L-1011 Airliner Wing Vortice Tests at NASA Langley Research Center, notice how long the vortices stay active and how slowly they move.I should probably elaborate on what I mean by slow. I'm referring to the time between the airliner passing by and the reaction of the smoke.
This 58 second movie clip shows an L-1011 Airliner Wing Vortice test at NASA Langley Research Center.
NASA conducted the Adaptive Performance Optimization experiment aboard Orbital Sciences Corporation's Lockheed L-1011-100. The program was developed by engineers at the Dryden Flight Research Center. Dryden was also involved in limited wake vortex studies using an L-1011 in 1977.
The Adaptive Performance Optimization project is designed to reduce the aerodynamic drag of large subsonic transport aircraft by varying the camber of the wing through real-time adjustment of flaps or ailerons in response to changing flight conditions. Reducing the drag will improve aircraft efficiency and performance, resulting in signifigant fuel savings for the nation's airlines worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
