The Challenge of Taming Air Turbulence

The New York ran an opinion piece the other day re crying children on flights. The accompanying image depicted a woman holding a baby in her arms. I have long been amazed that, despite the FAA position that all children be restrained in approved safety seats, airlines continue to ignore this advice and allow the under twos to fly in someone's arms. No one can possibly restrain a child in extreme turbulence. I don't understand how parents fail to buy them a seat and buckle them in to protect them. On the topic of fussy babies in the air, I believe they are less fussy when buckled in. They are used to that and will sit more contentedly.

Having traveled by air for business taking several flights a week for five years, it becomes a habit to fasten the seatbelt just like getting behind the wheel of a car. When the flight attendants get buckled up at the pilots request, anyone who does not double check themselves to make sure their area and their seatbelt are secured are careless, rude and oblivious. Come to think of it, that describes a majority of airline passengers and automobile drivers.

How about the unique idea of keeping your seatbelt fastened while seated, even if the sign is not on. MANY cultures either do not understand the seriousness of sudden turbulence, or are just going to get up whenever they want, no matter the circumstances.

When I first began flying as a 727 captain with Northwest Airlines in 1969, the company already had a turbulence prediction program in effect. The chief meteorologist, Dan Sowa and a senior captain, Paul Soderlind, were given a blank check to study various types of turbulence, including clear air turbulence, thunderstorms, jet stream displacement, frontal passage wind shear, etc. By the time I retired in 1998, these predictions, as well as deviation routes around known mountain wave areas, were quite sophisticated. It is my understanding that NWA offered the program to other carriers, but I suspect that the "not invented here" philosophy prevented widespread adaption of a well-proven aid to avoiding turbulence of all types.

I do know that in nearly 30 years of flying as a captain, I never experienced dangerous turbulence on my flights, nor was any passenger or crew member injured. I retired before the merger of Northwest Airlines and Delta, so cannot comment on the current situation.

"what one pilot considers mild might feel moderate to another."
Wrong. The description of turbulence as mild, moderate, extreme is defined precisely by FAA regulation measuring several parameters that are not subjective, and is modified by the report , in the PIREP, of the type of aircraft that noted the turbulence. Turbulence that is noted as "extreme" by a Cessna 172 pilot might be considered mild by a Boeing 777 with its much higher wing loading.

Fasten your seat belts it's gonna be a bumpy night!

So why not replace the seat belt graphic with a walking graphic, indicating that moving around the cabin is allowed...but not indicating that it's okay to not have one's seat belt fastened? As is, passengers are getting mixed messages, and can hardly be faulted for acting accordingly.

And that is why you never order a Bloody Mary on a plane.

There is significant research using lasers to detect clear air turbulence ahead of a plane. I no longer work in avionics so I don't know who is leading in this field, but Boeing was sponsoring projects several years ago.

I was in the second to last row on an Air Tran BOS-LAX flight several years ago, which experienced moderate to heavy turbulence flying through and above a thick high level cloud cover that went from about Albany, NY to about Trinidad, CO. While the turbulence wasn't severe, it wouldn't let up and was pretty bumpy for about four hours. The saving grace was that the flight deck crew came on the PA regularly to let the passengers know what was going on and what they were trying to do about it (change altitude, change speed, etc) and reassured the passengers that everyone was perfectly safe, as long as everyone was buckled in. The remainder of the flight after the turbulence ended was as smooth as glass, the skies and afforded some of the clearest views of the Southwest desert I have ever seen from the air (it helped that the pilot acted as a tour guide after things calmed down). I was the last passenger getting off at LAX, I noticed that my hands were cold, clammy and blue (from nerves), and I overheard one flight attendant say to her colleague that it was "the roughest flight" she'd experienced so far. The crew seemed very dedicated to what they were doing and it seemed to make the difference to the passengers.

As a practicing meteorologist 35 or 40 years ago we struggled to forecast areas where jets might encounter turbulence. Gravity waves were discovered in the atmosphere back in the 1920s when math models were used to diagnose ten. But 80 years later scientists still struggle to understand and predict them. We still need more research to develop sensors that will enable aircraft to detect and avoid severe turbulence. Fund research.

I remember being on a flight with a glass of wine in my hand. Fortunately, I had my seatbelt fastened when the plane began what felt like a free fall. The wine and the glass ended up on the ceiling. After the all the hubbub died down, I ordered another glass.

