As the summer is pretty much upon us now, it is a good time to discuss a certain form of turbulence that will be common over the next few months. Often you will experience turbulence just after take-off and/or before landing despite it being a clear sunny day, with no clouds. So, why? What causes this ‘bumpy air’?

When the above happens, you are most likely experiencing what is usually called ‘convective turbulence’. As shown in the simple diagram on the left, the sun heats the earth’s surface  leading to the air at lower altitudes to rise (warm air rises as I’m sure you already knew).

As the air rises above a certain level it cools down and begins to fall again. As a result, the air at lower altitudes is moving in different directions which leads to turbulence.

Normally, convective turbulence only causes mild ‘bumps’ but in particularly hot conditions can increase the level of turbulence to a more moderate level.

What’s important to remember is that regardless of the severity of the turbulence, it poses no danger to the aircraft whatsoever. Convective turbulence is a 100% natural activity that has always – and always will – existed. Pilots do not struggle to control the aircraft when flying through it, regardless of popular belief that they do.

You are most likely to experience this during the middle of the afternoon when the sun is at it’s most powerful. Next time you experience this type of turbulence remember this article and hopefully you will feel a little calmer and forget about the bumps and concentrate on getting off the plane and stepping out into the hot weather that is causing the plane to ‘bump around’!

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I receive many emails from readers regarding the fear of flying. Many of them follow the same theme though, and this one that I received yesterday is relatively typical. I thought it would be helpful to post the email and my response here for all to see. Obviously names are left out.

I think your website is absolutely brilliant and just upon reading it, I’m starting to feel a little better about flying generally.

I am originally from Australia and I came to the U.S. three weeks ago on vacation. On the flight over here, we experienced sudden turbulence where I think the flight lost quite a bit altitude. The captains just told us to put our seat belts on but we didn’t get any further words from him. The movement was so rapid that people in the flight actually yelped (some shouted). As someone who already has a fear of flying, this has caused me a great deal of tension.

At the end of the flight, we talked to the captain who said that it was nothing to worry about and that the turbulence occurred because they just hit a cloud that they didn’t foresee. Is this generally anything to worry about? I have a 20 hour flight back to Sydney in two days and am tensing up just thinking about it. Would it be wise to take sleeping pills on the plane to calm myself down so that I don’t notice anything or is that a dangerous thing to do (in the event that something happens to the plane)?

Your website is fantastic and your time and efforts in writing this for passengers like myself is very much appreciated. I must also tell you that I have always respected the hardwork that is done by cabin crew on any flight. It can’t possibly be easy to manage so many responsibilities and yet it is done in a way that seems so effortless.

Thankyou so much! Please keep this website going. If (and only if) you have time, it would be great to hear from you within the next day or so – my flight is in two days!!!

Kind regards,

Flying Fear Reader

Here is my reply. As you know I am not a pilot, so I only have limited technical knowledge…..

Firstly, thank you for your kind comments. Feedback like that makes it worth my while running the site. You are in luck as I’m on a well earned day off today, so I am able to reply to you quickly.

Turbulence is a source of many passengers fear of flying. Even the most experienced flyers can be turned into a quivering wreck if things get a little bumpy. Personally, I was surprised to find out how scary it is for most people. Guess I’m just used to it.

Pilots always try and actively avoid turbulence. They don’t do this for safety reasons, but for comfort. When you’ve paid hundreds of Pounds/Dollars/Euros for a flight, the least we can offer is a comfortable, hassle free journey. Pilots who fly cargo (i.e. FedEx) will not avoid turbulence because they don’t have anyone sat in the back to worry about!

Sometimes though, it’s impossible to avoid bumpy air, and in this case a pilot will normally slow down. This has the same effect as driving slowly over speed bumps, minimizing the feeling of movement.

Most turbulence is visible on aircraft radar, but some ‘Clear Air Turbulence’ isn’t. This seems to be what you experienced on your recent flight. The Captain was correct in saying that there was absolutely NO DANGER. I can promise that he was not just saying that to make you feel better! Every now and then we can hit sudden turbulence, and that’s why we always recommend you keep your seatbelt loosely fastened throughout the flight.

