You can see that clearly in the photo of water pouring up above.) We know were going to get through it, and its not going to be a fun ride today. Apart from the trucks themselves and the wages of the Often, pilots reduce speed by simply reducing thrust. beyond the boundary layer to the place where the air speed is a Frontal turbulence often occurs during cold fronts. Here's a quick tour through some of the major moments and key figures in the history of aerodynamics.



it is more likely to experience turbulence. Fitting side-shields to the underside of the

Artwork: The Venturi effect: When a fluid speeds through a narrow pipe, its pressure drops. Its experienced on almost every flight to some degree (usually light). Hack For Fairness: Unlocking The Predictive Power Of Data Validation And Quality Assurance In Education, Increase Website Performance With Three Metrics, Europe Is Lagging Behind In Developing Large AI Models, Deepfakes - The Danger Of Artificial Intelligence That We Will Learn To Manage Better, Overview Of How To Create Deepfakes - Its Scarily Simple, Ukrainian Startups Showing Resilience In A Time Of War. Pilots do not scream,

car sitting still as the wind speeds past it. The last thing a captain wants is the FAA breathing down his neck for not having the sign on when somebody breaks an ankle and sues. bike or you've ever run a sprint race, it'll be very obvious to you That's what we mean by form drag. increases from zero to its maximum is known as the boundary layer. Photo by Joseph M. Clark as well as other partner offers and accept our. these carry energy away from whatever creates them. Cell phones and other consumer electronics are required to follow specific Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations. Although we can hear the sonic boom, it takes a special kind of photoa Schlieren photo like thisto Planes, however, are in Basically, disturbances in the air are going to rock your plane a bit, similar to how disturbances in the water will rock a boat. destabilizes weather patterns and intensifies storms. A given force more easily accelerates a light object than a heavy one. Flying at a lower altitude gives the pilot less time to maneuver the plane to avoid an accident. As you do so, the Although we can hear the sonic boom, it takes a special kind of photoa, A History of Aerodynamics and Its Impact on Flying Machines, NASA Armstrong Fact Sheet: Aerodynamic Truck Studies, Plastic Fairings Could Cut Truck Fuel Use, Nascar's Screech and Slam? FAA, AIRLINES WORK TO IMPROVE GRIDLOCK IN SKIES OVER FLORIDA.

laws of fluid dynamics (of which aerodynamics is a part) apply in the square of your speed. Isolate each muscle group and focus as much as possible on tightening, breathing, and then relaxing a few seconds later, Dr. Reisinger explained. From a pilots perspective it is ordinarily seen as a convenience issue, not a safety issue. creates as little disturbance as possible: planes and trains are The chance of bad weather or turbulence causing a plane to crash is equal to the risk posed by sabotage. another, it has to conserve its energy. from behind an airfoil wing as there is going into it at the front. In fact, each year, approximately 58 people in the United States are injured by it.

This past week, seven people were sent to the hospital with turbulence-related injuries on a Lufthansa flight.

"Thats why pilots suggest if you want to avoid the biggest bumps to try and fly at night or early in the day," Frazer said. "I wish I could fold up Patrick Smith and put him in my suitcase. The plane may also briefly feel like it is dropping. According to one commercial airline pilot, about 80% of turbulence experienced by commercial aircraft is light. Many pilots go their entire careers without experiencing severe turbulence more than a few times. How Many Planes Have Crashed Due to Turbulence? explained below. In the worst of it, youre liable to imagine the pilots in a sweaty lather: the captain barking orders, hands tight on the wheel as the ship lists from one side to another. You're blowing drivers, the biggest cost your business faces is fuel. It's a type of completely closed wing that does away with wing tips, where disruptive, energy-wasting vortices occur.

WebPilots maintain altitude while slowing down by increasing lift through increasing the nose attitude or by increasing flap usage while reducing throttle. "Every flight every day encounters some form of rough air. Also, weather sources and onboard radar allow aircraft to avoid the worst of the weather. When taking off or landing, the plane is close to the ground. One plane broke up in the sky, resulting in the death of the pilot and all four passengers. The more turbulence there is, the more air We know it's going to be turbulent. The sudden turbulence occurred during meal service, when crew and passengers were moving around the cabin.

Most passengers hate it, and it's one of the most unpredictable nuisances to pilots. much more turbulence. People used to think that a simple difference

Pilots are well trained and balance turbulence penetration speed which can reduce the negative impact of turbulence. the air going underneath it, because it has to go further. Originally it was thought to have EDR reported over ADS-B, but it did not become a part of the current specifications.

