Ask an airline passenger what they like least about flying and the answer is often turbulence. It’s not always even the actual bumps. It’s the “not knowing” if there’s going to be turbulence, when it will occur during the flight, at what intensity, and perhaps the biggest concern – is it a danger?
If you think of the atmosphere as similar to a body of water, say a fast-moving river, one can imagine various swirls and eddies of water around rocks and other obstacles in the river. Like water, air moves like a fluid. Across the sky, when air or wind is disrupted, turbulence can occur. The faster the movement, and the more variation in the direction of movement, the more possibility of turbulence.
Pilots are always in contact with their company dispatchers, which may include highly trained meteorologists, and also with air traffic control. Through that teamwork, they try to provide passengers with the smoothest flight possible. As the dynamic airborne atmosphere is constantly changing, so is the speed that flight deck crews can now communicate to obtain the latest details on where turbulence is occurring, and at what intensity.
Turbulence isn’t always avoidable.
But, putting rough air in perspective in terms of safety, there has not been a fatal crash of a U.S. airline for over fifteen years. A remarkable achievement that helps continue to make commercial air travel the safest form of mass transportation across the world.
Modern aircraft are designed and built to fly through turbulence. Even in moderately rough air you might have concern but be assured that for the pilots it’s not an out of the ordinary event. While airborne rough air can at times be unsettling, in terms of safety, the aircraft is engineered to withstand turbulence and there are actual steps you can take to help prevent a turbulence-related injury.
WHAT PASSENGERS CAN DO:
- The easiest and most important factor for any passenger to avoid a turbulence-related injury is to always keep their seatbelt fastened when in their seat, and to minimize time away from their seat.
- Minimize or avoid standing near the aft (tail) section of the airplane. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the most severe turbulence injuries tend to impact those standing or sitting unbelted in the aft or galley section of the airplane.
- Consider booking a seat over the wing or in front of the wing – these areas tend to have a smoother ride – especially compared to seats near the tail section. Aircraft frames are designed and built to be flexible. That’s why aircraft wings can be seen flexing during turbulence. That movement is part of how they absorb and respond to the kind of G-loads imposed by turbulence.
- Choose a window seat. In the rare event a flight does encounter severe turbulence, if items fall out of the overhead bins, there’s a lesser chance of being hit by falling bags the further a passenger is seated from the aisle. And a minimized chance of encountering a suddenly moving beverage cart, or a standing passenger or crew who may stumble and fall.
- Select the first flight of the day. Not only do early flights have a statistically less chance of long delays and cancellations, but they also tend to be smoother. Especially during the summer as thunderstorms and major storm fronts build from solar heating throughout the day.
- Visit the lavatory or retrieve items from the overhead bins only when the seatbelt sign is off.
- Make sure children have their seatbelts on and the seatbelts are appropriately fastened.
- Consider a turbulence app. An online search can provide a selection of free online turbulence prediction apps. Up to 24-hours in advance, fliers can get a prediction and view an image of a profile of their upcoming flight and what level – if any – of turbulence might occur throughout the trip. One upside: airlines take great precautions to brief flight crews on areas of potential turbulence, so the route shown on a turbulence app may not be the same route the flight eventually takes as the crew deviates to avoid rough air. In reality, that can mean a better ride and less bumps than the app anticipates – a win-win for all passengers.
- And it’s so important, we’re going to say it twice: WEAR YOUR SEATBELT. The number one thing you can do to remain safe even in strong turbulence is the simple act of keeping that seatbelt on. Even if the seatbelt sign is off.
Interested in reading more about Turbulence? Check out the article from Connected Aviation Today: Turbulence and Flights: Is the Threat from Rough Air on the Rise?