Videos and pictures: Turbulence... a real danger lurking in planes

ArabiaWeather.com – Sinan Khalaf – with the aim of recreation, comfort and distance from the pressures of life, they flew far in the air through planes equipped with all means of luxury and comfort, unaware of the size of the dangers that await them as a result of the turbulence that they may encounter during the flight, which may end in some cases. Sometimes disasters.

What are air turbulence:

Turbulence is disturbances that occur in the air mass that the plane crosses, and this turbulence occurs as a result of a sudden change in the temperature outside the plane between ups and downs, and due to the difference in temperature, the air density varies, so there is a sudden change in wind speed and direction, which produces concussions of varying intensity in the fuselage.

Bumps are divided according to their severity into:

• Mild air turbulence: These turbulences cause minor vibrations, and pilots deal with them on a daily basis, and they do not cause any danger to the flight.

• Medium air turbulence: Pilots try to avoid entering into this type of turbulence. Although it does not pose any significant danger, it is considered a source of inconvenience to the passengers, due to the moderate vibrations it causes.

Pilots recognize its presence before entering it from the weather radar located inside the cockpit, in addition to the weather forecasts that come to them first-hand during the flight. Pilots deal with it by changing altitude sometimes, as well as reducing speed to reduce collision with turbulent air.

Severe air turbulence: These turbulences are characterized by their violence, strength, and extreme danger to aviation, and they often occur as a result of strong thunderstorm clouds. Aviation laws prevent pilots from entering into this type of turbulence, and in the event of a sudden turbulence, the pilot must exit immediately, even if he has to. To return to where he came from, as happened with this trip, which was almost the last, watch the attached video

Let us go into more detail to know the factors that cause air mass turbulence:

Cumulonimbus and thunderclouds: The heat generated by the Earth's surface causes the air to move vertically upwards, and when the amount of air moving upwards increases, the strength of the air turbulence increases. Cumulonimbus clouds are usually saturated with water, which turns into hail with cold, and has high electrical charges, the sign of which is lightning. . The rapid rise and fall of the air causes turbulence in the air surrounding the clouds up to a distance of tens of kilometers.

• Mountains and heights: When the air passes close to the surface of the earth, it collides with the mountains and heights, and its direction changes upwards quickly, causing disturbances in the air surrounding the heights.

• High-speed air currents "jet stream": air currents that are at high altitudes at speeds of up to 300 km/h. Because of the rotation of the globe and the difference in temperature, the direction of the air changes, causing turbulence in the air.

• Air masses: Collision of cold air masses with hot air masses that occur at different altitudes. Cold air fronts collide with hot ones and their overlap causes air turbulence.

• Air clippers: Air clippers are a difference in wind speed or direction between two points in a narrow air space. This difference may be vertical or horizontal, and it is similar to the friction that results from the contact of two bodies during their movement, each opposite the other.

Flight problems caused by turbulence

• Difficulty driving the plane during take-off, landing and low flight, especially over mountainous areas, because any height the plane loses may lead to the plane colliding with the ground.

• Feeling very tired during flying for a long time in the area of turbulence due to vigilance and caution and the effort exerted by the pilot to maintain the balance of the plane.

• Ice forms on aircraft in bumps at a greater rate than it is outside due to the low temperature of the ascending air with suppressed cooling.

• The readings of the aircraft's counters cannot be relied upon due to the fluctuation of their indicators and the inaccurate readings they give.

• Cumulonimbus clouds are full of deadly air clippers that may cause the plane to crash.

• Turbulence is the movement of the vertical plane to the top or bottom suddenly.