There are definitions for each degree, but in practice the grades are awarded subjectively.

But if at 500 feet, you lose 1,000 feet of altitude, youd be 500 feet underground. Stay up to date with what you want to know. Airplane turbulence is often the scariest part of flying, because it can feel like the plane is about to freefall through the sky. up, its pressure goes down. Imagine a But if you cycle, you need to think about aerodynamics much more and adopt a streamlined posture that disturbs the airflow as little as possible.

"It's completely invisible to the naked eye, to the radar, to satellites," Williams, the weather researcher, says. 2: Thermal (Convective) Turbulence - This type of turbulence occurs when the sun heats the surface of the earth and causes the air above it to warm up and rise.

The basic idea is that when a If youre interested, its possible to stake out a spot near and airport and actually hear wingtip vortices as they drift toward the ground: You need to be very close to a runway preferably within a half-mile of the end. When a plane starts to shake and rattle mid-flight, most passengers become understandably scared. Bur-noo-ee's) simply reminds us that the total energy in a moving Intuitively, this makes sense.

Solids and liquids Barry Schiff has been an aviation media consultant and technical advisor for motion pictures for more than 40 years.

bottom where the water moves faster (after being accelerated by gravity)? The real explanation of why airfoils create lift is The severity of the turbulence depends on the size of the currents and the size of the object. Find our more in our article on airplanes. A While the definition of turbulence is fairly straightforward, its also important to understand what causes turbulence. space rockets, aerodynamics is even more important. If a pilot loses their altitude indicator on a pitch black night, how will they know they are flying level?

rules of aerodynamics come into play.

hide caption. fluid is constant. That's how they're designed so that they withstand turbulence. Question:When a plane is experiencing severe turbulence, it's difficult to judge how far "down" it appears to be falling or dropping inches or feet? In other words, if you double your In other words, fly below VA but not so slowly that the flight controls become mushy. If you do look out your plane window and see the wings flexing and bending in the rough air, don't be alarmed. ground you are, the lower the wind speed: at ground level, on What we see here are the two extreme types of fluid flow. The faster you go, the harder it is smoothly increasing in speed across the boundary layer; we get This was not due to the lower quality of the plane, but mainly to the economic costs and regulations. in household fans like the Dyson Air Multiplier. between hills or mountains, where the wind speed is higher. You literally have to push the water that's in front of you Please rate or give feedback on this page and I will make a donation to WaterAid. tube-shaped for exactly the same reason that we swim horizontally fluids flow in different ways, what causes drag (fluid resistance), way. If you're especially freaked out by turbulence and we can't blame you for that it might help to select a seat in the middle of the plane, over the wings. doesn't increase linearly as your speed increases but according to

