In the case of wake turbulence created by the wings of a heavy aircraft, the rotating vortex-pair lingers for a significant amount of time after the passage of the aircraft, sometimes more than a minute. One of these rotating vortices can impose rolling moments that may exceed the roll-control authority of a smaller encountering aircraft, potentially resulting in loss of control.

In fixed-wing level flight

The vortex circulation is outward, upward, and around the wingtips when viewed from either ahead or behind the aircraft.

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