What does turbulence mean? Everything you wanted to know about turbulence: the pilot tells us. Can a plane crash during turbulence?
It's hard to stay calm when the plane you're flying in starts to shake. This happens when the airliner encounters turbulence. What is this and why is this phenomenon dangerous for the plane and passengers and how to behave correctly during “turbulence” - we will answer the most common questions about turbulence.
Turbulence phenomenon
First, let's figure out what turbulence is. These are vibrations of the aircraft that are caused by vortex wind flows. The fact is that the air is in a state of constant change - temperature, pressure, wind speed and direction. As a result, the density of the air layers changes, and peculiar vortices are formed at their joints. When an airplane enters such a zone, it begins to shake.
Turbulence can occur when certain types of clouds pass through, such as cumulus and thunderstorms. Due to large gusts of wind, the plane begins to “chatter”. As a rule, such zones are visible on locators, and airliners try to avoid them. But the movements of the clouds cannot always be predicted, then the pilots switch to manual control mode and leave the danger zone.
Turbulence zones can occur not only in thunderstorms, but also in clear weather in clear skies. As a rule, they occur at altitudes above five kilometers and are most often located in mountainous areas.
Quite often, airliners encountering this phenomenon are gaining altitude or landing. Everything is complicated by the fact that the plane cannot change flight level (that is, the air route). However, there are instructions and standards for such cases. The pilot may make a missed approach or select an alternative airport for landing if unfavorable conditions occur.
What to do in case of turbulence?
Here all the actions are simple and clear. First, don't unfasten your seat belt unless necessary during a flight. If you are not wearing a seat belt, do so as soon as you hear the flight attendant's command. At the same time, the “Fasten seat belts” light on the display lights up. Put away gadgets, they may fall out of your hands and break.
If the door of the luggage compartment located above your seat suddenly opens, cover your head with your hands. But under no circumstances should you unfasten or stand up in an attempt to close it.
When shaking, try to relax. Breathe deeply and evenly, concentrate on inhaling and exhaling, such actions will help you calm down and prevent panic. And don’t rush to unfasten immediately after the shaking ends. Wait for the crew's permission.
Why is turbulence dangerous for passengers?
Why have we emphasized seat belts several times? Because injury is the most common danger for passengers during a bumpy car. If you do not have time to take your seat or neglect safety rules, you may fall, hit your head and get seriously injured, or break an arm or leg.
There have also been situations when, at such moments, things from the hand luggage compartment fell on travelers’ heads. There was a recorded case where a suitcase caused a passenger's neck to be broken. That's why airlines set weight limits for carry-on luggage, and flight attendants carefully check all compartments before takeoff.
Turbulence and panic, which can quickly spread throughout the cabin, are dangerous. In an attack of uncontrollable fear, some passengers may behave inappropriately, and someone may have a heart attack. This is where breathing exercises will help.
Can a plane crash due to turbulence?
And finally, to dispel any final doubts, let’s figure out whether the plane can fall due to turbulence. The answer to this question is no, only turbulence cannot lead to a plane crash. Airplanes are designed to withstand extreme loads. During testing, all its parts are tested for strength. So it will not roll over or fall apart even in strong gusts of wind. And statistics confirm this. In the history of aviation, only one sad incident was recorded - in the 60s in Japan. But the real reason was a pilot error - he himself turned off the planned route and headed towards danger zone.
Of course, even the strongest aircraft has a breaking point. A strong wind can dislodge an aircraft during takeoff or landing. But there are safety standards for these cases too. And if there is any threat, the plane will simply not be given the command to take off. If complex weather are observed at the landing airport, the plane will depart to another airfield.
We hope we have convinced you that there is nothing scary about the phenomenon of turbulence. The main thing is not to simply unfasten your seat belts, and when shaking, strictly follow the instructions of the crew.
Such times are not planned in advance, they can be assumed, but you cannot always guess at what specific moment and in the flow of what force your aircraft will land. Warning signs along the way may well be overlooked, and who knows why. Perhaps the matter is a lack of awareness, or maybe the department of distributing karmic lessons has come up with a new plan, and he decided to surprise you with an unexpected change in flight direction. In any case, keep in mind that one day you may wake up in your seat from the feeling that some force is shaking your aircraft with incredible zeal. Some are supposed to wake up from this shaking, while others are supposed to continue their flight in a state of deep sleep.
Turbulence can overtake us both at the controls of an airplane and in the depths of the cabin in the passenger seat. In the first case, the smoothness of the flight can be relatively adjusted with the help of our actions, in the second, all that remains is to fasten your seat belts, listen to the instructions of the captain and aircraft conductors and, if possible, remain calm.
