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Does it shake more in the back of the plane?

If you have a fear of flying, you should try to avoid the back of the plane. It shakes and jolts more violently there than in the front if there is turbulence. The seats above the wings are also somewhat quieter, especially during take-off and landing.



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Why is back of plane bumpier? The wings are the more stable part of the plane, closer to the center of mass; the tail end tends to wiggle around the most. The nose and front—all those first class seats—is fairly stable as well, but can get bumpy in the case of a bad landing when the front wheels hit first.

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The worst seats on an airplane for turbulence are the jump seats in the back of the plane, where the flight attendants sit, followed by the passenger seats towards the back of the aircraft.

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Rear section The back of the plane is definitely the worst place to sit for travelers who hate turbulence since it's far from the plane's center of lift and gravity. This section can also be very loud since some planes have engines and auxiliary power units toward the back of the body that make a lot of noise.

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To avoid engine noise from the outside of the plane, keep clear of the back of the plane. Engine noise is deflected backwards, so sitting in front of the wing is your best chance of avoiding external noises, especially if you are seated on the window.

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Routes with the most turbulence
  • New York to London. One of the most popular routes which experience turbulence is flying from New York to London (and also London to New York). ...
  • Seoul to Dallas. ...
  • Flying into certain airports near the equator. ...
  • Flying into Reno, Nevada. ...
  • London to South Africa.


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The closer a passenger is to the front of the plane the less turbulence they would usually feel. If a traveler sits towards the front of the wings so that the engines are behind them, not only will they feel less turbulence, but they'll also have a quieter flight.

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“The smoothest place to sit is over the wings,” commercial pilot Patrick Smith, host of AskThePilot.com said. These seats are close to the plane's center of lift and gravity. “The roughest spot is usually the far aft. In the rearmost rows, closest to the tail, the knocking and swaying is more pronounced,” Smith added.

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Sure, it happens all the time to incautious pilots. 1966, a Boeing 707 was brought down by turbulence (BBC ON THIS DAY | 5 | 1966: Passenger jet crashes into Mount Fuji ) when the pilot had diverted from his planned flight path out of Tokyo to show his passengers Mount Fuji.

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The back of the plane is definitely the worst place to sit for travelers who hate turbulence since it's far from the plane's center of lift and gravity. This section can also be very loud since some planes have engines and auxiliary power units toward the back of the body that make a lot of noise.

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Research found that the noise experienced in window seats was four decibels higher than the middle and aisle seats. Meanwhile, at the back of the aircraft, there is a lot of low frequency noise, says Kochan.

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So many travelers struggle with this fear, so the best way to cope is to find a seat with plenty of space. The least crowded section of the plane is first or business class. But if upgraded flying isn't in your budget there are still options. Try sitting in an aisle seat in an exit row towards the front of the plane.

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Choose a seat between the plane's wings or closer to the front of the airplane, where the ride tends to be more stable. Avoid sitting in the back of the plane.

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Seats at the back of the plane tend to be bumpier, and sitting towards the back also means you're one of the last passengers to get off the plane after landing. Similarly, the bulkheads at the front of the cabin are where families with babies and young children sit.

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Early morning or nighttime flights These red-eye flights mean you can worry less and catch up on much-needed sleep due to a smoother flight and less worrying about turbulence. This is because during the night, wind speeds are typically reduced, and also thunderstorms tend to alleviate overnight.

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All you see is what's outside the window. While it may feel unnerving sitting on a bumpy flight traveling hundreds of miles per hour at thousands of feet in the air, there's no reason to panic or worry. Turbulence is unavoidable. It's experienced on almost every flight to some degree (usually light).

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