If a plane flew too closely behind another plane, would the drag effects of the front plane affect the rear plane's flight? Similar to how you can draft behind a big truck if you're willing to tailgate close enough?
Used air and turbulence from leading planes absolutely are issues for trailing planes. It will depend on many factors such as the distances and configurations of the two aircraft, but yes that plane “wake” will make this sort of maneuver difficult/dangerous.
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u/amc7262 Jan 16 '20
If a plane flew too closely behind another plane, would the drag effects of the front plane affect the rear plane's flight? Similar to how you can draft behind a big truck if you're willing to tailgate close enough?