Turbulence Blog

[bravequeen]

I went through the turbulence blog after returning from Key West because as I've said in my previous post, I'm tired of being held back by this fear. The blog was so reassuring and it made sense to my rational and irrational mind...until I reached the end when someone posted something that completely contradicted all that I had read previously and said that turbulence was - in a nutshell - very dangerous. I'm just looking for reassurance. I'm departing for London on Nov. 10th..leaving from Newark and traveling on Continental...(thought it was Virgin, but I was wrong). Let me know what you think. Kelly:rolleyes:

[Barb-SAN]

Kelly, could you be a bit more specific about the "turbulence blog"? I'm not sure where that is...perhaps you could link it? I'm also not sure who wrote that turbulence was dangerous, or how they phrased it, so perhaps you could post the exact quote?

Planes are built to handle turbulence, and pilots avoid thunderstorms where the worst turbulence is found. If the plane does encounter turbulence, the pilots will instruct you to remain seated with your seatbelt securely fastened. It is important to follow those instructions, as it could be dangerous to be walking around the cabin in turbulence...you could fall if there was a sudden jolt.

[bravequeen]

Yes, It was under www.blogsouthwest.com. I apologize if I thought it was linked to this site. Thanks for commenting

[WillFlyToDisney]

Turbulence is only dangerous if you are out of your seat - you could get tossed around if the turbulence is strong enough.

Repeat after me. Turbulence can not hurt the plane. Turbulene can not hurt the plane. Turbulence can not hurt the plane.

The best way I have found to deal with turbulence is to have your Ipod cranked to an uptempo song and bounce along to the beat. :thumbsup:

[bravequeen]

Here is the quote from that blog:


Despite your post, Mr. Pilot, turbulence is very dangerous. Because regardless of the fact that you’re working with thousands of feet between the aircraft and the ground providing an enormous safety net for unexpected changes in altitude, the fact of the matter is you should be telling these people that during turbulence, you’ve technically lost momentary control of the aircraft. Sure you can adjust throttles and effect turns, but the response isn’t going to be very obvious until you’ve passed through the air disturbance.

I flew in severe turbulence one afternoon which ocurred at take off. I used to love to fly, but after this experience, that all changed. I was certain we were headed towards the ground. Obviously turbulence experienced at low altitudes during take off and landing is even more dangerous and poses an imminent threat to the safety of the aircraft, especially at those levels.

So before you go luring these blog readers into believing that turbulence is safe and perfectly normal, well it may be a normal encounter, but it’s hardly a safe normality.

Thanks for the article Captain Wings but your opinion is flawed and the information you’re conveying is inaccurate, not to mention the fact that your analogy that involves the car and cup simulation is just ridiculously stupid.

[bravequeen]

Is it easy for me to speak to the pilots before an international flight? Is there a link to protocol?

[WillFlyToDisney]

Sounds like that comment was from a passenger not a pilot. Personally I would trust a PILOT who has gone through thousands of hours of training and hands on flying experience and their perception rather then that of a passenger sitting in the back of the plane who has no firsthand knowledge of a cockpit.

If you are sick and seeking treatment do you want the opinion of the doctor who has spent years at medical school and been practicing medicine for years or the opinion of the janitor emptying trashcans in the waiting room?

Sounds like a disgruntled SWA passenger trying to stir up trouble to me. As my Grandmother would say... "consider the source." :angel:

I have personally asked many pilots very specific questions about turbulence and they have ALL told me that turbulence is NOT dangerous to the plane - it is merely uncomfortable for the passengers. I sat next to a deadheading pilot on a flight from ATL to CHS one night and we hit some pretty good sized bumps en route. The pilot patiently answered all of my questions about turbulence - pointing out which patches were considered "light chop" and "moderate" and explaining the drops in altitude and what the pilots were doing while all of this was going on.

[WillFlyToDisney]

Is it easy for me to speak to the pilots before an international flight? Is there a link to protocol?

It never hurts to ask. Get to the gate early and explain to the gate agent that you are a nervous flyer and that it would really ease your fears if you could meet the pilot. Print out the Taking Flight letter to take to show the gate agent - that usually opens doors.

I have not flown internationally in years - long before 9/11 - so I don't know how easy it is to meet the pilot on an International flight. I'm sure someone else can chime in with their experience.

Kelley

[bravequeen]

Oh, it definately was a passenger. Thanks so much for your answers. I appreciate you taking the time.

[nervousflyer]

First of all,

Even though I know that person on southwestblog was a passenger, could someone explain to me the possibility of turbulence on take off and landing?

