Turbulence is scary to the average passenger, especially the heavy ones, but turbulence is a regular occurrence to people who understand aviation. That’s because an airplane is at the mercy of the wind and the environment outside. Not all the time, the weather is smooth, just like any street or road. Airplanes, at the same time, are designed to withstand turbulence. Pilots are also highly trained to face turbulence; to them, it is a regular occurrence.
As defined in a previous article, turbulence occurs when there is a disruption in the airflow. There are three turbulence levels: light, moderate, severe, and extreme.
As much as possible, pilots try their best to avoid areas of severe and extreme, but what if an airplane goes through it? What will the pilots do?
Here’s a general explanation of some of the general operating procedures of pilots. However, let me also tell you that different airlines and different types of aircraft may have different procedures during turbulence. What I will just be discussing here are the usual and most general procedures.
Pilots are highly trained to deal with turbulence
First and foremost, there is a super slim chance that turbulence will bring down an aircraft. It may just lose altitude, but it will not crash. The airplane will still fly as the stall margin is too large for the aircraft to drop from the sky; that is the first thing we should remember. It may drop or rise a few meters but will not fall out of the sky.
Second, your pilots are highly trained to face all types of turbulence so trust them. It may become uncomfortable for the passenger, but relax and trust your pilots. Turbulence is a typical situation for them. They are even trained to face more extreme situations.
Pilots will try to avoid turbulent areas as much as possible
If pilots can avoid a turbulent area, they will. If they cannot, they will go through it. Procedures to go through turbulence will depend on aircraft type and company procedures but generally speaking; pilots will turn on the fasten seatbelt sign, slow down the aircraft to its maximum penetrating speed, do a PA for the cabin crew and passengers to be seated, then do the rest of the aircraft type procedures if there are any.
If the aircraft loses altitude, the aircraft in autopilot will regain the lost altitude by itself after the conditions. Pilots are not recommended to disconnect the autopilot, but if it does, they take control of the aircraft. Descending or ascending is the option of the flight crew. Pilots would not want to get the plane at an unusual altitude, for that matter.
Pilots are more concerned with the structure of the aircraft
For the pilots, there is minimal concern about the plane dropping off from the sky during turbulence. They are more concerned about taking care of the aircraft structure and rigidity as sudden drops, especially if they are huge, may cause structural problems.
So during turbulence, trust your pilots and relax. Stay seated and strapped. Wait until the pilot switches off the fastened seatbelt sign before going to the lavatory.
Another point too. You might ask where it is best to sit, not to feel the full effects of turbulence. Well, that is the overwing area and anywhere in front of the engines. The movement is more significant in the rear area than in the front.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
