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Lee Side
The downwind side of a ridge, mountain, or other terrain obstacle. After air is forced up the windward slope, the lee side often produces downdrafts, turbulence, rotors, and mountain-wave activity, a primary reason mountain routes plan an exit toward lower terrain rather than counting on climb rate.
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- Left-Turning TendencyThe combined left yaw produced in a single-engine airplane with a clockwise-rotating propeller by torque reaction, P-factor, spiraling slipstream, and gyroscopic precession. Left-turning tendency is strongest at high power, high angle of attack, and low airspeed, especially on the takeoff roll and initial climb, and is corrected with right rudder.
- Lenticular CloudA lens-shaped cloud that can form in mountain-wave flow, often above or near the lee of a ridge. Lenticular clouds are a visual warning of wave activity, but mountain waves can also exist without obvious cloud markers, so ridge-level winds and PIREPs still matter.
- Load FactorThe ratio of the lift produced by the wings to the actual weight of the aircraft. In level flight, load factor is 1G. During turns, load factor increases — a 60-degree banked turn produces a 2G load factor, doubling the effective weight on the wings.
- LocalizerThe lateral guidance component of an ILS that provides a precise course aligned with the runway centerline. A localizer can also support non-precision localizer-only approaches when glideslope is unavailable or not authorized.