Flying in conditions of a high degree of uncertainty is not an easy task, it requires endurance and is a good test of mental stability and trust in life. The outcome of the flight partly depends on the skill of the crew, but sometimes it is impossible to control this process even half (and can we control at least something external in our lives? You can only control yourself, and even then you can’t always cope with it like that, as it should be). What can you do if the aircraft in your life gets into turbulence?
Firstly, we are working to accept the fact itself the inevitability of flight in turbulent conditions. Already happened. Already happened. Does anything depend on you now? If yes, then do what depends on you, do it in the best possible way, and then try to observe with maximum attention what is happening inside you. In the midst of raging air currents, it's time to learn to monitor your own reactions to the circumstances that life offers you. Get ready to meet a new or new you, stand still and observe. Most likely, you will have to fall out of your usual way of life for some time.
Secondly, learning trust life and space around us. The problem with flying in difficult conditions is that you almost never know how long you'll be stuck there or not. Who knows how long your journey will be in this very zone of turbulence? Perhaps it will last several minutes or hours, or maybe until the end of the flight it will shake so much that mom, don’t worry. Enjoy the flight, trust life, what it is, that is.
Third, remember that We are not the first, we are not the last. They flew before us, they fly with us, and they will fly for a long time after.
I can say that no matter what is ahead, turbulence zones are the best thing that can happen to you. After exiting each of them, you move on to a new stage with a good fireproof amount, as in the games from the “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” series. BUT! A transition to a new level is possible only when serious internal work has been done; if you want to deviate from the route to get out of this unpleasant state, then rest assured that a new zone of turbulence will overtake you very soon, there is nowhere to hide from them
What you need to do when everyone and everything around you is shaking strongly is to completely immerse yourself, observe the fears and emotions that emerge from the very depths, and try very hard to find a source of peace within yourself. It is clear that the task is not easy, especially when you are in the company of highly anxious people, it is difficult when you first find yourself in trouble of this degree of complexity, it is very scary if all the usual methods of self-soothing have already been tried, and external circumstances do not change, but why not test your creativity? thinking?) You have to occupy yourself with something interesting or especially important. For example, to be afraid, to be afraid, and then to be afraid, to be upset, to be upset, and then to get tired of it, to wait, to wait, and then let everything go, to doubt, to doubt, and then to trust what is
The source of peace is within, the source of light is within, peace and harmony are also within.. Everyone is already here! And turbulence zones are an excellent opportunity to evaluate the stability of the internal system to external influences, as well as its flexibility and adaptability to the rapidly changing circumstances of the surrounding world. Oh how!
Turbulence or so-called bumpiness on an airplane causes terrible fear even among many passengers. If you think that you are the only one who is afraid of turbulence, then you are about to be disappointed. Millions of people around the world are scared to death of this phenomenon. Quite natural, by the way.
Is turbulence dangerous for an airplane? Not really. Throughout the history of the world, civil aviation, and this is already 110 years, there has not been a single case that would have been caused only by turbulence. But let's first understand what turbulence on an airplane is and why it is dangerous.
To do this, you will have to turn to chemistry and physics. So, the air itself is not homogeneous. Most of all, it looks like a Napoleon cake, no matter how paradoxical it may be.
It consists of layers, each of which has its own chemical and physical properties. At the junctions of these layers, vortices are formed. Flying through them, the plane begins to shake.
Besides, these layers are constantly modified due to temperature, pressure, wind direction and speed. Passing through them, it begins to vibrate.
Cumulus and thunderstorm clouds can be dangerous. The plane itself will not fly there. He will try to get around them, as he is waiting for very strong shaking due to increased wind speed.
Air is to an airplane what an asphalt road is to a car. And the turbulence is like bumps on this road. If we take another comparison, it is worth remembering the sea.
Sometimes the sea is calm and quiet, but sometimes there is a storm and, as a result, strong waves. At the same time, the ship continues to safely go its way. The same thing happens with an airplane.
The plane will never fly into the zone of cumulus and thunderclouds.
Moreover, specialists who design aircraft are aware of this phenomenon. They take it into account and test it before sending it into operation. The aircraft is capable of withstanding very strong loads - winds of up to 30 m/s or more.
The plane flies on autopilot, and pilots also receive an additional weather report before the flight. So the path is laid in such a way as to avoid possible cumulus and thunderstorm clouds.
So can a plane crash due to turbulence? Of course no. To become more familiar with this phenomenon, watch the video of severe turbulence on an airplane at the end of this article.
Why is turbulence dangerous for passengers?
When turbulence begins, the plane begins to shake. Shaking may cause the hand luggage compartments on top to open. If there are heavy bags or objects lying there, they may simply fall on top of the passenger's head.
The consequences of severe turbulence inside an aircraft.
There are cases where a suitcase falling from above broke a person’s neck.
Another danger is that if for some reason you did not have time to buckle up or went to the toilet, despite the warnings of the flight attendants, then you may fall and hit your head on something. It can be fatal.
