  In this article we present recent developments in numerical methods for
performing a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of the formation and evolution of a
wingtip vortex. The development of these vortices in the near wake, in
combination with the large Reynolds numbers present in these cases, make these
types of test cases particularly challenging to investigate numerically. We
first give an overview of the Spectral Vanishing Viscosity--implicit LES
(SVV-iLES) solver that is used to perform the simulations, and highlight
techniques that have been adopted to solve various numerical issues that arise
when studying such cases. To demonstrate the method's viability, we present
results from numerical simulations of flow over a NACA 0012 profile wingtip at
$Re_c = 1.2\cdot 10^6$ and compare them against experimental data, which is to
date the highest Reynolds number achieved for a LES that has been correlated
with experiments for this test case. Our model correlates favorably with
experiment, both for the characteristic jetting in the primary vortex and
pressure distribution on the wing surface. The proposed method is of general
interest for the modeling of transitioning vortex dominated flows over complex
geometries.