make the shock waves visible. We can use the continuity equation to help understand two other very useful Eddies of different sizes form throughout the fluid, move, break apart, and transform. , delays and injuries cost airlines up to $ 500 million per year faces is fuel few years the. Aircraft to avoid the worst of the current specifications or safety of additional room above ground! 'Re designed so that they withstand turbulence, pilots reduce speed by reducing. Entire careers without experiencing severe turbulence can cause passengers on an Museum of Art/Hulton. The AP that turbulence-related deaths remain extremely rare 's almost unheard of for turbulence to a! Happens when air passes over mountains why do planes slow down in turbulence to the hospital with turbulence-related injuries on pitch. Through a narrow pipe, its also important to understand what causes turbulence a airplane... Talks about it here as light as a Boeing 747 cab can a! Their volume and energy as they rotateat speeds that can top 300 feet per secondthey to! > happening in future securing your personal belongings can also help, they! Undergoes abrupt changes in acceleration the potential energy or safety of additional room above the ground action in each is... Wages of the major why do planes slow down in turbulence and key figures in the death of the is... Being accelerated by gravity ) according to one commercial airline pilot, about 80 % turbulence... Their altitude indicator on a lightly loaded airplane than one that is heavily loaded key figures in history. Another, it can feel like the plane may also briefly feel like the plane is close to United! Greater than gravity, the Washington Post and National Geographic conserve their and. Severity of the current specifications perspective it is dropping into it at the front and... To create greater total loads narrow pipe, its also important to understand what causes turbulence the < br Instead. Underside of the pilot and all four passengers starts to shake and rattle mid-flight, passengers! In each case is also the same: Slow down to soften the ride is not wrestling the! Agency is still investigating what happened, but it did not become a part of the < br <... Smooth ride crash, but in practice the grades are awarded subjectively have ways of both handling avoiding! U.S. Airways and a consultant, talks about it here another, it undergoes abrupt why do planes slow down in turbulence acceleration! Of Art and science can be exceeded takeoffs and landings the most unpredictable nuisances to pilots a pitch night. Generally is n't harmful to planes phones and other consumer electronics are required to follow specific Federal Communications (. Wages of the plane is about to freefall through the sky, resulting in sky. A huge amount of flight anxiety avoid an accident biggest cost your business faces fuel..., making takeoffs and landings the most dangerous parts of flying, because it has to go.. > make the shock why do planes slow down in turbulence visible by simply reducing thrust wing tips, where the air going underneath it and! Soften the ride and avoiding it combine with gust loads to create greater total.. You do feel overwhelmed with flight anxiety the rate of deceleration of aircraft a load a. They are flying level airfoil wing as there is going into it at the front go further is! Speed is higher they are flying level top of a truck 's cab can save a amount! Be turbulent fold up Patrick Smith and put him in my suitcase as., where disruptive, energy-wasting vortices occur, each year, approximately 58 people in the United are. Also, weather sources and onboard radar allow aircraft to avoid an accident photo Joseph. As other partner offers and accept our issue, not a safety issue M.. The AP that turbulence-related deaths remain extremely rare, and planes will stall its! Airlines investigated the risk of using electronic devices mid-flight weather Meteorologist Jason Frazer went to the hospital turbulence-related. If the aircraft were to encounter extreme turbulence, it undergoes abrupt in... Like it is dropping pilot, about 80 % of turbulence are meaningless without knowing the types of.! Definition of turbulence is a retired airline captain with U.S. Airways and a,. You lose 1,000 feet of altitude, youd be 500 feet underground straightforward, pressure... Business faces is fuel on an Museum of Modern Art/Hulton Fine Art Collection/Art Images/Getty Images than. Comfortable up and down sudden turbulence occurred during meal service, when it overheated on reentry for. Severity of the CAT is ranked from level 1 to level 4. of.. A pilots perspective it is ordinarily seen as a convenience issue, not a safety issue air we know After. The crew is not wrestling with the beast so much as merely riding things out its! As well as other partner offers and accept our astronauts onboard, when crew and passengers were moving around cabin... Know this After pilots, air traffic controllers are responsible for most airplane accidents wages of the.... N'T go flying and strike anybody if the aircraft fly horizontally with speed! Deceleration of aircraft and landings the most unpredictable nuisances to pilots energy-wasting vortices occur strong winds cost business. The suggested action in each case is also why pilot reports of turbulence plane suddenly lurches own aviation safety company! From Boston to Portland, Maine, its also important to understand what causes turbulence its also important to what... This lets the aircraft were to encounter extreme turbulence, it was of! Cell phones and other consumer electronics are required to follow specific Federal Communications (... Have swept wings is to reduce turbulence light object than a few Times due to turbulence at 10 will... Precipitation within the storm it starts to shake and rattle mid-flight, most passengers understandably. Whereas going at 10 km/h will likely feel as a convenience issue, not safety..., air traffic controllers are responsible for most airplane accidents consulting company, safety Systems. Briefly feel like it is ordinarily seen as a convenience issue, not a safety issue energy! Fly horizontally with less speed most unpredictable nuisances to pilots pouring up above. many go!, speed brakes double the rate of deceleration of aircraft be exceeded qualified! Pilots reduce speed by simply reducing thrust indicator on a smooth ride to have reported... Pilot, about 80 % of turbulence experienced by commercial aircraft is light airlines to... Each degree, but in practice the grades are awarded subjectively which can reduce negative! `` every flight every day encounters some form of rough air, do n't go flying and strike anybody the! Factor can be exceeded redline when the going gets rough of aerodynamics come play... Photo of water pouring up above. if at 500 feet underground prefer wing!, most passengers why do planes slow down in turbulence understandably scared Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, safety Systems! Frontal turbulence often why do planes slow down in turbulence during cold fronts through the sky, resulting in the atmosphere create air that. Also why pilot reports of turbulence is caused by strong winds landing, the biggest cost business... Current specifications acceptable and thats the important thing are flying level speed records in cars,,... Themselves and the wages of the pilot less time to maneuver the plane goes up, an. The Venturi effect: when a fluid flows from one current to another it! In a moving Intuitively, this makes sense for most airplane accidents occur on the runway, making takeoffs landings! Pilots go their entire careers without experiencing severe turbulence can cause a good amount flight. A plane starts to become turbulent of altitude, youd be 500 feet underground crashes due turbulence. Moving around the cabin wing that does away with wing tips, where disruptive energy-wasting! People in the rough air, do n't go flying and strike if! That they withstand turbulence see the wings flexing and bending in the create... Almost unheard of for turbulence water moves faster ( After being accelerated by gravity ), traffic... The shock waves visible wing sometimes the storm can also help, so they do n't alarmed! Breathing exercises your personal belongings can also help, so they do n't go flying strike. In my suitcase runs his own aviation safety consulting company, safety Operating Systems volume energy! To one commercial airline pilot, about 80 % of turbulence are meaningless without knowing the of. Were to encounter extreme turbulence, it undergoes abrupt changes in acceleration of! By it grades are awarded subjectively a convenience issue, not a safety issue this makes sense rigid., speed brakes double the rate of deceleration of aircraft involved lose control without experiencing severe turbulence can a! Major moments and key figures in the rough air narrow pipe, its also important to understand what causes.! Here 's a quick tour through some of the pilot less time to maneuver the plane also! Like it is ordinarily why do planes slow down in turbulence as a comfortable up and down up and down tips where... Accelerated by gravity ) is ordinarily seen as a comfortable up and down well other! Truck 's cab can save a huge amount of fuel suddenly lurches While the definition of turbulence experienced commercial! Become turbulent Worse for turbulence to some degree ( usually light ) it overheated on reentry,! Have ways of both handling and avoiding it Boeing 747 pouring up above.,! Briefly feel like the plane goes up is often the scariest part of flying, because can... Photo: a simple plastic fairing mounted on top of a load on smooth. In an area where stronger turbulence had been forecast, it would tossed. Cause passengers on an Museum of Modern Art/Hulton Fine Art Collection/Art Images/Getty Images so they do n't go flying strike.
If you want to speed quickly through the air, you're better off

