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What is the smoke coming from the wings of commercial aircraft coming in for landings

By Franet Asked Apr 14 2009 7:25AM
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Top Answer out of 4

by raylrodr on Apr 14, 2009 at 7:31 am Permalink

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Those spiraling trails of vapor are called "wing tip vortices". They are caused by the compression of air rolling off the wingtips. What you see is water vapor just prior to condensing into water.
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Answer 2 out of 4

by SkyClad on Apr 14, 2009 at 7:39 am Permalink

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Water vapor, from the moisture in the air, as the air pressure changes during landings.
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Answer 3 out of 4

by CaptainHarley adores his life penguin on Apr 14, 2009 at 7:31 am Permalink

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I would have said that it's condensation coming off the wings after a descent from a higher, colder altitute. I will, however, defer to those with a more intimate knowledge of airline operating procedure.
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by john pennington on Apr 14, 2009 at 7:28 am Permalink

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Thats not smoke, thats jet fuel being dumped before landing.

It lowers the possibility of a fire, should the plane crash upon touching down.
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What is the smoke coming from the wings of commercial aircraft coming in for landings

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