“Caution: Wake Turbulence” (C.1975) is a color, training film produced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and discusses the impact of wake turbulence and wing-tip vortices on other planes. Narrated by Charles R. Hughes, the film specifically touches on points like how turbulence is formed, its dangers to aircrafts – particularly small aircrafts – during take off and landing, and safety measures for avoiding the effects of such turbulence. The film uses a combination of live footage of small planes and commercial aircrafts taking off and landing, smoke tower flyby tests, and scientific animations. Testing for the phenomena first began in 1963 as more large commercial jets came onto the market and there was more demand for trans-continental travel.
Film opens, music begins, FAA seal (0:07). Red Piper PA22-150 taxis on tarmac at El Paso Airport (0:11). American Airlines Boeing 707-023 takes off (0:21). Interior of air traffic control tower, footage cuts between air traffic controllers and pilot of small Piper awaiting take off time (0:28). Piper PA-22 Pacer civilian aircraft takes off, POV from inside cockpit as pilot struggles to control aircraft due to wake turbulence; Footage freezes on title page (1:03). Piper PA-22 180 flies over forested area; narrator voice over defines “wake turbulence” (1:22). POV inside cockpit of small plane as pilot struggles to land (1:46). United States Air Force Lockheed C-141C Starlifter makes landing (1:58). Douglas DC-6, TWA Boeing 707-131B airborne; Narrator details cause of wake turbulence stemming from prop wash and jet blast, flow of air current around wings (2:19). Scientific animation demonstrating impact of air current around wing of plane (2:41). Smoke tunnel test, wing-tip vortex (2:50). View from ground of airborne plane, white contrails streaming from jets (3:08). Small private plane flies above traffic on highway (3:15). FAA research program on wing-tip vortices, outdoor study with multicolored contrails (3:27). United Boeing 707 lands (3:43). Contrail of smoke grenade next to runway to study vortices, development of axial flow “horizontal tornado” (3:50). Helicopter flies above forest, footage freezes, revealing twin vortices (4:21). Scientists operate instruments, machinery at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama; Laser beams measure tangential velocities of vortices (4:30). Flight tests past smoke towers at National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey (4:57). Sign along road for Nuclear Reactor Testing Station in Idaho (facility of Atomic Energy Commission), scientists set up special measurement tools to observe smoke tower flybys as part of three-phase wake turbulence test program (5:48). Phase two of testing in Washington State: Boeing 747 wing-tip vortex tests performing touch and go landings, tests carried out in different weather conditions; Smaller plane follows/ observes larger commercial jet (6:24). Pan Am logo seen on tale of Pan Am Boeing 747 (7:41). Sign for United States Air Force Edwards Air Force Base in California; NASA Flight Research Center and X-1E on pedestal in front of building (7:51). NASA Flight Research Center hangar housing advanced flying machines: F-104N, USAF Martin X-24A, small general aviation aircraft with mobile lab interior, special instrumentation (8:03). Gates Learjet 24 (8:25). Airborne Lockheed C-5 Galaxy (8:40). POV cockpit as FAA pilot purposely puts himself in core of vortex, 360 degree roll (8:42). Animation demonstrating what is known of wing-tip vortices, how it impacts small planes (9:11). Airborne Pan Am Boeing 747-121, narrator details wing-tip vortices of large commercial jets (10:04). Same Pan Am jet lands on tarmac (10:58). Solutions and safety measures: Illustration demonstrating safe distance between jets (11:23). Continued safety measures for small general aviation aircraft, illustrated diagrams show safe take off and landing zones, airports with parallel landing strips (12:10-). Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee waits to be cleared for take off (13:35). Example of faulty landing for small general aviation aircraft due to not following safety measures (14:28). Narrator closing words, summarizes contents of film while footage plays of smoke tower flyby test (14:32). Closing credits, film ends (15:18).
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
