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What Is The Technical Term For...  
User currently onlineBruce From United States of America, joined May 1999, 4991 posts, RR: 20
Posted (9 years 10 months 3 days 7 hours ago) and read 1683 times:

The distorted, wavy, shimmering air right behind a turbofan....when the plane is on the ground, and you can see the exhaust stream. it looks clear but makes the air look like you're under water. Is there a technical term for that? Is it "jet wash"? or, what is "jet wash"? "jet blast"?

I keep calling it "heat distortion" but that doesn't seem right even though it's probably the very, very hot jet exhaust causing it.


bruce


Bruce Leibowitz - Birmingham, AL (BHM/KBHM) - Canon 50D/100-400L IS lens
13 replies: All unread, jump to last
 
User currently offlineAirlinelover From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 5580 posts, RR: 36
Reply 1, posted (9 years 10 months 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 1665 times:

I don't know the technical term, but it IS caused by the heat..

Chris



Lets do some sexy math. We add you, subtract your clothes, divide your legs and multiply
User currently offlineTWAMD-80 From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 1006 posts, RR: 5
Reply 2, posted (9 years 10 months 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 1646 times:

Yeah I'd like to know the term for that too. I just refer to it as "heat waves". I have no clue as to what the real name for it is. Any help is appreciated! Thanks  Smile

TW


Two A-4's, left ten o'clock level continue left turn!
User currently offlineSailorOrion From Germany, joined Feb 2001, 2058 posts, RR: 7
Reply 3, posted (9 years 10 months 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 1621 times:

As far as I know there is no technical term for this phenomenon.

It is caused by the different indices of refraction of the hot and cold air, since the refraction index is a function of the temperature.

SailorOrion

User currently offlineShaun3000 From United States of America, joined Mar 2002, 445 posts, RR: 0
Reply 4, posted (9 years 10 months 3 days 1 hour ago) and read 1616 times:

I think heat wave is what most people call it... or you could call it the jet blast, as that's what you're seeing; the hot jet exhaust. Course, there's also the colder air in the jet blast that you can't see but it's going jsut as fast...

User currently offlineFredT From United Kingdom, joined Feb 2002, 2180 posts, RR: 29
Reply 5, posted (9 years 10 months 3 days ago) and read 1607 times:

"Refraction" would be a good word to use if you want to be technical about it. After all, that is what is going on. "Värmeskimmer" works pretty well too, but only around here and I can't really think of a corresponding english term.  Big grin

Jet blast is something else though. If you ever end up standing in the actual jet blast, you WILL know the difference.

Cheers,
Fred


I thought I was doing good trying to avoid those airport hotels... and look at me now.
User currently offlineTransactoid From Canada, joined Mar 2001, 788 posts, RR: 0
Reply 6, posted (9 years 10 months 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 1557 times:

Heat wave sounds good to me  Smile

User currently offlineAcidradio From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 1823 posts, RR: 11
Reply 7, posted (9 years 10 months 6 hours ago) and read 1478 times:		 AIRLINERS.NET CREW
FORUM MODERATOR

mi·rage Pronunciation Key (m-räzh)
n.
An optical phenomenon that creates the illusion of water, often with inverted reflections of distant objects, and results from distortion of light by alternate layers of hot and cool air. Also called fata morgana.

Somewhere else I saw a better definition that fit what is being described. But this is what Merriam-Webster's had to say.


Ich haben zwei Platzspielen und ein Microphone
User currently offlineFredT From United Kingdom, joined Feb 2002, 2180 posts, RR: 29
Reply 8, posted (9 years 9 months 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 1448 times:

Nice, but a mirage is a completely different (not to mention very strange) phenomenon. And no, although the description does fit, not this:


View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!
Photo © Olaf Juergensmeier



 Big grin

Cheers,
Fred


I thought I was doing good trying to avoid those airport hotels... and look at me now.
User currently offlineMirrodie From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 7334 posts, RR: 69
Reply 9, posted (9 years 9 months 4 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 1423 times:		 Support Airliners.net - become a First Class Member!

"Whenever I'm with him
Something inside starts to burnin'
And I'm filled with desire
Could it be a devil in me
Or is this the way love's supposed to be?

It's like a heat wave
Burnin' in my heart
I can't keep from cryin'
It's tearin' me apart "

FYI, it's technically not a refraction but distortion.


Forum moderator 2001-2010; He's a pedantic, pontificating, pretentious bastard, a belligerent old fart, a worthless st
User currently offlineFredT From United Kingdom, joined Feb 2002, 2180 posts, RR: 29
Reply 10, posted (9 years 9 months 4 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 1421 times:

Distortion caused by refraction. But yes, heat distortion is a better term. Now we're getting somewhere in this completely nonsensical thread.

Now, we have to make up an acronym to make it all completely non-transparent to the casual observer (pun intentional). How about RIVHD, Refraction-Induced Visual Heat Distortion? Big grin

Cheers,
Fred


I thought I was doing good trying to avoid those airport hotels... and look at me now.
User currently offlineNotar520AC From United States of America, joined Jul 2001, 1606 posts, RR: 5
Reply 11, posted (9 years 9 months 3 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 1226 times:

What about something with wake in it? Since the jetwash- wait a minute, would jetwash work? Or maybe something like "jet wake." I don't know- I don't have a degree in physics or anything, so correct me if I'm wrong, otherwise I'll just refer to it as "exhaust."

Thx.


BMW - The Ultimate Driving Machine
User currently offlineTAA_Airbus From Australia, joined Nov 1999, 726 posts, RR: 0
Reply 12, posted (9 years 9 months 3 weeks 1 day ago) and read 1207 times:

Hey, you dont even need a hot jet engine to see that phenomenom where I live.
Real pain in the ass when you are trying to take photos on a summers day!

User currently offlineAMb From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2001, 20 posts, RR: 0
Reply 13, posted (9 years 9 months 3 weeks 23 hours ago) and read 1187 times:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/mirage.htm

I think this might be vaguely related to what your talking about  Smile
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