I am an airline pilot. All I can say is, rest assured that the airplane will not break or anything like that. The danger is in not using the seat belt all the time, by you and the rest of the passengers. A 10 kilo kid flying around the cabin is very dangerous, as well as a heavy backpack or even a laptop computer.

I fly at least two times a year (but usually more) and have a bit of a fear of flying. I don't go into hysterics when a plane shakes, but I feel very anxious. Mind you, I've tried different things to fix my fear of flying : went skydiving, saw documentaries about plane crashes, which i know sounds like a terrible idea, but I thought "knowledge is power" and i'd be able to rationale my fear away. Anyway, didn't work. There's something about dropping from the air at high speeds, crashing into Earth / water, and have my body be an unrecognizable mess that seems a lot less palatable than dying from a car crash or boat sinking. Also, the fact that I have absolutely no control in the way a plane flies, whereas I do with a car (even if that's an illusion). I wish there were other options for traveling than flying.

I sometimes wish the flight crew would be a little more vigilant about unsecured belongings on the plane. Often they walk down the aisles but don't really LOOK to see what passengers have lying around. Why do passengers refuse to stow their stuff under the seat in front of them??? That stuff can become projectiles in rough landings and turbulence.

Airplanes are designed to stall before they have a structural failure. That means that you will be very uncomfortable but not at risk of crashing to the ground.

I am always amused by the reaction of people to natural forces. To think that we have tamed the air to the point that we can fly through it in complete comfort 100% of the time seems absurd to me. To think that we can cruise on a ship in the middle of the ocean in complete comfort 100% of the time also seems absurd.

Sometimes we need a reminder of how small we are and how vast the Earth is. Yes, when you get in an airplane there is a small chance that you will fly through a steep enough gradient in wind that you will feel a jolt. Yes, that jolt can do damage to the airplane. Very rarely that jolt will be strong enough to break things inside the airplane.

Be amazed by the engineering marvel on which you ride, and give it a rest. You can't tame everything.

I'm a veteran flier also with lots of turbulance stories. Glad to hear we're actually pretty safe buckled in.
Also, don't forget we have about a million years getting us to a point that we should be scared and it probably saved our earlier relatives butts. Now we need to learn to ignore the fear.

I always wear my seatbelt while driving, that is a wise precaution given that the car is moving at up to 80 mph. A jet is cruising at 600 mph. Personally, I think it should provide shoulder harnesses like the crews to every passenger.
BTW , I'm not afraid of flying at all but I know the simple laws of physics. On a plane I wear my seatbelt from the moment I get in till I disembark and only unbuckle to go to the rest room, simple common sense. If airlines compelled passengers to wear their belts all the time, injuries due to turbulence would essentially disappear.

What's next, an article about taming pesky waves for passengers on ships?

For those scared of airliner turbulence, here's my offer: next time we have some puffy cumulus clouds or hot weather with thermals, meet me at the local airport and I'll offer an hour in a Cessna 172. You'll never complain about the noise, turbulence, food, or bathrooms on an airliner again!

I fly a lot. 100k or so every year, most of it on international flights. So unlike flying the SFO-JFK route over and over again (the bumps over the Rockies) I never know what to expect when the "fasten seatbelt" light comes on.

I know when the Pilot asks the Attendants to also take their seats, we're in for a "thrill ride". It would be helpful to me to have the Pilot be a bit more forthcoming on the likely severity, and % of the total flight path with turbulence. I've been on 5-6 hour flights where there were only two 30 minute opportunities to use the bathroom. Or ever serving the "meal" such as it is.

The newer planes with "fly by wire" flight controls wired to the autopilot does keep the plane movement to a minimum in light to medium turbulence, but I find it unpleasant and "unnatural". There's a cliff effect. It works well until isn't doesn't, and I think it interferes with the Pilots ability to estimate and communicate to other Pilots the degree of turbulence.

Yes a flight computer can spit out stats on extreme deflection of the rudder, ailerons, and elevators, but nothing beats seat of the pants for communicating turbulence. To passengers and nearby pilots.

Mother nature is so much more powerful than any manmade flying object.

