tornadoes is not a real thing). I'm just curious if it's the same effect that causes tornadoes to form.

[–]JosephFourier 1 point2 points ago

Comparable in the sense that they are both types of vortex occurring in air (which simply means looped, spinning flow is present). However, tornadoes result from vertical mixing of air of different temperatures, whereas wingtip vortices are caused by air "spilling" over the ends of the wings perpendicular to the intended airflow direction, from high to low pressure.

[–]Ridered435 0 points1 point ago

Alright. I was just curious if it was the differences in pressure that was creating them (high/low pressure) and so therefore making them similar in that sense. Thanks for the answer :)

[–]Brett42 0 points1 point ago

My plane is followed by a vortex of blood. What about yours?

[–]Steellonewolf77 0 points1 point ago

It looks like a painting.

[–]Fossafossa 0 points1 point ago

I live near a flight path. Those vortices actually make a really neat noise when you get close to them. Regularly a plane will fly over and a couple minutes later you hear this low-pitched "laser gun" type sound effect.

[–]chejrw 0 points1 point ago

dat vorticity

[–]s015473 0 points1 point ago

looks like a wildcat. true/false?

[–]thorian 0 points1 point ago

Would be a shame to plow fields with Wildcat...

[–]GAU8Avenger 1 point2 points ago

I'd say it's an Ayers Thrush. But I have no clue really. I suck at crop dusters

[–]UniverseOfDiscourse 2 points3 points ago

I think you're correct. It's not a Pawnee, AgTruck, or AgWagon. For sure not an AgCat. The wings and gear don't look like an Air Tractor. So yeah, I'd go with Thrush.

[–]cstone1 0 points1 point ago

Chaotic.

[–]DasGanon 0 points1 point ago

That was the best part about Die Hard 2.

planes landing, over a fireball. With vortexes in the smoke.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]thorian 0 points1 point ago

Sure ? Can't see the the wing holders...

[–]thorian 0 points1 point ago

Is that a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PZL-106_Kruk ?

[–]Jeffy_Weffy 0 points1 point ago

Here's a related video

[–]checkraptor 0 points1 point ago

this exact picture is in my textbook

[–]cheesinator 0 points1 point ago

And then the photographer suffocated.

[–]BigOlJim 0 points1 point ago

Earthbound fans here? Reminded me of Giygas. http://imgur.com/pjyd9

[–]zavage300 0 points1 point ago

ITS HIM IN REAL FORM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c9/Giygas.png/250px-Giygas.png

[–]iHeartCoolStuff 0 points1 point ago

looks almost like you used this tool http://imgur.com/ztMmd

[–]tha_ape 0 points1 point ago

The whomp whomp sound of a helicopter is caused by a blade cutting the preceding blades vortex.

[–]GAU8Avenger 0 points1 point ago

Does anyone know what aircraft this is? I think it's an Ayers Thrush, but I'd like validation

[–]Fourr 0 points1 point ago

Tobi??

[–]bigbangbilly 0 points1 point ago

Post it to /r/woahdude

[–]please_no_photos 0 points1 point ago

Looks like the aftermath of that engineer that got sucked into a jet engine

[–]Pykoh 0 points1 point ago

This is taken straight from a wikipedia article.

[–]n1nj4squirrels 0 points1 point ago

Thanks Wikipedia

[–]abg2992 0 points1 point ago

wing-tip vortices.

[–]way2bored 0 points1 point ago

vortices are so cool

[–]ryosuke727 0 points1 point ago

Kamui.

[–]bobbybuttmunch 0 points1 point ago

Dang! That's cool

[–]Kromgar 0 points1 point ago

Breath that sweet sweet round up/agent orange

[–]Snixpix 0 points1 point ago

looks like he just went through a flock of birds or something.

[–]6chan 0 points1 point ago

Today I went on Wikipedia and posted their image on Reddit to score some karma. ಠ_ಠ

[–]digitalfrenchfry -3 points-2 points ago

is it just me, or does this look incredibly fake?

[–]Hunwin 2 points3 points ago

It's real. A red smoke flare was dropped near the edge of the runway. and that's the real turbulence pattern.

[–]Afa1234 0 points1 point ago

It's real and serious for pilots, there's a reason one of the first things you learn about as a student pilot is wing vortices off of larger planes departing and landing ahead of you

[–]Uberslaughter -2 points-1 points ago

Mmm, pesticide.

[–]Sheld 0 points1 point ago

Wing tip vortices.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. © 2012 reddit inc. All rights reserved.

REDDIT and the ALIEN Logo are registered trademarks of reddit inc.

π Rendered by PID 14954 on app-77 running a3288d6.