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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This site you’ve put together is fantastic. I’m trying to get over a fear of flying, and I believe your site is going a long way to helping with that!
What I believe are helping me:
- The facts of the situation being presented (e.g. the limits of turbulence, etc.)
- Assurances that turbulence will never harm anything
- The exploration of the loss of control, which I agree is probably a huge part of the fear — it’s even occurred to me before now!
- The weight of your experience behind your words
Before reading this site, I believe many people like me just hear about accidents on the news, and translate that information into “It can happen!” This little nugget of information/disinformation sits in our brain and comes out whenever our fear kicks in (e.g. during turbulence!).
So, THANKS!
Hi Sean,
Thanks for your comments. I’m genuinely pleased that I’ve helped in some way. I’ve always been honest here, and will continue to be so.
Feel free to ask any questions – at any time….
Thanks for all your comments about fear of flying. My fear is somewhat deep seated following a dramatic flight some years ago which left me and my family traumatised. However, we do still fly but it seems to take more courage every time! What I would like to know is why following an air disaster the accident is reported as being down to “bad weather”? I hear what you are saying about turbulence and would really like to believe it.
Hi Janie – apologies for the delay in replying.
Firstly, well done for continuing to fly. Facing your fear really is the best medicine!
Turbulence is not dangerous I PROMISE you. I love turbulence, and I certainly wouldn’t be saying that if I thought I was in any danger. In fact, I wouldn’t even go to work!!!
I have a huge problem with the way media report on air accidents. They NEVER get it factually correct. Journalists write articles to a deadline, and it seems they never seem to fully research an incident before reporting it.
With any accident there is obviously always a cause. But it’s NEVER just one. Saying an accident is down to ‘bad weather’ is a sure sign of an article that has not been researched at all!
Personally I’d describe such incidents as a ‘freak of nature’. It’s usually a chain of unforseen events that result in any accident. NOTHING is 100% safe. People get killed by lightning, trees, and by falling out of the bath (etc etc!). Aviation accidents are in the same category. It is the safest form of travel – by a big margin.
Please do not take any notice of media reports on these rare incidents. The media exists on fear – and the report is certain to be full of half-truths and misleading rubbish. Next time there is an incident, talk to me instead and listen to fact rather than fiction!
How many airliners crashed today worldwide? 0, cars? probably thousands!!
Thanks for this useful website. But what about the Air France flight leaving Brasil? Wasn’t that due to severe turbulence?
FH,
Thanks for your question. Nobody yet knows what happened to Air France Flight 447. This is a quote taken from the preliminary report on the incident;
However, the report does suggest that some of the ’storms’ in the area where AF447 disappeared may have cause some severe turbulence. The media have taken it upon themselves to report that this turbulence caused the disaster. But, how can the media know this, when official investigators (who are highly trained in dealing with aviation incidents) DO NOT know the reason?! Journalists DO NOT know about aviation, and rarely bother to research thoroughly before writing on the subject.
Do not take notice of ANY articles in the media suggesting that turbulence caused the ditching of AF447.
There are many theories surrounding this incident, but none are proven. We only have a very limited number of facts – and sadly, this may be all we have due to the fact the ‘black boxes’ have not yet been recovered, and may not be in the future.
Turbulence is NOT dangerous, and does not bring down an aircraft. There has to be other contributing factors/causes – and as yet, these are unknown.
Read my initial thoughts on the incident by clicking here. For those who would like to read the preliminary report on the ongoing investigation, all 128 pages can be found by clicking here.
Hello, i just read some of your articles based on the fear of flying. I must say it has been quite a help understand the mechanics of a plane. I myself am flying from my mothers house in Spain to Bristol in england on the 30th of this month and I’m still quite nervous. I’m 18, and it was my first flight over on my own, and the turbulence was quite bad, and now I’m afriad to go home!
My fear runs in my family through my mother, father and even my sister. I was wondering if you have any key elements to focus on whilst i take my flight next week. I would really appreciate your help!
Thanks!
Hi Jessica,
I’m glad the site has helped in some way. The best advice I can offer you is to pay very close attention to the Flight Attendants for the duration of the flight. Do they look worried?
A lot of fearful flyers tell themselves that the crew are hiding something from them – but, trust me, we are not! Turbulence is nothing to be afraid of, and the crew know that. We are not paid well enough to endanger our lives unnecessarily – so if we thought we were in danger, we’d never go to work!
I always advise fearful flyers to tell the crew they are scared – especially if travelling alone. That way, they will make sure you are ok throughout your flight and explain anything that you do not understand.
Obviously I am not a psychologist, so I tend to recommend either the SOAR Course or The TakeOff Today Program for more qualified help.
Please do keep in mind that the crew all have loved ones, and we do not go to work in fear. We all feel safe, or we would not do the job we do. Keep watching the crew, and tell them you have a fear of flying.
I hope that helps in some way……What airline are you flying with?
Thank you so much for such an informative website. It’s great to have someone give you “straight” answers to a lot of the common questions regarding turbulence. I’m flying back to the UK from Buenos Aires in a few days and, while I’ve always broken out into a cold sweat during flights, after having read reports about the Air France flight in June and the ITCZ, the mere thought of having to fly through that zone makes me quite light-headed! I’ll certainly be keeping a firm eye on the flight attendents over the Brazilian coast!
Thanks AB,
I’m glad the site has helped in some way. Just a quick note regarding the ITCZ….. THOUSANDS of aircraft have flown that same route without any incident. In fact aircraft flew through that zone shortly before and after the disappearance of Flight AF447 and encountered no difficulties.
Whatever happened to the Air France aircraft was a freak accident, and does not mean that this particular zone poses any danger to aircraft flying through it. If this was the case…… it would soon be a ‘no-fly’ zone, and that’s guaranteed!
Hope you enjoyed your flight. Feel free to ask any questions.