Which statement best describes wake turbulence generation?

• A. It increases with heavier lead aircraft that is clean and slow.
• B. It increases with heavier lead aircraft that is dirty and slow.
• C. It decreases with heavier lead aircraft that is clean and slow.
• D. It is independent of the lead aircraft's weight.

Answer: (A)

Wake turbulence strength follows the lift being produced by the lead aircraft. The heavier the aircraft, the more lift its wings must generate to stay aloft, so it creates stronger wingtip vortices. If the aircraft is flying slowly, it needs an even higher lift coefficient to maintain altitude, which further intensifies the vortices. A clean configuration simply means there are no extra high‑lift devices altering the lift distribution, but it doesn’t diminish the lift required by a heavy, slow, landing- or approach-speed airplane. So a heavy aircraft flying slow in a clean configuration will generate substantial wake turbulence, making that description the best fit.