For decades United Airlines had a channel (9) that allowed passengers to listen in to the conversations between air traffic control, their pilot, and the pilots of other aircraft on their wave band. One of the recurring questions would be about "chop" with pilots asking to reach differing altitudes to avoid it. If "moderate" chop was ahead air traffic control would report it to the pilot. If a pilot ahead experienced "severe" turbulence he or she would report it and measures (such as asking flight attendants to be seated) would be taken. Aside from simply providing all sorts of interesting information about flying that one would otherwise not know, information about what was ahead was very useful and although few people like moderate chop knowing when it will show up "ahead", for how long, and what the pilot intends to do about it is reassuring because the "ego" feels better with more information. Unfortunately, United dropped this channel and service much to the dismay of its passengers. On another note, passengers will take the "stay-in-your-seat" signs more seriously when pilots remember to turn the fasten seat belt signs off once the plane is at cruising altitude. These days one can be thousands of miles into a journey before they turn it off. Why? The crew does not like to share aisles with passengers trying to get to the loo. The airlines have to review their seat-belt sign policy if they want to be taken seriously.

I agree it's something pilots need to be concerned about and warrants passengers heeding a newly turned on seat belt sign. But you have to admit this extremely-severe version of turbulence the article is referring to is pretty darn rare. I am actually more concerned about the number of times on a flight where the pilot forgets to turn the seat belt sign OFF, even after 30-60 minutes or more of silky-smooth air. When that happens, passengers lose respect for the sign and start to ignore it in general, and then the belt is not put on when it is really needed. Not to mention a ton of unnecessarily extreme biological discomfort. Forgetting to turn it off seems to happen a lot on my flights.

As a flight attendant, I can guarantee you that most injuries are from people who refuse to observe the fasten seat belt sign. Many passengers simply ignore it. We are required to tell them the sign is on, when they come back to use the lavatory for instance, but that's it. We may be strapped in our jumpseats due to the turbulence, but that still doesn`t stop them. Turbulence is indeed getting more severe as the years go on, but your comment that it affects the reputation of the airline involved makes no sense to me. It is extremely unpredictable, and sometimes hits with very little warning. No matter what airline it is, the end result is the same. How does the fact that airlnes often divert flights to assist the injured hurt their reputation.

WSI Total Turbulence sounds like a great, early example of the power of the Internet of Things. By collecting sensor data and sharing with others, you are able to get value from that data. Looking forward to seeing other positive impacts from this sort of innovation.

The dichotomy of fear between driving and flying is bizarrely irrational. Yes, turbulence can certainly be frightening, but most injuries - minor and severe - could likely be avoided by using your seatbelt regardless if the light above you is on or not. But merging lanes at 80 mph on the freeway while someone is texting in the next lane over is even more frightening.

Driving, which Americans wholeheartedly pursue with reckless abandon, kills 30k-40k people each year. That's the equivalent of 60 jumbo jets crashing every 12 months. The fear factor associated with flying has forced significantly higher quality safety regulations. But the lack of acknowledgement and or willful ignorance of how road and highway design has exacerbated these unfortunate outcomes is much more dangerous and long-term tragic than turbulence on a flight.

The aviation industry would go bankrupt if there were 60 jumbo jet crashes each year, but for whatever reason, Americans are more concerned with turbulence than the 30k+ that die in car crashes.

Air turbulence can't really be tamed, only mitigated to the best of our abilities. We can however tame driving deaths, the real fear factor and killer, with better urban planning and road design.

I'm a nervous flier even in calm conditions so I always keep my belt on. It seems to me that the worst conditions always seem to happen before the announcement to buckle up happens.
If I'm coming or going over the Western US I try to fly in the morning. It seems like as the day goes on and things heat up in that area, which is large, bumpy air is more likely to turn up.

Not particularly relevant but on a recent 1 hour flight we were told at takeoff that there would be significant turbulence and that the flight attendants would remain seated and not serve beverages. Then, the flight was totally calm. Just like sitting in a chair in your living room. Go figure.

I don't know why they still use radars. There are better technologies available like satellite maps which are more accurate and commonplace now.

I suppose like all things related to airlines, unless it affects profits, they don't invest in any tecnology

Am I the only one who _likes_ turbulence? I kind of hate the still feeling of flying. When the plane hits turbulence, I think, oh, finally, we're going somewhere!

"In a highly competitive industry, flight crews must balance offering service with keeping passengers and crew safe."
One would never guess, based on my personal experience, that in-flight service is a priority for any airline. Perhaps the writer is talking about passengers who fly business class or better.

After a period of unexpected (unannounced) turbulence that seemed prolonged, a 4 year old boy who wondered aloud: IS ANYBODY DRIVING THIS THING? brought a moment of comic relief to nearly panicked passengers.