Another important point to make is that the aircraft did not drop anywhere near as much as it felt it did. Even the most severe turbulence only causes a drop of a matter of inches, but it feels more due to the fact that the aircraft drops before you do leading to a sensation of falling. What you may not have noticed is the aircraft immediately moving upwards again. A falling sensation always seems more scary than an upwards movement, and therefore your mind focuses on the drop and forgets the corresponding upwards movement immediately following it.

One final point. Many fearful passengers imagine the pilot struggling to control the aircraft during turbulence. This is not the case. The autopilot will remain in control of the aircraft. In fact, modern autopilots have a special turbulence ‘mode’ that reduces the amount of corrections it makes. For example, in normal mode if the aircraft is pushed left by turbulence, the autopilot will immediately move it back towards the right. In turbulence mode however, it will not make that adjustment, as it understands that the aircraft will automatically be pushed back in that direction by the movement of air. I hope that makes sense! Turbulence mode basically helps allow a smoother journey through turbulent conditions.

Turbulence is completely natural. It has always been around, and always will be. Media reports that suggest that turbulence brings down aircraft is untrue, and unjustified. Fear sells news, and so these reports are simply selling fear. It annoys me enough to have emailed my complaints to a few journalists in my time! People that know nothing about flying, should not write about these subjects unless they are willing to do a little research first!

Sleeping pills are not recommended, but if you feel you need to take them then it’s ok. All I would say is not to take a high dose!

If you have a question you would like to ask, then please do so. I will always try to answer you as quickly as possible.

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Ok, as I have said over and over again here, turbulence is not dangerous as long as you are following the guidelines and have your seatbelt fastened.

Media reports – once again – are misleading. It is amazing to see the level to which they twist words and headlines to make the event seem more dramatic than it was.

Continental Flight 128 hit severe turbulence which has - unfortunately – caused some injuries. The reports state 26 injured passengers, although this figure will (undoubtedly) include those with minor bruises.

The important point to consider here is; why were these passengers’ not wearing seatbelts?

There are reports that state the seatbelt sign was illuminated when the plane entered the turbulence, in which case the injured passengers only have themselves to blame. The seatbelt signs are switched on for a reason – please remember that. You should not have to be told by the crew to put them on – it is your responsibility.

Headlines that read ‘Plane hits severe turbulence forcing it to divert to Miami’ are not helpful. It implies that the plane was in danger of (or already) damaged and that the safety of the aircraft was compromised. This is not true, the diversion was necessary due to the injuries sustained. Also, pictures seem to show the oxygen masks had dropped, which can happen during more severe turbulence (and hard landings). Engineers would be required to re-stow the masks before the continuation of the flight.

It is almost unbelievable that this has made worldwide news. Turbulence of this severity is rare (or at least flying through it is), but it does happen occasionally. At no point was the aircraft in danger and those passengers who were wearing seatbelts would not have sustained any serious injury. As you can see from pictures of the aircraft on the ground in Miami, there is absolutely ZERO damage to the aircraft.

Severe turbulence is often reported as being jolted around and dropping tens of feet. NOT TRUE. Even in the most severe turbulence, the aircraft barely moves a few inches in either direction. If you were flying alongside the Continental flight, you wouldn’t even notice anything out of the ordinary.

I say again; turbulence is not dangerous unless you refuse to fasten your seatbelt or are attempting to drink a hot cup of coffee.

DO NOT FOCUS ON MEDIA REPORTS ON THIS INCIDENT. ONCE AGAIN THEY ARE MISLEADING AND OVER-DRAMATISED. FEAR SELLS NEWSPAPERS.

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A person on the SOAR Message Board writes, “Can one person fly for almost twenty-nine years with no turbulence and no fear and then just freak out about it? I was first on the plane at age of 6 months and never even once up until this year worried about flying. I would fall asleep on planes.”

“Until one flight to San Francisco and back, my nerves were really on edge for some reason and they plane shook and its the first time ever I got nervous. A few months later I went with my family to Cozumel Mexico and on the way there the plane shook a bit, I cried, my arms got numb.”