I was under the impression that turbulence occurred higher up in the clouds, the weather.

Would it just be wake turbulence on take off or landing? Isn't that monitored? :eek:

Second of all, bravequeen, I have flown Continental from Newark to Edinburgh, Barcelona and Birmingham and have felt very safe each time. I did alot of research on Continental and they have won all kinds of awards and I have asked pilots (on this board) who told me they would happily put their family on a Continental plane.

You will probably be on a 757 as I was on all of the above flights. It is not a huge plane, but not small either. It feels safe and looks pretty new inside. Continental have a pretty young fleet, nice staff, and friendly pilots (more or less...on our Denver to Newark flight we had a pilot who was only in the cockpit for take off and landing and I didn't really appreciate that).

In any case, hopefully my experiences can help you feel better about yours! I LOOOVE the UK,I am flying to London and then Manchester this Monday (though on British Airways, as they were cheaper. I'm pretty nervous).

[Barb-SAN]

Yes, It was under www.blogsouthwest.com (http://www.blogsouthwest.com). I apologize if I thought it was linked to this site. Thanks for commenting

Thanks for clarifying your source! :) I still needed to do a search over there to find the specific blog on turbulence. It is linked here: http://www.blogsouthwest.com/2006/06/08/turbulence/#comments

Kelly, I'm glad to see that you posted your question over there on the SWA blog as well. Hopefully you will get a good answer from Capt. Ray.

[kari]

Bravequeen,

The author of the above rubbish (the quoted bit) is clearly a complete prat. So you lose control for a split second? So what - I guarantee that in the cockpit you don't have two people clinging onto the controls for grim death anyway. And even if you did lose control for a split second in such a manner, at 39 000 feet there's not a lot to crash into.

Like Kelley said, take your knowledge from people who actually know something about something. Turbulence can only hurt you if you aren't strapped in ... yes granted in those circumstances it can be very dangerous.

[scottr0829]

To add onto what Kari and Kelley and Barb said - the plane being at a 'loss of control' during turbulence would be like you being at a loss of control while driving your car when you go over a pothole. Sure, for the slightest amount of time, you don't have control over your car during it, but you don't really notice it and you take corrective actions and try to avoid them. Turbulence is potholes in the air for the plane. Yeah, they are annoying but the pilots are constantly looking for smoother air to get you too to avoid those bumps. It is NOT a danger to the plane as some planes have been tested and can take 150% of the maximum forces that occur naturally before it affects them.

nervousflyer - about the turbulence during takeoff and landing - as I understand it, it is almost always wake turbulence from an aircraft in front of you that causes the turbulence at lower levels (near the ground). That is also nothing to worry about and the pilots always expect it to happen if they know an aircraft is in front of them. I guess it could also be a little bumpy if it is very windy, but remember, pilots are people too. They have friends and family and want to get home safely so they would never do anything that would put them, or the flying customers, at risk.

[scottr0829]

Also, Kelly (bravequeen), I am not sure if you saw the letter to meet the pilots, but it is available at http://www.takingflight.us/forums/showthread.php?t=7731

It has worked for me :thumbsup:

[Barb-SAN]

nervousflyer - about the turbulence during takeoff and landing - as I understand it, it is almost always wake turbulence from an aircraft in front of you that causes the turbulence at lower levels (near the ground). That is also nothing to worry about and the pilots always expect it to happen if they know an aircraft is in front of them. I guess it could also be a little bumpy if it is very windy, but remember, pilots are people too. They have friends and family and want to get home safely so they would never do anything that would put them, or the flying customers, at risk.

It's my understanding that the airplanes are spaced far enough apart during the landings and take-offs that they can avoid the wake turbulence (allow it enough time to dissipate).

If there is a thunderstorm near enough to the airport to cause problems, planes won't be allowed to land or take off until the thunderstorm moves away from the airport. (I've seen that myself firsthand on two flights this year. Once, we were in a holding pattern waiting to land for 15 min. until the storm moved away from the airport. The other time the airport was closed for an hour during a storm).

[spiffyone]

I've had a few bumps every time I've flown. I used to waste a lot of energy before my flight trying to reassure myself that it would not be bumpy. I have found it is better to reassure myself that it will be bumpy, but I will be okay.
It does help me a lot to get the 'turbulence forecast' from the pilot - asking him/her when they think it will be bumpy and for how long. I say to them, "I don't mind the bumps, but it helps me to know they are coming." The second time I ever flew alone was one of the bumpiest flights I've ever had. The pilot came on at the very beginning, before take-off, and said "Bad news..." then proceeded to tell us there was a headwind, the flight would be longer than expected, and more bumpy. It was really not a bad flight, and strangely, it was much easier to deal with knowing that he had predicted it ahead of time.