Many years ago, I was flying from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Thailand. A flight attendant was handing me a glass of orange juice, when the plane took a sudden dive....we must have fallen 10 or 20 feet in a second.

There was something most interesting about this experience. The plane, passengers and glass fell, but the juice remained suspended in air. Then the attendant tried, without success, to catch the now-falling juice in the glass! Needless to say, she was not successful, and I ended up with a lap full of orange juice...and a lesson in physics.

Last October, on a flight from west to east, the pilot made a unique announcement: "I never experienced that before. Not sure what it was." Not comforting. In clear air there had been a huge bang, like an explosion, and the plane dropped like a rock. And then it was over just as suddenly and that was that. I've flown many times through all kinds of turbulence, lightning strikes, etc., but I'd never experienced anything like it. I hate flying but it's better than walking.

Turbulence is not a problem for an airliner. Passengers are clearly instructed to wear the seat belt even when the seat belt sign is off. Almost without exception, injuries are limited to passengers who non-compliant and flight attendants who must stow the serving carts and secure the galley before being seated.

Though turbulence is not a threat to a passenger wearing a seat belt, some passengers fear it. Why? Because the amygdala, the part of the brain that releases stress hormones, does so each time the plane drops. Since the plane drops repeatedly in turbulence, stress hormones build up. When stress hormones levels are high enough, a person may lose the ability to separate what they fear may happen from what is actually happening.

I'm sure there have been flights that I, in the cockpit, experienced as boring which some passengers in the cabin believed their life was in danger. Regardless of what you may read in the media, turbulence is neither a danger to the plane nor - if you simply wear the seat belt - a threat to your safety. If knowing this is not enough to keep you calm in turbulence, relief is possible by training the mind to prevent the release stress hormones in turbulence.

Why don't passenger seats have 3 point seat belts as do the pilots and crew??

With 43 years experience as a flight attendant, the incidents of turbulence I have encountered are on the increase. Not only on the increase, but more severe in nature.There is no question that weather patterns are changing and no question that global warming is impacting upper air weather slso.
Despite intense media coverage of serious incidents of injuries in turbulence, the travelling public remain oblivious to the consequences of severe turbulence.
Parents travel with children and must be constamtly reminded to kerp them buckled up, passengers fail to keep their seatbelts fastened when seated and passengers still insist on leaving their seats to use the lavatories, when the ordinance signs are illuminated.
This despite repeated announcements.....
When your cabin crew are seated and buckled up, you should be too.
The cost to the airline to "divert" due to injuties is substantial. But the travelling public have an obligation to the airlines to follow instructions, buckle up when asked to and stay seated when asked to.
It is not only the safety of yourself but also to your fellow travellers.
When you are seated in a car and it is in motion, you wear a seatbelt. It is an automatic motion to perform when in a car and it should be automatic when travelling by air.

I use Turbulence Forecast (on the web and Android) before I fly so I can at least get an idea of what to expect and where, if there is turbulence on my route. Sure enough, passing over the midwest where there were thunderstorms on my last flight, it was announced ahead of time by our AA pilot and we had a light chop. Having this info makes nervous flying easier. However, clear air turbulence is scary because it is unpredictable and can come violently out of nowhere, which is why I always have my seat belt fastened, even when the sign is off.

Interesting, scary piece for this squeamish flier. But unclear - are ALL of the turbulence injuries due to people standing during turbulence? Or can fliers still get injured even if they are strapped in their seat belts?

Talk about a slow newsday!

U.S. airlines carry something on the order of 600 million passengers each year, 21 of whom were injured in air turbulence last year. If The Times felt the need to publish this as "news", the headline should have read: "Air Turbulence and Its Role in the Irrational Fear of Flying".

A better use of newsprint would have been an article with a simple message: when in motion, keep your body secured to something solid. Ask the family of CBS newsman, Bob Simon, who was tragically killed in Manhattan last year when his limo lost control and crashed in slow traffic. He was not wearing a seatbelt.

Yup - turbulence can be frightening especially the ones that come out of nowhere. I've flown all over the world and one of the worst flights I took was recently from LGA to ATL on a carrier that I will not name.

I attributed it to the winter storm that was moving up the East Coast the weekend of January 15th.

Of course, I will not fly ** again. Not because of the turbulence but due to the flight attendant asking me if I wanted a drink - I asked for a ginger ale and it never showed up!