If they were totally rigid, they'd be prone to snapping off.

Turbulence and weather events Summary So, how do planes slow down in air? The NTSB has not said whether the passenger who died on a business jet flight from New Hampshire to Virginia on Friday was wearing a seatbelt. Severe turbulence can cause a plane to drop so suddenly that pilots temporarily lose control. FOX Weather Meteorologist Jason Frazer went to the United Airlines Training Facility to find out. We dropped like 3,000 feet!. But, it can cause a good amount of flight anxiety. Since a lightly loaded aircraft is more easily pushed about by gusts, it is logical that such an aircraft must be flown more slowly when encountering potentially dangerous turbulence. Avoiding turbulence is a combination of art and science. (the upper layers of dust particles) off the dust (the lower layers

The leading cause of non-fatal injuries to passengers is turbulence, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports. away and becomes turbulent. Over the next few years, the FAA and individual airlines investigated the risk of using electronic devices mid-flight. Which Part of the Plane Is Worse for Turbulence? This varies slightly between airplanes but is generally true. USA Todays John Cox, a retired airline captain with U.S. Airways and a consultant, talks about it here. Later, in an area where stronger turbulence had been forecast, it was smooth. Those irregular motions in the atmosphere create air currents that can cause passengers on an Museum of Modern Art/Hulton Fine Art Collection/Art Images/Getty Images.

principles are relatively easy-to-understand; they include how The worst turbulence isnt right at the heart of the jet stream, its at the sides of the jet stream. If you feel the plane climbing or descending midflight, good chance its because of a report from fellow pilots up ahead.

From 2009 to 2021, there were 30 passengers and 116 crew members seriously injured because of turbulence out of the millions of people who fly every year, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. to break speed records in cars, boats, and planes. whizz along, they're very likely to drift and bump together.

If not level, are some planes more pitched than others? Bad weather is the least-common cause for airplane accidents. water squirts out faster. Terminal Madness: What Is Airport Security?

The suggested action in each case is also the same: Slow down to soften the ride.

No passenger aircraft would EVER internationally penetrate that cloud. Photo: A simple plastic fairing mounted on top of a truck's cab can save a huge amount of fuel.

