“翼尖涡流"又称为翼尖涡，当机翼产生正升力时，下翼面的压强比上翼面高，在上、下翼面压强差的作用下，下翼面的气流就绕过翼尖流向上翼面，这样就使下翼面的流线由机翼的翼根向翼尖倾斜，而上翼面的流线则由翼尖偏向翼根。

由于上、下翼面气流在后缘处具有不同的流向，于是就形成漩涡，并在翼尖卷成翼尖涡，翼尖涡向后流即形成翼尖涡流。机翼上产生的升力越多，翼尖涡也就越强。

从飞机的后部向前看，右翼尖涡是逆时针旋转，左机翼的翼尖涡是顺时针旋转。

飞行中，因翼尖涡内的空气压强低，如果空气中含有足够的水蒸气，就会因膨胀冷却而结成水珠，形成由翼尖向后的两道白雾状的涡流索，即俗话说的“飞机拉线”。

Wingtip vortices are circular patterns of rotating air left behind a wing as it generates lift. One wingtip vortex trails from the tip of each wing. Wingtip vortices are sometimes named trailing or lift-induced vortices because they also occur at points other than at the wing tips. Indeed, vorticity is trailed at any point on the wing where the lift varies span-wise (a fact described and quantified by the lifting-line theory); it eventually rolls up into large vortices near the wingtip, at the edge of flap devices, or at other abrupt changes in wing planform.