“When I tell people that I never really experienced turbulence up until this year they don’t believe me. Now I am convinced that every flight I will take from now on will bump and shake. I even got nervous last week watching a plane in a movie.”

“I was supposed to go to Paris in end of November for my 30th birthday and I had to cancel. I am a freelancer and will start getting sent on the trips overseas more often and I would probably will have to say no. How sad!”

The Average Age Of Onset Is Twenty-Seven

This is not unusual at all for flight anxiety to begin at age twenty-nine. In fact, the average age of onset for fear of flying is twenty-seven. Each of us develops a limited amount of ability to regulate feelings. What we develop is developed before age three. When we don’t get enough ability to regulate feelings, we turn to control of things, reassurance from others, a way out, if things don’t go well. Having those three “security blankets” helps us deal with anxiety.

But there is another thing that seems to cause the onset in the twenties: the death of illusion. Teenagers typically believe nothing can go wrong; bad things happen only to other people. In our twenties, we begin to realize things that we thought only happen to others can happen to us, too. That changes how things look.

Then, flying is a problem because we no longer hold the illusion of safety, and we are not in control, don’t have reassurance (unless a pilot is in the next seat) and we can’t escape if things go wrong.

The answer is to build inside the emotional strength to deal with things without high anxiety. That’s where one of the advanced methods of dealing with flight anxiety comes in. What I call “The Strengthening Exercise” is used to build the emotional strength we need so we can fly almost as anxiety-free as we did back when we — naively — thought bad things can only happen to others.

The exercise works this way. The bad feelings you get when flying such as rapid heart rate, rapid breathing (or feeling you can’t get enough air), etc., come from stress hormones released by the amygdala, a sort of mini-brain that tries to sense danger, but gives us false alarms when flying. There is a hormone — oxytocin — which shuts down the amygdala. All we need to do to stop the bad feelings is to produce oxytocin before the amygdala can produce stress hormones. The Strengthening Exercises link the various moments during a flight to a memory which can cause oxytocin to be produced. It is a bit complex, but once learned and practiced for a week, feelings are controlled.

To get a clear picture of how this works, see this free video.

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When there is anxiety about the uncertain outcome of some event, we naturally seek some means of control, so that the matter works out to our benefit. When seeking control as the means of securing a good result, anything that seems to defy control can feel threatening. That seems to be a factor in fear of turbulence. It seems, to the anxious flier, that turbulence is out of control and could throw the plane out of control.

No. Turbulence is not out of control, nor can it throw an airliner out of control. Turbulence is controlled by Mother Nature. Think about the temperature of the air outside. Some days it reaches almost 100 degrees, and some days it is below freezing. But, though the temperature – like turbulence – is not controlled by you or me, it always falls within a certain range. In the U.S., it rarely goes below minus 25 or above plus 125.

Because we know the temperature falls within a certain range, and that range is limited, we have learned how to deal with all the temperatures we may encounter. The same is true of turbulence. It is never above a certain level. But I suspect an anxious flier doesn’t really understand this, and thinks it might become so great it could threaten the plane.

No way! We know the most intense turbulence can become and we build airliners with twice as much strength as is needed for the most intense turbulence possible.

So you understand WHY turbulence is limited, consider this. Turbulence – the kind you get at cruise altitude – is called Clear Air Turbulence, or CAT. It is caused when the jetstream, which is a stream of fast-moving air, scrubs alongside air that is not moving. The speed of the jetstream is limited. How? Consider what causes the jetstream: the earth’s rotation. Since the earth’s rotation is constant, the maximum speed of the jetstream is restricted to what that constant speed of rotation can produce. And, since turbulence is caused by the interaction of fast-moving air and air that is not moving fast, the amount of turbulence has to fall within a certain range, a range that is not controlled by humans, but is in fact controlled by the earth.

That certainly should help you understand that turbulence is, in a way, very much controlled, and thus is not a threat. Though this information can help you understand, it may not change the way turbulence feels. We can — indeed — change how you feel when you fly, even in turbulence, but doing so requires specialized methods. To learn how you can both know flying is safe and feel safe when you fly, see the free video I have put together to explain both the cause and the cure of flight anxiety.

