- Footage captures different aircrafts coming in to land at Birmingham Airport at various times of the day
- 'Smoke' can be seen coming from both of the wings. This is in fact wake turbulence, a natural occurrence
- They only become visible to the eye when the external conditions are just right and are generally quite safe
Any traveller would be alarmed to see smoke billowing from the aircraft they're on.
But while the scenes captured in this compilation video might look terrifying, they're in fact perfectly normal.
Filmed at Birmingham Airport, the 'smoke' that appears from the wings of the different planes is in fact the wake, or streams of turbulent air.
Compilation footage shot at Birmingham Airport shows what appears to be smoke (pictured above) coming off various planes
Although this looks alarming, it's in fact just wake turbulence, a natural phenomenon that happens as the plane moves through the air
This turbulence, created by the plane, can only be seen when conditions are just right so it's not always visible to the naked eye
In the opening scene of the video, a Ryanair aircraft is seen approaching the runway.
There's a vortex of what appears to be smoke trailing behind it as it descends.
Just then, both wings are engulfed in the 'white smoke'.
But as the plane lands safely, all the smoke disappears.
Later in the video, an Emirates Airlines plane, which is already on the runway, is seen with smoking coming from its wings.
Sometimes vortices can be seen. These are mostly created when a plane is flying slow and the wings are working hardest to produce lift
Wake turbulence is generally quite safe although planes have to keep a safe distance from each other to avoid being caught up in it
A bigger plane means a bigger wake, which means that smaller aircrafts should keep further away if flying behind bigger ones
This also disperses after a while.
The video then goes on to show similar scenes captured on a variety of other aircrafts coming into land and sometimes while they're still in the air.
While it might seem like the plane is on fire each time, the 'smoke' that's captured on camera is in fact something known as wake turbulence.
This is simply the turbulence created by the aircraft as it moves through the air.
Occasionally, when the conditions are just right, this turbulence can be seen as smoke or even vortices coming off the wings of the plane.
The vortices are mostly created when a plane is flying slow and the wings are working hardest to produce lift.
Generally, a bigger plane means a bigger wake.
Air traffic controllers have to make sure the planes are kept apart at safe distances but pilots can also help counter the effects
Patrick Smith, a pilot and authotr, told MailOnline Travel that pilots can slightly alter the approach or climb gradient to avoid these vortices
Smith said: 'Despite all the safeguards, at one time or another, every pilot has had a run-in with wake, be it the short bump-and-roll of a dying vortex or a full-force wrestling match. 'Such an encounter might last only a few seconds, but they can be memorable'
Above, the vortex from the propellers of the plane can clearly be seen as a wave rather than the tighter ones seen on jet planes
Although the wake is not necessarily dangerous in itself, it can cause issues when planes are flying too close to each other - particularly if a small plane is flying behind a larger one as it could get caught in the turbulence.
To avoid this problem, air traffic controllers are required to put extra spacing between large and small planes.
Patrick Smith, author of Cockpit Confidential and pilot, told MailOnline Travel that pilots can slightly alter the approach or climb gradient to avoid these vortices.
He said: 'Despite all the safeguards, at one time or another, every pilot has had a run-in with wake, be it the short bump-and-roll of a dying vortex or a full-force wrestling match.
'Such an encounter might last only a few seconds, but they can be memorable.'
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