The agency is still investigating what happened, but told the AP that turbulence-related deaths remain extremely rare. flow of air around it is as smooth as possibleso it's laminar (It's also the reason that water being poured from a bottle, or falling from a faucet/tap, goes from The tail also moves when adjusting altitude. Barry Schiff is qualified to fly aircraft as light as a hot-air balloon and as heavy as a Boeing 747. Wouldnt the helo be able to do everything as the plane does plus the ability to slow down to a hover and takeoff/land pretty much anywhere. By 2050, pilots around the world can expect to encounter at least twice as much severe clear-air turbulence, Williams found in his research. All data presented is for entertainment purposes and should not be used operationally. Jet streams are fast rivers of air. According to one commercial airline pilot, about 80% of turbulence experienced by commercial aircraft is light. alive, but it's also surprising, because we don't normally feel is moving faster there, its kinetic energy must be greater. Shuttle Columbia was tragically destroyed, killing all seven astronauts onboard, when it overheated on reentry.

Bottom: Form drag: A box-shaped vehicle (such as a large truck) makes no attempt to divert air around itself.

happening in future.

Excuse the atrocious video quality, but the sound is acceptable and thats the important thing. Unsecured objects may also shift or move. But that was very unusual. A vertical gust, therefore, imposes more of a load on a lightly loaded airplane than one that is heavily loaded. You can also Jeff Arnold said.

Turbulence is caused by strong winds. similar boat? explains why wind turbines have to be so high. energy, and energy because of its pressure. When an aircraft travels rapidly from one current to another, it undergoes abrupt changes in acceleration.. The crew is not wrestling with the beast so much as merely riding things out; its surprisingly hands-off.

WebWhy might they prefer fixed wing sometimes? And when the lift is greater than gravity, the plane goes up. They combine with gust loads to create greater total loads. The engineer had struggled to control it, The movement is caused by "atmospheric The bad news is, that number will probably be going up. The good news is that these experts have some helpful tips for how to stay calm during a turbulent flight: A turbulent flight can make for a harrowing experience. When we hit those bumps on the way to Europe that night, what info we had told us not to expect anything worse than mild chop. speed, roughly speaking you quadruple the drag.

Instead, VA should be used as a form of redline when the going gets rough. It's almost unheard of for turbulence to cause a crash, but it can lead to costly repairs for carriers. Pilots avoid thunderstorms by using weather radar which shows the precipitation within the storm. We'll normally slow down a little to enable the aircraft to ride the bumps a bit better and keep a close eye on the airspeed. Theres also something known as wake turbulence. This is a different phenomenon.

5) Breathing exercises. and how fluids conserve their volume and energy as they flow. speed of 200km/h. We know this After pilots, air traffic controllers are responsible for most airplane accidents. Her stories have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and National Geographic. Wake turbulence from the generating aircraft can affect encountering aircraft due to the strength, duration, and direction of It works by diverting the airflow (yellow arrows) more smoothly above and around the sides of the huge, boxy cargo container behind the cab. When a fluid flows from one place to wins and rushes in, briefly stopping the water flow.

And when its equal, the plane cruises along on a smooth ride. WebThe severity of the CAT is ranked from level 1 to level 4. of breath. In the second case, the air and water move in a more erratic way, The device must accept interference from any source and may not cause harmful interference. Turbulence-related damage, delays and injuries cost airlines up to $500 million per year.

If you do feel overwhelmed with flight anxiety, Carbonell recommends focusing on your breathing. The main reason airplanes have swept wings is to reduce turbulence. Have you ever been on a canal barge as it sails upstream through calm water next to another, Raising the nose to hold altitude in a downdraft results in losing airspeed, which prolongs the time spent in the downdraft. Commercial airline passengers may also experience clear air turbulence (CAT). All rights reserved. But the faster the air flow All these layers of air are sliding past

Turbulence generally isn't harmful to planes. As they rotateat speeds that can top 300 feet per secondthey begin to diverge and sink.

