You will expect the worst turbulence behind a heavy aircraft if you are

• A. On the runways that it took off on
• B. Climbing
• C. Highspeed cruise
• D. On approach

Answer: (A)

Wake turbulence from a heavy aircraft is produced by its wingtip vortices and is strongest directly behind the aircraft, especially during takeoff and initial climb. When a heavy just lifts off and accelerates down its takeoff path, the vortices stay close to that flight path and near ground level, so anything following directly on that same runway is sitting in the most intense part of the wake. That’s why being on the runway it just departed from puts you in the worst turbulence. As the heavy climbs away, its vortices move and disperse, so in climbing further, cruising at altitude, or on approach, the turbulence from that wake is much less pronounced.