NERVOUS FLYER? START HERE.

Turbulence is a plane in jello.

Air feels like nothing, but it presses on a plane from every side: above, below and all around. Picture the plane set inside a block of jello. Shake the jello and everything wobbles, but the plane stays held right where it is.

HOW BUMPY?

Calm. The plane is held in place.

WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS

Turbulence is just uneven air.

Air flows like water in a river. Mostly it’s smooth. In some places it swirls. When a plane passes through the swirls, it gets bumped around. That’s all turbulence is. It usually comes from one of four things.

Wind over mountains

Air spills over ridges like water over rocks in a stream. It’s why the Rockies show up in so many forecasts.

The jet stream

Fast rivers of air at cruising height. Where they rub against slower air, it gets choppy, even in clear blue sky.

Rising warm air

Sunny ground heats the air, and it bubbles upward. You feel it most while climbing and coming in to land.

Storms

Thunderstorms churn the air hard. Pilots and air traffic control route flights around them.

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE

Watch your coffee.

Larry forecasts four levels. Here’s how each one feels from your seat.

Smooth

You may not notice anything.

Light

Slight bumps. Drinks may ripple. Walking around is fine.

Moderate

Seatbelt sign on, and service may pause. Uncomfortable, not dangerous when you’re buckled in.

Severe

Rare. Pilots route around it whenever they can.

WHY YOU’RE SAFE

A bumpy flight isn’t a dangerous one.

2.5×

Built for far more

Before an airliner can carry passengers, the FAA requires it to handle at least 2.5 times the forces of normal flight, plus a 50% safety margin on top.

~1%

Rough air is rare

At cruising height, moderate turbulence covers about 1% of the sky at any moment. Severe covers just a few tenths of a percent.

Your seatbelt is the fix

When passengers are seriously hurt in turbulence, most weren’t wearing a seatbelt. Keep it fastened whenever you’re seated.

Pilots plan around it

Crews check turbulence forecasts and reports from other pilots, and change altitude or route to find smoother air.

Sources: FAA airliner structure rules (14 CFR 25.337 and 25.303); turbulence coverage from atmospheric scientist Paul Williams and NTSB findings, via AP / KUOW.

FOR A SMOOTHER RIDE

Little things that help.

  1. 01Keep your seatbelt onWhenever you’re seated, not just when the sign is lit.
  2. 02Sit over the wings or near the frontThe ride feels steadier there than at the back.
  3. 03Fly earlier in the dayMornings tend to be calmer, before the sun heats the ground.
  4. 04Know what’s comingCheck your Larry forecast the morning you fly, so no bump is a surprise.

Now see what your flight looks like.

Check my flight

Larry forecasts what’s expected. It never promises a smooth flight, so always follow your crew. The jello idea comes from a pilot’s tip for nervous flyers; it’s a simple picture, not an aerodynamics lesson.