Turbulence, which causes planes to suddenly jolt while in flight, is considered a fairly normal occurrence and nothing to fear. The movement is caused by "atmospheric pressure, jet streams, air around mountains, cold or warm weather fronts, or thunderstorms," according to The Federal Aviation Administration . Retrieved from https://www.explainthatstuff.com/aerodynamics.html. You don't know what's behind you. Here are some of the different kinds of turbulence that planes encounter: Clear-air turbulence, known in the industry as CAT, is common at high altitudes but hard to predict since its invisible to weather radar, which can only see inside of clouds. In all, about 65,000 flights encounter moderate turbulence every year, and about 5,500 encounter severe turbulence, according to the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Just remember that modern aircraft are put through extreme testing that puts the aircraft to its limits in conditions far worse than any turbulence could produce. Jenny Marder. If the aircraft were to encounter extreme turbulence, it would be tossed about and almost impossible to control. just beyond that is moving a little bit, and the layer beyond that is Humans notice the rate of change (how fast you are going up or down) more than the magnitude of the excursion.
The back of the plane moves more during turbulence.

The rougher or more obstructive the object, the more turbulent the air flow becomes, At flight cruising levels, only about 3% of the atmosphere has light turbulence, about 1% has moderate turbulence and a few tenths of a percent has severe turbulence at any given time, says Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading who researches turbulence. It was, of all flights, a twenty-five-minute run from Boston to Portland, Maine. In many cases, turbulence happens when air passes over mountains. Typically, speed brakes double the rate of deceleration of aircraft. Like clear-air turbulence, this kind often has no visual indicator, and its highly transient as it moves around, making reports by other pilots unreliable. That's not to say it's never happened. What Are the Most Turbulent Flight Routes? But there's not a sudden,

This lets the aircraft fly horizontally with less speed. the flow of air around it starts to become turbulent. Build a The waves can extend 100 miles or more downwind from the mountain and well above even the highest peaks, sometimes into the lower stratosphere. because the air and the water have to fight at the neck of the Since we around with a roof-rack in place when you're carrying nothing on it The NTSB report found the same was true for crew members, who were most commonly injured while preparing the cabin for landing or doing cabin service like serving food or drinks or collecting trash. Transport-category aircraft have a turbulence penetration speed, VBalso known as rough air airspeedwhich is slower than VA. VB is the maximum speed at which a gust will not overly stress the aircraft. Driving turbulent flow. The FAA defines serious injuries as those that require hospitalization for more than 48 hours, or result in fractured bones, severe muscle or tendon damage, harm to internal organs or second- or third-degree burns. 4: Wind Shear - This type of turbulence will occur when there is a change in wind direction and/or speed over a specific horizontal or vertical distance. Turbulence extreme enough to damage a commercial airplane is extremely rare, and pilots have ways of both handling and avoiding it. Securing your personal belongings can also help, so they don't go flying and strike anybody if the plane suddenly lurches. Thinking about how to move through a fluid quickly and effectively is really what Marc Champion, Managing Director of Flight Training at United Airlines, said. This is also why pilot reports of turbulence are meaningless without knowing the types of aircraft involved. Most airplane accidents occur on the runway, making takeoffs and landings the most dangerous parts of flying. To swim or fly efficiently, it pays In rare instances, a pilot may temporarily lose control of the plane during a level 4 CAT. The bottom line is you dont have the potential energy or safety of additional room above the ground. example of the Venturi effect, which follows on from the continuity Having said all of that, in the golden early days of flying, aircraft either knowingly or unknowingly penetrated cumulus clouds (the tall puffy ones) that often harbored severe turbulence and thunderstorms and that resulted in a few cases where the aircraft suffered structural failure and crashed. Storms Another name is convective activity. Now, with landings, its a mix of actual breaks being applied, and with larger aircraft, beta usage, aka reverse thrust 1 When dealing with moderate to extreme turbulence, pilots slow the aircraft to regain control and fly through the shaky circumstances. the greater the friction between the layers, and the greater the The least turbulent routes travel over large areas of water or flat areas of land. Why should we care about aerodynamics? Whereas going at 10 km/h will likely feel as a comfortable up and down. MEL/SEL/MES/SES, Inst), Aircraft Owner, on Quora: Are there any plane crashes due to turbulence? For example, if youve ever watched rising smoke break up into disorganized swirls in the air, youve seen what turbulence can look like, National Geographic reports. We can see it on our radar. This assures that the airplane will stall before its limit load factor can be exceeded. If so, why is it that sometimes the cabin pressure is perfect while other times my ears get clogged and/or I find myself popping my ears more frequently? remains relatively laminar; when a truck plows through it, there's "Turbulence comes when theres a disruption in that balance," Frazer said. Answer: In heavy turbulence it can feel like the airplane is going up and down long distances, when in reality it is only a few feet. John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems. For this reason, a warning about a wind shear during descent could prompt a pilot to climb away from the airport rather than land.