First time on plane......turbulance?

[meloneyb21]

For people who fly all the time, how often does turbulence occur?

 

[safetymom]

I fly quite a bit and can only think of a few times with a lot of turbulence. If the pilot is aware there is a area that could be turbulent they try to fly around it.

 

[DLBDS]

I think you would be lucky if you didn't experience at least a mild bit of turbulence. It's more noticeable in smaller aircraft than large airliners. Are you worried? Don't be. Relax. If you think the aircraft is about to drop out of the sky, look around you. Is anyone else worried? Chances are that most of the passengers you see are seasoned sky travelers. If they aren't worried then there's no reason for you to be either. I flew a lot as a child (divorced parents). My stepdad is a corporate pilot. I don't get the oportunity to fly much anymore though. I flew in a single engine Cessna for the 1st time since I was a child last summer. It was a little weird at first. Turbulence causes the smaller aircraft to take small dips. Kinda unnerving at first but I quickly became used to it (I remembered how it used to feel). In the bigger airliners it can be more of a bumpy sensation. Am I right here folks? (It's been awhile.) My husband doesn't fly well (he's flown once his entire life). This is why I don't fly now. HOWEVER, I have told him that he IS flying to WDW this December. He's not looking forward to it but he's not fighting me on the issue. Maybe he's saving his strength for later? Good luck and don't worry about it!

 

[Kycha]

Last year we took my DM to Ireland. She hates to fly. She even considered bringing tranquilizers to knock herself out for our 8 hour flight. The trick she used to relax her fears was to close her eyes and imagine that she was riding in a car. If you think about it any turbulence you feel on a plane is very similar to the feel of a car going over bumps in the road. This worked great for her. Just relax and you will be fine.

 

[Servants of Evan]

That's very tough to answer. You'll have turbulence by varrying degrees on almost every flight. Most times it's not even enough to slosh your beverage, though you may notice some wing flex. By the way -- they're designed to do that -- it's not a malfunction and they're not shaking apart. Remember -- the flexible willow tree will survive the winds because it can give and take. The same concept is used when designing wing structures.
More moderate turbulence would include a decent shake, and if you had a full glass, your tray table napkin would get a bit wet. Believe me, it's not that bad. If you can ride any of the three Mountain rides in the Magic Kingdom, it's nothing to worry about here. That sort of turbulence doesn't happen that often, maybe once in 20 flights... You may wind up encountering this when the aircraft is descending if storms have been rolling through the area. For the "cruise" portion of your flight, you'll be well above 30,000 feet so storm clouds aren't an issue.
The more extreme turbulence (which is VERY, VERY rare) is the video you see of people bouncing around in and out of their seats. This typically does not happen in domestic situations. In the US we primarily fly in "air corridors" which for lack of a better description are "superhighways in the sky." Your aircraft will not be the first plane passing through that area -- someone is probably flying 10 minutes or so ahead on much the same route. If the plane ahead encounters turbulence, they will radio Air Traffic Control and advise them of the unstable air. ATC will then notify other aircraft in the area and instruct them to increase or decrease altitude to avoid going through any turbulence. Remember -- the airline doesn't want you getting bounced around either and they will go to great lengths to ensure a smooth flight because smooth flights = happy customers.

 

[Snoozan]

I also used to be very nervous about the turbulence. Like another poster said, I just close my eyes and I think that I'm on a bus - which helps me think that I'm just going over a few potholes here and there. I also take Dramamine which helps relax me and I'm usually able to doze off a little bit.

 

[AllyBri]

We fly at least twice a month and I can't remember the last time there was turbulance.
Like Safetymom said, most pilots will try to fly around it.

 

[JERSEYGIRLINSI]

Flying is so cool, don't allow yourself to overthink it. Turbulence will happen occassionally, and it is quite similar to hitting a big pothole in the city(NYC) ,while driving a car that is low to the ground. Pilots will know most often before it will occur, and avoid it whenever possible. It is safe to say that I have flown over 80-90 times(disney, springbreaks, honeymoon, college), and I can honestly say that I have had "bad" turbulence 2 times. (From Ocho Rios, Jamaica-to-Kingston, Jamaica ..and..St. Thomas-to-San Juan)...and even then it lasted maybe 2 minutes at the longest. If you can make it through a dental visit with the noises in there, you will really be mad at yourself for putting so much energy into being nervous to fly.

