01-16-2012
02:33 PM
201 Loves
If you’ve read a couple of my posts over time, you know that I have a geek-like interest in weather. In fact, as I write this blog post, we’re in the middle of strong enough bumps that the water in my bottle is sloshing around considerably. Our Pilot is doing a great job of doing what he can to minimize the impact while our Flight Attendants and Customers are safely strapped in their seats.
Turbulence is one of those phenomena that plenty of people experience, but few understand the causes. I’d like to help explain a few of those so that next time you experience it, you might look out the window and figure out why it’s happening, and I hope that you will be a bit more at ease with some understanding.
The turbulence we’re going through right now is just east of the Rocky Mountains. It’s late fall and the jet stream, which is a strong band of winds in the upper atmosphere, pushes it’s way south with the first strong front of the season. Many times in the fall and winter, the jet stream is one of the main causes for turbulence especially when a pilot has to cross it at an angle. Where the wind is strongest, many times there is a shear, which is an abrupt change in the speed or direction of the wind over a relatively short distance. Think about a time when a semi truck passes you on a freeway. The air displaced by the truck creates a jolt of turbulence that can shake your car a bit, especially if you’re going much slower. While this kind of turbulence can be found in clear air, it can also be identified by ripples of clouds that look like a washboard.
Sometimes this wind is strong lower in the atmosphere, like as it passes over the Rocky Mountains or other mountainous regions around the world. If the winds cross the top of the mountains it can create what is called mountain wave turbulence. This turbulence from the mountains creates waves of air that in a sense bounce and can create ripples of air many hundred miles away from the peaks. In this sense, think about a large rock in the middle of a river that is moving swiftly. When the water hits the rock, there is a lot of churning not only at the edges of the rock, but even downstream from it a bit until the water settles back into the smooth flow again.
Finally, there is another type more common in the spring and summer called convective turbulence. The air is hot and steamy. To keep it simple, thunderstorm clouds form when the air is pushed upwards and the moisture in the air condenses. The air is unstable with updrafts and downdrafts ; it’s chaotic. Pilots will avoid these storms as much as possible by flying around them, but there are some cases where it’s not possible, so they find the safest route through the edges to get their precious cargo to their destination.
At times when you look at a national radar map, you can see where Air Traffic Control and the Pilots must make major changes to a flight’s path in order to avoid storms. What may look like a short flight if taken directly, may turn out to be an additional half hour to get around the storms blocking the path.
Turbulence may not always be avoidable, but be sure that there are plenty of people on the ground and in the flight deck who are watching to make your ride as safe and as comfortable as possible. There are engineers who have designed the aircraft to make it flexible enough to withstand turbulence. And there are meteorologists who have studied it for years and do a great job of understanding patterns in the atmosphere. Just strap your seat belt down any time you’re in flight and take a look at what might be going on outside the window.
For more information about turbulence, go to http://www.aviationweather.gov/adds/turbulence/ Pictures courtesy of:
http://www.komonews.com/weather/blogs/scott/35631614.html http://science.nasa.gov/blogs/notes-from-the-field/2009/7/20/nasa-research-to-help-aircraft-avoid-ocean-storms-turbulence/
http://www.hko.gov.hk/aviat/outreach/observation/20th/WaveCloud.htm http://ceres.larc.nasa.gov/ceres_brochure.php?page=3
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Oh, Br-r-r-r, I mean Bear. If I did that I think my heart would stop. Once while in a hot tub next to an thin ice covered swimming pool we watched Art's brother climb from the Hot Tub and jump feet first into the pool. He broke the ice with his weight and literally flew up out of the pool. He knew it would be a cold jump but never expected it that cold! It was a sight to be hold. I think if the side of the pool wasn't reachable he would have walked on water. P.S. Very well written. So entertaining with your words.
