Turbulence is the bane of any flier. It
makes a relaxing airplane journey into a nervous roller coaster ride.
So you’ve bought that Cheap Airfare, packed your bags and now, you’re enjoying the in-flight entertainment. Then you pause and remember those stories your friends would tell about that gut wrenching turbulence.
The Signs.
What happens around you? You will hear the
pilot advice passengers that it will be a bumpy ride. You’re asked to put your
sit on an upright position and buckle your seat belt. You’ll see some drinks jiggle
and maybe get spilled while things get jostled as the plane shakes.
What will you feel? Your body will let you
know that there is turbulence. Physical signs include a sinking feeling in your
stomach. Others get dizzy spells or even nauseated to the point of throwing up.
Aside from these, there are those that also experience psychological anxiety. Turbulence
makes them nervous; causing heavy breathing, sweaty palms and increased heart
rate.
At a glance, the entire experience seems
scary and one might swear never to fly again. But just like the monster under
your bed or the bogeyman in your closet, it’s nothing to be scared about when you are informed, prepared and equipped.
Be Informed.
The best way to overcome fear is to
understand it. Let’s take a closer look at turbulence and find out what it is and how it
happens.
Turbulence are highly irregular atmospheric
motion characterized by rapid changes in wind speed and direction and by the
presence, usually, of up and down currents. There are turbulent movement of air
masses in the absence of any visual cues such as clouds. These are called Clear-Air Turbulence (CAT). Clear-Air Turbulence is usually impossible to detect with
the naked eye and very difficult to detect with conventional radar. This makes
it difficult for aircraft pilots to detect and avoid it.
There are different causes of Clear-Air
Turbulence
– Thermals: These are caused by the
exchange of rising hot air and sinking cooler air.
– Jet streams: Air currents at high
altitudes shift rapidly, which can cause disturbances to the nearby air.
– Mountains: Air may behave differently on
one side of a mountain than the other; air turbulence is common when crossing a
mountain range.
– Wake turbulence: If the airplane passes
by another plane or helicopter, the wake created by the other aircraft can
cause turbulence.
– Microbursts: Usually caused by passing
storms, these downdrafts are sudden and strong. They can also be caused by
other aircraft.
Now that you are informed, you know its just as common as a sudden gust of strong wind or a huge wall of wave. So don’t think about it too much. Instead, enjoy thinking about the savings you got from Booking Cheap Airline Tickets and how you will be able to better enjoy your trip with more pocket money.
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