Whether aircraft actually need separating depends upon the class of airspace in which the aircraft are flying, and the flight rules under which the pilot is operating the aircraft. It is a common misconception that air traffic controllers keep all aircraft separated. This is particularly acute on final approach with a smaller aircraft following larger aircraft. These minima vary depending on the relative size of the two aircraft. When an aircraft passes behind or follows another aircraft, wake turbulence minima are applied due to the effect of the wingtip vortices of the preceding aircraft on the following aircraft. If separation is lost between two aircraft, they are said to be in a conflict. Pairs of aircraft to which these rules have been successfully applied are said to be separated: the risk of these aircraft colliding is therefore remote. Air traffic controllers apply rules, known as separation minima, to do this.
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