Besides, a panic attack may occur. The point here is that our vestibular apparatus perceives small rolls and decreases in altitude as an airplane falling and flipping around its axis. Hence the uncontrollable fear that some find difficult to contain.
What to do in case of turbulence?
Firstly, do not ignore the safety precautions and warnings of flight attendants. No matter how much you want to go to the toilet, it is better to wait out the turbulence zone and only then go out there.
Turbulence is one of the causes of aerophobia.
Fasten your seat belt and try not to be nervous.
Secondly, If you see the hand luggage compartments starting to open, cover your head, but do not leave your seat to close them.
If you are having a panic attack, try to breathe deeply and evenly. Breathing exercises will help you normalize your increasing heartbeat and calm down a little.
25.04.2018 , 06:23 38598
Passengers are often frightened when the plane begins to shake, from side to side, or toss up and down, while alarmingly “flapping its wings.” In the language of pilots this is “bumpiness”, in a more scientific language it is turbulence. What is it? Is she dangerous? How to behave during turbulence? Let's try to figure it out.
What is turbulence
The atmosphere constantly experiences changes in pressure, temperature, wind direction and speed. For this reason, air masses become heterogeneous in composition and density. When an airplane passes through them at high speed, an unpleasant vibration occurs. It can be compared to a car driving on a bumpy road.
Sometimes this phenomenon occurs in clear skies or with a small number of upper clouds, it is called turbulence clear skies. A distinctive characteristic is the absence of obvious signs of turbulence. For this reason, it is not easy to detect in advance, not only visually, but even using radar.
But most often, turbulence occurs in cloudy conditions, while the aircraft is moving through the sea and mountains. And it is easy to predict. Pilots warn in advance about upcoming vibrations, advising passengers to take their seats and fasten their seat belts. All instructions must be followed carefully as severe shaking may result in serious injury.
What is the difference between an air pocket and turbulence?
For passengers, if the plane shakes, it means turbulence, but for pilots there are different concepts: an air pocket and turbulence. What is their difference? Turbulence occurs when the speed of gas flow increases and waves spontaneously form. Air pockets are considered to be pressure differences at which the aircraft enters a downward flow of air, forcing it to reduce its vertical rate of ascent. In this case, the downward flow of air is followed by an upward flow of air and everything repeats. About how deep you can fall into an airplane air pocket, .
Is turbulence common?
Permanent. But, as a rule, the turbulence is so weak that passengers do not particularly notice it. Severe turbulence occurs much less frequently.
Can a plane break up and fall due to turbulence?
The design of modern aircraft can withstand even the strongest gusts of wind. In this case, the body and all parts aircraft will remain intact.
Although, theoretically, such a danger could exist, since each design has its own power limit, and the strongest wind during landing and takeoff can hit the plane on the ground. Special standards have been developed according to which the pilot will have to leave for an alternate airfield so as not to put passengers at risk.
How does turbulence affect passengers?
The phenomenon of turbulence is safe for passengers, although unpleasant, i.e. it only affects comfort. However, to avoid injury, when forecasting a turbulence zone important: follow all instructions from the flight attendants, observe flight safety rules and remain calm. Otherwise, this can lead to dire consequences; an example is the incident that occurred in May 2017. Flight SU-270 flying from Moscow to Bangkok operated by Aeroflot airlines encountered clear-sky turbulence. Many passengers neglected flight safety rules; they were not wearing seat belts, children were on their parents' laps, as a result of which 27 people received injuries of varying severity, several people were hospitalized. Can the risk of injury due to turbulence be reduced?
Yes you can. For this:
- Fasten your seat belts.
- Remain buckled throughout the entire flight.
- Place hand luggage on a special luggage rack and close it. Otherwise, the dropped suitcase may hit someone.
- Do not hold children on your lap under any circumstances - it will be impossible to hold the child during a sudden jerk.
- Listen carefully to crew warnings and instructions.
In case of turbulence, it is important to: stay in your place, do not panic and listen to the recommendations of the crew. The above tips should be followed.
How not to be afraid of turbulence?
It happens that fear of turbulence on an airplane becomes the reason for refusing air travel. However, before you give in to your phobia, perhaps the best solution is to get rid of it and enjoy flying in the future. Psychologists recommend to everyone who is afraid of the turbulence zone:
- Find out for yourself what turbulence is and how dangerous it is for an airplane.
- Find out how to behave if the plane is in a turbulence zone.
- Communicate with friends, relatives or air travelers on forums who had to experience turbulence.
- If necessary, find a way for yourself that will give you confidence during aircraft vibrations. It could be a song, a melody, a memory, a prayer.
- Make your first flights with loved ones or relatives. Great option will be flying with a person who travels frequently by plane.
- If you have a strong fear of flying, consult an experienced psychotherapist in advance.