Many people do not like to use a vehicle such as an airplane. Everyone has their own opinion on this, but usually one thing unites them. What? Of course, fear. It can occur for a variety of reasons. Some people are afraid of breaking up, others hate getting into turbulence zones. In addition, many even consider this method of transportation too expensive.
What is turbulence?
And yet there are people who love to fly. When they fall into turbulent zones, the question usually arises as to whether this is harmful. Enjoying the flight, feeling adrenaline during takeoff or landing is one thing, but when the body shakes (and not always lightly and safely), various arguments and assumptions arise. So, what is turbulence and how does it affect human health?
Often, people call turbulence "chatter." In simple words, these are various kinds of aircraft vibrations that arise as a result of swirling wind flows, descending and ascending. In addition, a small turbulence zone can occur due to some types of clouds. Typically, the aircraft can withstand such loads, and passengers can feel only a slight wiggle.
What is the danger of turbulence?
Each pilot takes care of his plane and passengers. Therefore, he is trying to avoid the slightest danger. So, the pilot avoids the cloud zone. But there are times when the plane gets into such streams of air that are capable of throwing it at supercritical angles of attack. As a result, the entire vehicle may be at risk. That is why the pilot will never consciously fly into thunderclouds. Such objects are clearly visible on the locator and warn of possible obstacles.
Thus, the turbulence zone is not a predictable phenomenon. It is caused by the accumulation of air masses and sometimes may not be displayed on the pilot's locator. As a result, no one is safe from this.
Safety first!
It is impossible to say for sure whether turbulence is dangerous. It all depends on the flow of air. It is worth noting that before the start of the flight, each pilot undergoes special training. During it, he becomes familiar with the weather and chooses the best route.
But there are also situations where it is impossible to plan or predict a route. When you fly by plane for more than eight hours, it is simply unrealistic to predict the change in weather. Then you should rely only on the excellent skills and attentiveness of the pilot. In addition, special equipment can help protect the aircraft from troubles, which will soften the mud.
Other causes of turbulence
Note that one of the possible reasons for the formation of a turbulence zone can be jet flows. Their essence lies in the fact that they can change very quickly and in different directions, that is, in horizontal or vertical directions. A feature of such currents is that they can stretch for several hundred thousand kilometers. Most often they can be found in the east of the United States.
Due to the dense traffic in the sky, an airplane can avoid one or another zone of turbulence. In other cases, the phenomenon may adversely affect the person and the vehicle as a whole. It is very important that passing aircraft maintain a certain distance between themselves. Firstly, this is necessary so that they do not collide, and secondly, it helps to reduce the risk of getting into the turbulence zone.
Many people believe that blabbering occurs as a result of a pilot's mistake or his lack of professionalism. This is a completely erroneous assumption! The plane very often moves on autopilot, and the main task of the commander is to observe the locators in the cockpit and other devices. This function is disabled in case of strong shaking, which occurs when it enters the turbulence zone. Then the pilot controls the plane manually. And how much the aircraft will shake depends only on him. The greater the mass of the aircraft, the greater the impact.
In addition to the above reasons, there is another. For example, while descending, the plane may collide with a strong whirlwind, a gust of wind. But you should not worry too much about this, since in our time special standards and flight parameters have been developed during the period of chatter, which allow avoiding troubles. If they do not help, then it is the responsibility of the pilot to land the plane at the nearest emergency aerodrome.
Recommendations for passengers
Whatever turbulence zones may occur along the way of passengers, you should never panic prematurely. Yes, we will not deny that such a phenomenon should not be underestimated. In the best case, before a flight, each person needs to prepare a little by listening to the recommendations of professionals and reading the necessary literature.
But one question still interests all passengers: “What is the danger of turbulence?” We’ll hasten to reassure all people who suffer from aerophobia: a chatter can scare a little, but over the 120 years of aviation history there has not been a single catastrophe, the cause of which could or could have been turbulence. This is because the pilots are well aware of how to react and behave in such situations. And also today there are a lot of parameters, standards, techniques that help to avoid an unfavorable situation.
Turbulence: danger or fear?
The reasons for the phenomenal phenomenon are many: swirl from the ends of the wings, uneven heating of the air, the meeting of air masses, the temperature of which varies, and much more. But these are only insignificant factors that can lead to chatter. One way or another, avoiding it is much easier than getting into the epicenter of events. Be sure that no pilot will send his plane to a dangerous place! A little shaking should not be taken as an alarm sign and a threat to safe flight. The harm of turbulence is just a myth, which in the conditions of development of advanced technologies cannot harm a person.