[tusphotog]

I think this is the site/blog everyone is talking about: http://www.turbulenceforecast.com/ . Hopefully this makes it easier to find than digging around the Southwest blog.

First of all,

Even though I know that person on southwestblog was a passenger, could someone explain to me the possibility of turbulence on take off and landing?

I was under the impression that turbulence occurred higher up in the clouds, the weather.

Would it just be wake turbulence on take off or landing? Isn't that monitored? :eek:


Turbulence occurs in a variety of situations. As some have pointed out wake turbulence occurs at low alts. ATC will space planes out enough to let the wake dissipate. However, that's not the only time turb occurs at low alts.

If there are gusty winds low to the ground, you'll get a bumpy ride. For example, a couple months ago, I flew PDX-LAS-TUS. About 45 mins before we landed the captain sat everyone down, saying the winds were blowing nearly 50 mph down the runway. (Wonderful!) It actually wasn't too bad until we hit about 2,500 feet or so. Then we got into the ground winds and man, you really felt it. Takeoff was fun because they did an "adverse weather takeoff" which basically meant they used the full engine power, and we were out of the bumps in under a minute. The worst was the dust: it was in the vents, and after about 10 minutes my eyes were burning like crazy. It got worse when they threw open the doors at the gate.

There are also heat thermals (we get them here in the desert), as the ground heats up, it causes "columns of air" to rise. When you fly through them, the plane bumps up or bumps down when you get past them.

If there's turb. down low, you'll feel it more on landing as you're in the low altitude longer. Also the bigger the plane, the less you'll feel turbulence. It has to do with the mass of the aircraft.

Uncomfortable? Yes. Annoying? Yes. Dangerous? Only very, very rarely.

[Barb-SAN]

I think this is the site/blog everyone is talking about: http://www.turbulenceforecast.com/ . Hopefully this makes it easier to find than digging around the Southwest blog.


Actually, Kelly was referring to a specific article on turbulence on the SWA blog, and posted her question to Capt. Ray right after the post that she copied to this thread. There are many comments and questions at the end of his article. I linked the turbulence article in my post higher up in this thread, and have pasted it again here.http://www.blogsouthwest.com/2006/06/08/turbulence/#comments

He hasn't answered her question yet though...and I'm wondering if maybe that whole article and comments has become "buried" in the SWA blog? I had to search for it...it wasn't on the main page anymore. Not sure if he gets alerted to each new post or not.

In any case, the other site that you posted on turbulence is interesting, and it sounds like you have experienced quite a variety of conditions during your landings in the desert communities (Tucson and Las Vegas). I have yet to experience those conditions...so appreciate learning what I have to look forward to. ;)

[bravequeen]

Thanks Barb for all of your great advice. I'm still working on my fear...daily...in anticipation of my November flight. Although I think I can handle some turbulence, a whole flights worth - to Europe - seems like a challenge. I'm going to check out the Continental web sight and see if I can arrange to visit the cockpit in advance of my trip.

[Barb-SAN]

Thanks Barb for all of your great advice. I'm still working on my fear...daily...in anticipation of my November flight. Although I think I can handle some turbulence, a whole flights worth - to Europe - seems like a challenge. I'm going to check out the Continental web sight and see if I can arrange to visit the cockpit in advance of my trip.

You're welcome...it's a group effort here! :D Great that you are working daily on your fears...that's the kind of effort most likely to pay off.

I'd be surprised if you could visit the cockpit days in advance of your trip...as you generally can't get through security unless you have a plane ticket to fly that day.

However, if you want to start getting familiar with the aircraft, you might spend some time at jetphotos.net looking at the pictures, and printing out some of them. Here's the link to the Continental 757 photos...there are over 1,700 of them to look at. http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?aircraft=Boeing+757&airline=Continental+Airlines&country=-2&photog=-2&category=-2&year=-2&keywordrange=all&keywordlimiter=2&keywords=&sort=1&genre=1&size=-2&mainsearch=search&displaymode=1&display=15 (You might want to check your reservation and be sure this is the plane you are flying). You can also narrow down the photo search, and look for photos of the cockpit, the cabin, arriving at certain airports, etc.

I found it helpful when I was contemplating my first flight (after being grounded 13 years) to print out some photos of the plane I would be flying on, and plaster them all around my house, so I would see them on a daily basis. It seemed to help my mind get accustomed to seeing those planes, and accept that I would soon be flying on one of them. :thumbsup: