Technical Information About Turbulence



From time to time, there are reports in the press that a plane fell several hundred feet. Disregard these reports. Passengers make such statements to the press based completely upon imagination, because passengers, of course, are not equipped with altimeters.



But what may surprise you is that the pilots - who do have an altimeter - would not have that kind of information either. The first reason pilots don't have the information is, what is claimed did not happen.



The second reason is, altitude is measured during cruise by sampling the atmospheric pressure which varies greatly when turbulence is present.



The altimeter is nothing more than a pressure gauge with its indications in feet, rather than in pounds per square inch of pressure.



Atmospheric pressure varies here on the surface of the earth. This means an airplane's altimeter sitting on a table in your living room will show a variation for several hundred feet from day to day even though changes in altitude are not taking place.



To make the pressure-based altimeter useful in flight, before taking off, pilots have to zero out their pressure-reading altimeters to match the actual elevation of the airport above sea level. Before landing, they must adjust the pressure-reading altimeter; pilots obtain a reading of the atmospheric pressure at the landing airport and adjust their altimeter to match that atmospheric pressure, before landing.



In flight, atmospheric pressure fluctuates rapidly up and down during turbulence -- and the pressure altimeter shows changes of ten, or fifty, or even a hundred feet -- while the plane moves up or down only a fraction of an inch.



Measure the planes movement yourself by holding a cup with a bit of water in it against the tray table. If the water jumps a foot above the cup, then the plane moved a foot. I doubt if you will ever, though, see it even leave the cup.



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"I Can't Wait To Explore"



Hi Capt. Tom,



I cannot begin to thank you enough for all your help with my first flight.  All my life I have avoided flying at all costs -- (Me to boss: Oh, you want me to go to a convention in Faraway City 800 miles away.  Sure, I'll go.  I love long drives!)  Seriously, I once gave up an all-expense-paid trip to Ireland.  The very idea of flying was something I would not even discuss with my family even though they all love to fly.  My husband is a college basketball coach, and every year he has asked me if I'd like to go on one of the away trips with the team.  Very seldom have I even given him a response.

 

My daughter worked at a ski resort at Lake Tahoe right after her college graduation last winter, and she really wanted me to come to see her. However, I chose to visit vicariously through the pictures she emailed home.



Finally, my son and his wife, who live 12 driving hours away from us, had two babies sixteen months apart, and that made me realize that I had to learn to fly.



I found SOAR by searching the internet and filled out the "request info" form. Boy, was I surprised when you called me about an hour later! After talking with you, I knew I could do it, but that it would take lots of work. I ordered the downloads in March in preparation for my July flight. Whenever I had a question, I would either email or call you.  I never failed to get you a single time that I called.  You have been so supportive.



Last week I successfully made my first flight (and, of course, my second on the return trip!).  We flew out of Atlanta on a stormy afternoon after about an hour's delay.  (I called you from the boarding area because I was beginning to worry that I felt so calm since you had basically said "bad rehearsal, good performance" in reference to anxiety in the boarding area!) Because of the delay, I actually got to meet the pilot at the gate.  The gate attendant pointed him out to me and I walked over to the snack bar where he was waiting for a sandwich and introduced myself to him. He told me that he came from a "flying family."  His father and all of his brothers were pilots.  We talked for a while and he even drew an illustration on his napkin of how we would be banking on take-off. Later, after he finished eating, he came over and sat down beside me to tell me that he wanted me to come up to the cockpit while he was going through his pre-flight check.  



Before going aboard, he stopped by and spoke to the gate attendant, motioning toward me and my husband as he spoke.  Immediately after he disappeared into the jetway, the man at the gate signaled to me.  He told me that the pilot wanted us to board first and that he was also bumping us up to first class!   The flight attendants were waiting on us and sent me straight to the cockpit.  Captain Jim went through all the checks explaining everything in detail.  Meeting him really was comforting.  The flight went well even though there was a good bit of turbulence due to the

thunderstorms.  When we landed, to avoid the storms he had to stairstep like you discuss in the downloads.  It did give me a queasy feeling, but it wasn't too bad.  As we taxied to the gate after landing, Captain Jim announced my accomplishment over the intercom, and the lead flight attendant presented me with wings and a "first flight" certificate.  That provided some comic relief to both me and the rest of the passengers.  I was so proud

of myself!



Even though we had a two-hour delay on the return trip because of storms again, it was much smoother, and I enjoyed taking cloud pictures during the flight.



My husband says that if I learned to fly, anyone can do it!  I believe he is right.  No one could possibly be more scared than I have always been.



I would not call myself a seasoned flyer yet (the thoughts of flying over the ocean still don't excite me), but I will definitely fly again.  I just cannot thank you enough.  You have opened a new world for me--one that I

can't wait to explore.



Sorry to be so long-winded!  Best wishes and God's blessing on you for all your work!



Sincerely,



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Since It Is Hurricane Season



Maybe now is a good time to have a look at the planes that fly into the eye of hurricanes to take readings on the strength and path of the storm. These planes do this year in and year out. They have never lost a plane. Why? Because planes are built to withstand four times the force Mother Nature can produce!



The hurricane hunter web site is at www.hurricanehunters.com



The WC-130J planes flown intentionally into hurricanes are built the same as your airliner. They are about eight years old. But the plane that was previously used -- earlier models of the C-130 -- had flown more than 40 years!

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