In our time, many are suffering from fear of air travel - aerophobia . Some people cause panic attacks, take off and landing, others fear that engines will suddenly fail, while others frighten possible terrorist attacks. And one of the reasons why some people are afraid to fly is turbulence. It represents a strong shaking during the flight. This can scare you, especially if you are flying for the first time. Passengers may feel that there are some problems in the airplane's mechanism, and the pilots do not cope with the control. But in fact, turbulence is a normal, completely natural phenomenon. To defeat your fears, it is enough to know why there is turbulence in the plane, and how dangerous it is.
Causes of turbulence
The phenomenon of turbulence was discovered experimentally in 1883 by engineer Reynolds, an Englishman. He proved that with an increase in the flow rate of water or air in a given medium, chaotic waves and vortices are formed. Thus, air is the main "culprit" of turbulence. On different atmospheric layers, its molecules have a different value and density. In addition, changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure, as well as the speed of air (wind). Passing through the turbulence zone at high speed, the airplane "falls through" into the air holes, its body vibrates violently, and in the salon there is a so-called "blubber". Most often, such air zones of instability are located in the airspace above the mountains and oceans, as well as at the junctions of the oceans and continents. The strongest zones of turbulence are above the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Also, you will certainly feel what turbulence is, if the aircraft gets into a thunderstorm.
Is turbulence dangerous for an airplane?
According to statistics, aircraft are subjected to turbulence in 85-90% of the flights. At the same time, "bolt" does not in the least threaten security. The features of modern aircraft construction are such that the body of the "iron bird" is manufactured taking into account very strong turbulence. In addition, the design provides special flaps, which increase the resistance to atmospheric turbulence. The newest instruments installed on board help pilots to see ahead of the zone of possible turbulence and avoid it, deviating slightly from the course.
The most terrible thing that threatens a passenger during the passage of an airplane through the turbulence zone is the risk of injuries if, during the shaking, he leaves his seat, does not buckle or falls on badly fixed baggage from the top shelf. Otherwise, there is absolutely no reason for panic. The facts speak for themselves: from turbulence in flight, not a single plane crashed during the last 25 years.
Turbulence can seem terrible if you are at this moment in the cabin of the aircraft in place of the passenger. If we compare