Rochester, N.Y. – Time to head out of town and fly the “friendly skies”.  Obviously, you want some good weather to make for a smooth takeoff and landing. But inclement weather can be a challenge. Now, it depends on the person, but in-flight turbulence and the suddenness of the instability can be disorienting.

The basic definition of turbulence is a shift in the airflow over the wings while in-flight. Light turbulence is to be expected but is much more noticeable with a moderate chop. It depends on how rapidly it happens, but a change of 10 to 20 feet in altitude will have you reaching for your seatbelt. Naturally, it is recommended to have the seatbelt buckled at all times. The real concern comes when turbulence reaches the severe or violent category. In this case, it’s a rapid change in altitude range to between 75 and 100 feet. This might have you questioning your decision to fly in the first place.

The atmosphere is a fluid and dynamic place that produces instability in a variety of ways. First, is the concept of thermal heating. This is the uneven heating of the surface of the Earth, which creates the rising and falling of packets of air. This is more likely to be experienced when the plane is very low to the ground during takeoffs and landings. Second, is wind shear, which is the change in wind direction and speed. This is a microscale meteorological phenomenon occurring over a very small distance and can happen during a thunderstorm. Third, is a passage of the front. This can also produce changes in wind direction and speed over a short distance. Lastly, is something called “clear air turbulence”. This is the type of event that happens when the plane is in the higher layers of the atmosphere and is closer to the jet stream. These rivers of fast-moving air can create a lot of instability, yet there may be very little visual clues (such as clouds).

Any of these events can be “nerve-racking”, but hopefully we trust the pilots to bring us safely to our destination.