Header background image

Cept Stephens Explains: Turbulence

Explore Today's Deals

Logo invertediFly.com

LOW & HIGH-ALTITUDE TURBULENCE: UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES OF A ROUGH RIDE

Turbulence is an irregular motion of the atmosphere that can cause discomfort and anxiety for air travelers. This article discusses the types of low-level turbulence, which includes all forms of turbulence found below an altitude of approximately 15,000 ft. These types of turbulence includes mechanical turbulence caused by terrain or buildings, convective turbulence caused by solar heating and thermals, frontal turbulence found ahead of a fast-moving cold front, and wake turbulence caused by other aircraft. Understanding these causes and the methods for avoiding and mitigating encounters with turbulence can help reduce unnecessary anxiety for air travelers.

Tips to Reduce Anxiety About Turbulence

  1. Understand what turbulence is: Turbulence is a normal part of flying and is caused by the movement of air currents in the atmosphere. It is not dangerous and aircraft are built to withstand much more turbulence than most passengers will ever experience.
  2. Research the topic before your flight: Knowing the different types of turbulence, when and where they are most likely to occur can help reduce anxiety when encountering turbulence.
  3. Follow flight attendant instructions: While on board, follow the flight attendant's instruction to remain seated and keep your seatbelt fastened during turbulence.
  4. Keep your personal items and food secure: Securing your personal items and holding onto foods and drinks can help prevent them from spilling or getting knocked over during turbulence.
  5. Consider timing of restroom breaks: Try to plan restroom breaks before entering or after exiting expected turbulence zones.
  6. Practice relaxation techniques: Try to relax and distract yourself by listening to music, reading a book, or meditating.
  7. Remember that pilots are trained to handle turbulence: Pilots and air traffic controllers are trained to handle and avoid turbulence as much as possible, and they do everything they can to make your flight as smooth as possible.
  8. Seek professional help if needed: If you find yourself suffering from a severe fear of flying, it may be beneficial to seek professional help or therapy to manage your anxiety.


Learn more about the types of turbulence below.

Low-Altitude Turbulence

For most air travelers, turbulence is a word that invokes at least a little dread and discomfort. However, in most cases such apprehension is at least partly due to fear of the unknown. Once we better understand the subject, our newfound knowledge can help allay unnecessary anxiety.


With this series of posts, we’ll examine the causes of turbulence and methods for avoiding and mitigating any encounters. In this first section, we’ll examine the types of low-level turbulence. Low-level turbulence includes all forms of turbulence found below an altitude of approximately 15,000 ft. Regardless of your flight’s eventual cruise altitude, all aircraft must pass through these lower levels after departure and prior to arrival at the destination airport. At times, certain low-level turbulence is unavoidable and is best handled when properly understood.

Mechanical Turbulence

Roughly defined, turbulence is an irregular motion of the atmosphere. Mechanical turbulence is caused by terrain, buildings, or other structures disrupting the smooth airflow through a given area. This type of turbulence is most commonly encountered during takeoff and landing when hills, ridges, or infrastructure around the airport interfere with the flow of surface winds. Based on their surroundings, some airports are more susceptible to mechanical turbulence than others. When encountered, mechanical turbulence only lasts for a few minutes and will dissipate after landing or once climbing a few thousand feet upon takeoff.


READ MORE: Capt Stephens describes a typical flight from takeoff to landing

Convective Turbulence

Commonly referred to as thermals, convective turbulence is generally associated with warm weather. This turbulence is caused by solar heating reflecting upwards off the surface. The higher the temperature, the stronger and higher you can expect the thermals to be. When sufficient atmospheric moisture is present, cumulus clouds tend to denote the upper extent of thermals. As with mechanical turbulence, convective turbulence is limited to within a few thousand feet of the surface and will only be experienced during takeoff and landing.


Frontal Turbulence

As the name implies, frontal turbulence is typically found ahead of a fast-moving cold front. You can anticipate frontal turbulence by watching the weather before your planned departure. If a cold front is approaching your departure or arrival airport, you might encounter some frontal turbulence. En route, such encounters are generally not an issue, as frontal turbulence is most common at lower altitudes. However, if you’ll be cruising at low altitude (on commuter aircraft or short legs), it’s possible you’ll encounter this turbulence in cruise. In such cases, the pilots, dispatchers, and air traffic controllers can often coordinate to avoid the most probable turbulence areas.


Wake Turbulence

Though categorized as a form of turbulence, wake turbulence is generated by aircraft, not the atmosphere. While all aircraft generate some turbulence as a result of lift, the strongest wake turbulence is produced by heavy aircraft during takeoff and landing. To combat wake turbulence, ATC maintains minimum separation distances between aircraft. On the ground, aircraft are sometimes required to hold for a few minutes to allow wake turbulence to dissipate. Additionally, pilots can request additional separation/hold time if they judge it’s in the interest of safety. Due to the wake turbulence avoidance procedures used by pilots and ATC, your chances of encountering wake turbulence are extremely rare.

