Wake Turbulence

When I was working on my pilot's license, I was flying out of Ottawa International Airport's North
Field. Even though we were separated from the main terminal by nearly a kilometre, we were close enough that the interactions between our tiny 2-seat aircraft and the large airliners had to be taken into consideration.

The reason for this is that all aircraft disturb the air in which they fly. In particular, the wings produce a vortex that forms behind each wingtip. This is a horizontal formation of spinning air - a sideways mini-tornado, if you will. The small aircraft I flew did form these vortices, but they weren't large or powerful enough to have much effect on other small aircraft. An Airbus A320 or Boeing 737, though, produce vortices that are strong enough to toss my 1600 lb. Katana around like a leaf falling from a tree in a strong breeze. There were many times when the air traffic controllers would warn pilots either taking off or landing that they should wait momentarily for this wake turbulence to dissipate before they continue.

When we interact with other people, we create a similar "wake turbulence" effect. The things we say and do (or don't say/don't do) can dramatically upset other people without any intention on our part, or even without realizing that we've done it. That Westjet 737 taking off has no intention of ruining my day by slamming me back onto the runway like a bug on a windshield, but the potential for just such an occurrence exists.

Over the past few months I've been spending a lot of time reflecting on how I interact with not just the immediate people around me, but with the entire world. I'm attempting to become more mindful of the wake turbulence that I'm creating, and also of watching out for the turbulence created by others. I'm not always successful at either, but I'd like to think that just watching for it is progress from where I was before.

I'm trying to constantly think about how something I say will be perceived, and if there's a better way to say it. I'm trying to think about how something I do will be perceived, and if there is a better way to do it. I'm, admittedly slowly, starting to speak out about how the words and actions of others affect me. This last point seems to be the most difficult, since I have a decades-long pattern of avoidance around doing just that.

At the very least, I'm now conscious of these effects and I'm trying to work with them rather than deny that they exist. I'm trying to be the small aircraft that doesn't have a large effect rather than a massive Airbus A380. What size aircraft are you?