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Can turbulence be detected?
Detection. Clear-air turbulence is usually impossible to detect with the naked eye and very difficult to detect with a conventional radar, with the result that it is difficult for aircraft pilots to detect and avoid it.
How do you identify severe turbulence?
Severe turbulence causes large and abrupt changes in altitude and/or attitude and, usually, large variations in indicated airspeed. The airplane may momentarily be out of control. Occupants of the airplane will be forced violently against their seat belts.
Are flight attendants scared of turbulence?
Let’s face it: No one wants to see a scared flight attendant. So what turns Heather Poole, flight attendant and author of Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet, into a nervous flyer? “Turbulence doesn’t scare me, but unruly passengers do,” she admits.
How far does a plane drop in turbulence?
Very rarely, turbulence can cause a change of a few hundred feet, but most times it is less than 100 feet.
Can turbulence cause a plane to crash?
However, even though turbulence isn’t the primary reason for a plane crash, it can still contribute to accidents. The risk of injury due to turbulence is being thrown out of the cabin due to not wearing the seatbelts. Even these accidents are more prone to small aircraft.
What should a pilot know about flying through turbulence?
distance from the obstruction. A pilot flying through such turbulence should anticipate the bumpy and unsteady flight that may be encountered. This turbulence—the intensity of which depends upon the size of the obstacle and the velocity of the wind—can present a serious hazard during takeoffs
When to fly above or below VA in turbulence?
This is because airspeed can fluctuate wildly in turbulence and could be above VA just as a particularly punishing gust assaults the aircraft. Instead, VA should be used as a form of redline when the going gets rough. In other words, fly below VA but not so slowly that the flight controls become mushy.
What do you call turbulence with altitude deviations?
With altitude deviations we’ll call it “turbulence”. Within these broad categories we’ll qualify them with “light”, “moderate”, “severe” and “extreme” in reports to ATC and other aircraft. These reports do suffer from a fair bit of subjectivity with respect to aircraft type (wing stiffness) and pilot experience.
Is it normal for passengers to be nervous about turbulence?
It is not unusual for passengers to be nervous about turbulence. I usually try to allay their anxiety by explaining that turbulence is much like motor-boating on a choppy lake or driving along a bumpy road. It might be annoying or uncomfortable, I tell them, but it is nothing to fear.