Don’t be afraid: Fear of flying tips

Tips for Dealing with Turbulence

  • Gaining knowledge of its characteristics - knowledge is power!
  • Try to remain seated and keep seatbelt fastened
  • Secure personal items, hold onto foods and drinks
  • Avoid trip to restroom during turbulence zones
  • Learn other forms of turbulence and identification, planning, and avoidance methods used by pilots and ATC
  • Remember that understanding causes of turbulence can make the flight more enjoyable

High-Altitude Turbulence: Bumpiness Aloft

In our prior look at turbulence, we discussed the various forms of low-level turbulence; bumpiness found below approximately 15,000 ft. With this section, we’ll cover causes of high-altitude roughness. As an airline passenger, most of your travel time will be spent in high-altitude cruise. Turbulence encountered during this stage of flight will likely last longer than most low-level turbulence experienced after takeoff and on the landing approach. We’ll also discuss turbulence common in mountainous areas. Once you’re familiar with the characteristics of these forms of turbulence, you’ll be better able to understand when, where, and how long such turbulence is likely to last.

Clear Air Turbulence (CAT)

While clear air turbulence can occur at any altitude, it is most common above 15,000 ft. CAT is the result of airflow from different directions and/or of differing speeds converging. At higher altitudes, CAT is often found in or near the jet stream. Depending on the route & altitude of flight, CAT can persist for hundreds of miles.


Detecting CAT

Probable areas of clear air turbulence can often be determined before the flight takes off. Pilots and dispatchers refer to winds & temperatures aloft forecasts and reports to determine wind speed & direction at various altitudes. If wind direction and speed change significantly over small changes in altitude, that’s a sure sign of possible turbulence. The greater the variation, the stronger likelihood of turbulence. Additionally, airline crews examine Pilot Reports (PIREPS) filed by other pilots. PIREPS are possibly the most valuable resource for locating turbulence, as other planes are reporting the exact location, altitude, and intensity of roughness aloft. With weather forecasts, the best pilots can do is guesstimate where/when/how strong turbulence might be found. PIREPS are available via aviation weather sources, or they can be relayed directly to airliners by air traffic controllers (ATC).

READ MORE: A primer on Airport & Flying Terms


Avoiding CAT

As you might imagine, no one wants to fly through turbulence if it’s avoidable. Pilots and dispatchers consider weather reports/forecasts and PIREPS when determining the route & altitude for flight. In some cases, changing altitude or varying the route will avoid the most turbulent areas. At other times, CAT is so pervasive that the only option is to ride out the bumps.


Mountain Wave Turbulence

As the name implies, mountain wave turbulence is found near mountainous terrain. This form of turbulence results from air being disrupted as it flows over (perpendicular to) mountains. Think of it as mechanical turbulence (see previous post) on steroids. The disrupting peaks cause the air to undulate on the downwind side of the range(s). With strong winds, these oscillations can persist for over 100 miles and cause severe turbulence.


Detecting Mountain Turbulence

For flights traversing mountainous areas, pilots and dispatchers will look at wind reports and forecasts for the upwind side of the range(s). Speeds above 40 knots are most conducive to mountain waves. Below 25 knots, this possibility diminishes. With widespread light & variable winds, mountain wave turbulence is a nonissue. In addition, mountain wave turbulence can often be located by noting unique cloud formations. Rotor clouds and lenticular clouds (Google them for some great images) can form below and above the wave crests respectively when sufficient moisture is present. Cap clouds, which form above mountain peaks, can also signify mountain waves.


Avoiding Mountain Waves

If you fly over flatlands, mountain wave turbulence is a nonissue. For flights near high terrain, staying at least 3,000-5,000 ft. above the peaks is generally effective to overfly any hazards. Most commercial flights will be well above these altitudes. For takeoffs & landings at mountainous airports, crews monitor weather reports/forecasts, PIREPS, and ATC updates. They also plan climbs & descents to avoid the most hazardous areas. In extreme cases, they’ll delay/cancel the flight in the interest of safety. When it comes to turbulence, airline crews go to great lengths to avoid or minimize bumpiness for their passengers. If safety is an issue, pilots have no trouble postponing the flight to await favorable conditions. As an airline passenger, any turbulence you experience is likely unavoidable and not considered hazardous. Though annoying, consider in-flight turbulence a small price to pay to arrive safely at your destination.


READ MORE: 
What's the Story with those Cockpit Doors?

Find more help here for your journey through the airport