Aircraft wake-vortex minimization by use of flaps

A survey was made of research on the alleviation of the trailing vortex hazard by altering span loading with flaps on the generator airplane. Flap configurations of the generator that shed multiple vortices were found to have wakes that dispersed by vortex merging and sinusoidal instability. Reductions of approximately 50 percent in both the wake rolling moment imposed on a following aircraft and the aircraft separation requirement were achieved in the ground based and flight test experiments by deflecting the trailing edge flaps more inboard than outboard. Significantly, this configuration did not increase the drag or vibration on the generating aircraft compared to the conventional landing configuration. Ground based results of rolling moment measurement and flow visualization are shown, using a water tow facility, an air tow facility, and a wind tunnel. Flight test results are also shown, using a full scale B-747 airplane. General agreement was found among the results of the various ground based facilities and the flight tests.