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Is turbulence worse over the Atlantic?

Is turbulence bad over the Atlantic? Air and wind over the Atlantic is usually calm, providing some of the least turbulent routes. However, if flying in certain areas such as near the equator or north near the jetstream, you may encounter turbulence.



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Air and wind over the Atlantic is usually calm, providing some of the least turbulent routes. However, if flying in certain areas such as near the equator or north near the jetstream, you may encounter turbulence. However, this turbulence is usually predictable and so avoidable by the pilots.

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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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Severe turbulence can cause a plane to drop so suddenly that pilots temporarily lose control. But, again, that's not enough to crash the plane. That's not to say it's never happened. In 1966, human error and turbulence combined to bring a plane down over Mount Fuji.

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Any plane can experience turbulence, but larger planes weigh more and don't feel the impact of wind changes as much as a smaller plane. Specifically, the Airbus A380 handles turbulence very well! The A380 is a large plane mainly used for international flights.

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Sometimes it's unavoidable to fly through light and moderate turbulence, but rest assured your pilots are working to find smooth air. If they encounter severe or extreme turbulence not forecasted, pilots will quickly climb or descend to a safe and smooth altitude.”

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When an aircraft experiences turbulence, the plane can drop or change altitude suddenly. This is why pilots always caution passengers to buckle up and stay seated when they are experiencing flight turbulence. The sudden movements put passengers at risk.

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Should you be scared of turbulence? The short answer is no, and rest assured that the pilots know how uncomfortable turbulence can make passengers feel. And know that no aircraft has ever crashed because of turbulence. Turbulence has not caused an airplane to crash, Biddle said.

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Pilots are capable of identifying areas of potential turbulence by using their knowledge of meteorology and weather patterns. One of the simplest ways we avoid turbulence is by avoiding areas with thunderstorms. Convective activity is associated with unstable air, as well as strong updrafts and downdrafts.

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Turbulence Forecast is a great website that shows you both domestic and international turbulence PIREPs (or Pilot Reports) and potential nuisance areas based on weather, etc. PIREPs are going to be the most accurate in my opinion as they are reported in real time by aircraft flying through that specific area.

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The best plane for turbulence: Boeing 787-9 The original image has been cropped. This plane boasts on of the largest wing loading in commercial planes: 670 kg/m2. For comparison, the wings can take 60% per square meter than those of an Embraer ERJ-145. Just by this value, you can expect a smoother ride on the 787.

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In reality, airplanes, especially large airliners, are built with enough strength to withstand almost all naturally occurring turbulence.

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Summer and winter are the worst seasons for turbulence. Winter has strong winds and blizzards, and summer's hot heat can create unstable air, thunderstorms, and tropical storms. That means flying during the holidays often means more turbulence than other times of the year.

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Clear air turbulence forms like pancakes, so changing altitude is a suitable means of avoiding clear air turbulence. These are the main types of turbulence. Another source of turbulence is wake vortex turbulence which comes from an airplane's wings slicing through the air.

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Periods of turbulence last an average of only 10 to 15 minutes, though it may seem like an eternity. Dr. Chris Manno, a pilot, professor, author, and current Boeing 737 captain for a major U.S. airline, is trained to deal with turbulence, but notes that airplanes are just as primed to take whatever weather is ahead.

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While pilots can't actually see turbulence, they often know what is coming up, thanks to reports from other planes, weather reports, and radar equipment. However, clear air turbulence (severe turbulence occurring in cloudless areas) can sometimes catch pilots off guard.

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An especially insidious form of turbulence has gotten worse because of climate change, according to new research. It's turbulence that forms in cloudless skies that's typically invisible to a plane's radar, called clear-air turbulence. And it's projected to become a bigger problem as the world warms.

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