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12-26-2011
11:57 AM
567 Loves
The following is a fictional story I wrote to give our Customers a better idea how the great People in Dispatch watch over our planes. The lady in the seat next to me is pale. Her hand is shaky as she reaches over to grasp my wrist as the bumps jostle us and the Flight Attendants take their seats to ride it out. I peek out the window to see the Rocky Mountains ahead of us. “I’m sorry, I just don’t like this turbulence,” she says and I try to help comfort the 70-year old grandmother heading out to see her newest grandbaby. She probably didn’t realize that she was sitting next to one of the few people who actually can sleep through turbulence and even enjoys it a bit in a weather geek sort way. “We’re going to be okay,” I tried to assure her, “There is a lot going on behind the scenes and many people watching over us to help minimize what we’re going through right now.” She seemed to be interested and even better yet, distracted, so I went on. “Before the flight there is someone on the ground who is planning the route that we will fly. But wait, what’s your oldest grandkid’s name?” I ask her. “Kim is my smart girl,” she says with a proud grandma smile. “So let’s say Kim is grown up, and we’re lucky enough to have her working at Southwest Airlines as a Flight Dispatcher. She is on the ground taking care of you before the flight happens by planning the safest route, but the job doesn’t stop there. She continues to keep an eye on the flight and any new weather that may pop up along the way that may be a problem. Any time there is a change that could impact the flight, she relays this information up to the Pilots, who she has been working with since the flight started, and they plan a way to avoid or at least minimize the effect of the turbulence. Sometimes you just can’t get around it, but you can make the ride a bit easier.” “Oh my heavens,” she says, “So can the Pilot do something too?” “Yes, he is also keeping an ear and eye out for changes as well. The two Pilots are constantly listening to their radios and all the talk happening between all the flights in the area and Air Traffic Control. They can hear other flights asking for different flight levels or reporting where turbulence is. Air Traffic Control, Kim, our Dispatcher, and the Pilot all work together to either reroute the flight or make it fly at a different level to help make the Passenger’s experience as good and as safe as possible.” “They’re like airline sentinels keeping guard over our way, aren’t they?” she says, making a great analogy. As if on cue, I hear the engines' tone change a little and feel that little push as we start to descend a bit, and the bumps weaken to the point where it just feels like driving on a washboard road. She smiles a bit as if she just found out a little secret. Her grip loosens, but still she holds onto my arm gently. “I think Kim is taking care of us,” she whispers.
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06-01-2011
12:30 PM
634 Loves
“Are you crazy?!” I get that a lot when people find out that I used to fly into hurricanes as a meteorologist and loadmaster. I’m an adrenaline junkie, so maybe it’s not so much being crazy as it is enjoying the ride and the spectacular show that Mother Nature can display.
Years ago, an Air Force recruiter decided that I would end up in the weather field for my career, and little did I know where that would take me. Early in my career I discovered a band of weather warriors based out of Biloxi, MS and decided that I would join them someday. The squadron is actually an Air Force Reserve squadron, which meant I had to wait until I got off of active duty to join. After an interview with the Chief in charge at the time, I made that easy decision to do what it took to get trained and ready to fly into storms. Yes that’s what I said, into them!
Flying into a tropical storm, not over it, can sometimes be fairly uneventful and at other times, you get to experience strong turbulence that rocks the plane. The engines groan as they fight the up- and downdrafts. While our Southwest pilots go out of their way to avoid weather, the crews on these WC-130 aircraft purposely track towards the eye of the storm. Two of our current Southwest pilots, Captain Chris Patrie and First Officer Jason MacDonald have plenty of experience flying into hurricanes as well. Thankfully, weather radar as well as many weather sensors onboard the aircraft help the crew to stay on track.
Storms like Hurricane Georges toss anything not strapped down in the back of the plane around like children’s toys. In many storms, I’ve experienced just the light choppiness that feels as if you’re driving your car down a washboard dirt road, but for 12 hours. They’re a long 12 hours that even after you land, leave you feeling motion sensations as if you’d been on a boat all day.
Each storm is completely different from the others. There are a few constants, but each one has its own personality, so to speak. One of the most spectacular things you can see in some of these massive, perfectly formed hurricanes is what is called “the stadium effect” where the rotation of the clouds within the eye itself makes it look as if you’re in the middle of a baseball or football stadium looking up. The clouds are curved tightly and in a way, they curve back in towards the center towards the top. When it’s especially clear, you can see the nearly calm seas below you and blue sky above. It’s a spectacular sight that few people get to see.
“Why in the world do you do it?” is another question frequently asked. The real purpose behind the group is to not only track the position of the storm, but the changes happening within the storm with the pressure, winds, and temperatures. They start tracking many times when a storm is just forming as a tropical storm all the way through its lifecycle until it makes landfall. Any minor changes could be a sign of major changes happening to forecasters on the ground at the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Satellite imagery is a great tool, but it can’t detect the nuances of the storm itself, and radar detection only goes out so far off the coast. The NHC not only keeps an eye on the coastlines, but major air routes off the East and West coasts of the U.S. as well.
I’ve been retired for nearly four years now, but I still get a little twang to go fly when I see a tropical storm starting to brew over the water. I suppose it’s a bit like being a retired firefighter seeing flames; you just want to be in the action and helping people.
For more information about hurricanes, visit the National Hurricane Center’s site or visit the Hurricane Hunters home page for more information about the folks chasing these beasts.
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03-15-2012
11:50 AM
230 Loves
wow these are tool boxes? Pretty huge huh... You maybe can build a house using all that's inside hahhaa... My husband love collecting tools too . he uses it to assemble and reassemble his Big RC Helicopter.. I guess i should get one of this on fathers day.. tools are messing around the backyard and i hate it,,,, 🙂
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02-04-2011
09:05 AM
221 Loves
Kari-
Great job! we all work so very hard to keep our planes safe and profits flowing. It really does take a orchestra of sorts to make it happen.
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