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It’s time to talk more about the dreaded ‘T’ word …….. Turbulence.

The subject is fresh in my mind due to a rather large bruise on my leg that I have acquired after flying into sudden moderate turbulence yesterday. I fell into an armrest and gave myself a nice dead leg. It’s all part of the job.

My description above may sound severe, and dramatic. But it really wasn’t! Despite it being some of the worst turbulence I’ve experienced, I was never in danger.

It’s very rare that the cabin crew will sit down during turbulence. Mainly due to the fact that we experience it regularly, and have learned how to stay on our feet! We are usually busy checking that passengers are ok during this time, as we are all aware that many of you fear turbulence.

However, this particular occasion forced me to sit down for my own safety. As we patiently waited for some calm air, I put myself into the position of a nervous flyer. I started to imagine how you would be feeling in this position.

To help you as much as I can, I really need to understand what is going through your mind (that’s why I encourage you to contact me!). I do understand why you are scared or apprehensive during turbulence. To anyone that does not understand what turbulence really is it can feel as though the plane is in danger.

So, I urge you to read my previous article where I explain what turbulence is – and why it’s definitely NOT dangerous – unless you are drinking a hot cup of coffee without a lid!

Click here to read “Fear of Flying: Turbulence“

Happy flying…….

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Many nervous flyers will be scared of turbulence. But, truth be told, turbulence is nothing to worry about. In fact, turbulence is a mere annoyance to us flight attendants as it always seems to start when we are trying to drink coffee or fill out paperwork!

What is Turbulence?

Flight attendants call turbulence ‘bumpy air’ as this seems the most simple explanation. If you compare flying to being on a boat, you’ll find many similarities. The water can be calm, and you get a smooth ride. But, if the wind becomes stronger the water will be moved around and the boat will move around with it.

When it comes to flying, it’s very much the same. Clear Air Turbulence normally occurs when we cross over a weather front (known as a jetstream). If you watch the weather forecast, you’ll see many weather fronts on the map.

As the weather front moves forward it ‘stirs up’ the air. So, in simple terms, the turbulence you feel is just a change in direction of the air we are flying through.

We may also experience turbulence over mountainous areas. As weather fronts pass over mountain terrain it can cause the air to act as a flowing river does when obstacles (such as a big rock) are in it’s path. This can cause turbulence. Common areas in Europe for this type of turbulence are the Alps, and some areas in Spain.

The most common cause of turbulence at lower altitudes during sunlight is called Convective Turbulence. As the sun warms the ground, hot air rises, which causes the air to become bumpy. This type of turbulence is normally felt during take-off and landing (usually more so during landing, as the approach requires you to stay at this altitude for longer). Landing in hot areas, such as Spain, in the summer can be quite bumpy – but it’s not dangerous. In fact, be happy that it’s nice and hot outside, and you are going to be lying on the beach very soon!!

The most important thing you need to know, is that turbulence is not dangerous. We do suggest that you always keep your seatbelt fastened when seated though.

Those of you that are scared of turbulence, are concerned that it can cause damage to the aircraft. This will NEVER happen. The aircraft is designed to withstand much more than we will EVER encounter. The pilots will – usually – not even take the plane off the autopilot, as the aircraft is perfectly capable of handling itself during turbulence.

The aircraft is NOT going to drop out of the sky. There are no such things as air pockets that an aircraft can fall into. There is always air to support us. Our natural fear instinct is designed to feel the sensation of falling downwards. With every ‘down bump’, there is an ‘up bump’ to compensate for it. Similar to driving a car over a bump, it doesn’t take a very big bump to move us around quite a bit. In truth, the altimeter (the instrument that registers our altitude) will hardly even register turbulence – we really don’t move around as much as it sometimes feels we are.

A useful exercise for those of you with a flying fear is to pay attention to ‘up bumps’ as this will enable you to see that the plane is not just going downwards.

There will be much more to come on the subject of turbulence in future weeks – as it’s many people’s fear. Rest assured though, turbulence is not a danger to the aircraft, and will never cause the aircraft to fall out of the sky.

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