Don't overthink..just enjoy your flight

 

[Hef4545]

If you're nervous, the climb and the descent can be scary to some. Just pretend you are at the park on a swing and say wheeeeeeeee.
I know, sounds crazy, but when my son was little that is what I used to do and he was never afraid once. What is it that you are afraid of really? Crashing? Remember....the pilot does not want to die either and like others have said, with all the high tech stuff they have in the cockpit, they just fly above it or around it. Have a great flight!

 

[Selket]

I get nervous flying despite how safe I know it is. I think if you are afraid to fly even the little bumps seem like a lot! I highly suggest that, if you can, to take some music or something to listen to with earphones and also a good book. For me I can get really into a good book and I pay less attention to anything else going on. Flying in a bigger plane helps too.

I swear it seems everytime I fly at least part of the flight is so bumpy I feel like my drink is going to off the tray....

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

Turbulence doesn't mean something is going wrong - it's perfectly normal. The pilots aren't scared by it - they expect it. A river isn't always perfectly smooth, and neither is the river of air you fly through, but the kind of bumps that can seem pronounced to an inexperienced flyer are really nothing.

Expect a few bumps on the way up and down as you fly through the clouds. Once you reach the cruising altitude and are over the weather things should smooth out for most (but probably not all) of your flight. We fly all the time and when I get off the plane I don't even remember whether we hit any turbulence anymore. The pilot will sometimes ask the crew to take their seats when it gets particularly bumpy - again nothing to worry about. That doesn't mean something horrible is going to happen, just that the captain doesn't want a crew member accidentally falling into a passenger or anything.

You may be flying once a year, but the pilots and flight attendants get up every day and head to their "office" just like you do. They experience some turbulence every single day, all day - sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. But they just know more than you do about flying - they aren't any braver than you are. They don't want to die any more than you do, so if the kind of bumps you might experience on your flight were dangerous, they'd have other jobs. You really are safe. Honest.

 

[BarometerMan]

I just keep in mind that the people driving the plane are doing a job that they LOVE to do. They wouldn't be up there if they weren't.

You're going to do fine, Meloney.

 

[DawnaJean]

When my DS2 flew to WDW last year we took off and he watched outside and said loudly "We're going down, We're going down!!!" I know he meant "Up" and he was just excited but it wasn't something anyone wanted to hear as we took off.

Later that same flight we had a bit of a bumpy landing. My DH and I were worried it would scare DS and we were ready to calm his fears. As soon as the plane smoothed out DS smiled and said "let's do that again".

I've only flown eleven times and only had mild turbulence once and it was a very small commuter plane (I could see out the front of the plane it was so small). It felt a bit like when you take a dip in a roller coaster, like your stomach feels funny for a second. It didn't make me feel sick though. If you think you might have motion sickness, maybe take a preventative tablet for motion sickness.

Good luck!
Dawna

 

[NotUrsula]

It's also worth noting that it can depend on the route and the time of year, as well; some routes are known for having rather a lot of turbulence at certain times. Pilots still try to avoid it as much as possible, of course, but there are some situations where you can't avoid it completely.

An example: My home airport is STL, but I'm from S. Louisiana; every single flight I've ever taken on the MSY>STL route over the past 20 years has had at least one episode of enough turbulence to slosh liquid out of a half-full cup.
We've never hit anything really rough on that route, but little dips reminiscent of a hilly road are common.

 

[bavaria]

It's also worth noting that it can depend on the route and the time of year, as well; some routes are known for having rather a lot of turbulence at certain times. Pilots still try to avoid it as much as possible, of course, but there are some situations where you can't avoid it completely.

An example: My home airport is STL, but I'm from S. Louisiana; every single flight I've ever taken on the MSY>STL route over the past 20 years has had at least one episode of enough turbulence to slosh liquid out of a half-full cup.
We've never hit anything really rough on that route, but little dips reminiscent of a hilly road are common.

I agree that the routing can have a big impact. I fly across the continent as well as up and down the continent sevearl times a month, and I used to fly Europe - N AMerica a lot. I always try for at least a 737 or A319 in size if I can. I have had some rare times of bad turbulence which feels worse when flying a DASH8 or other small plane.

But flying a larger plane the turbulence is not as noticeable. I can tell you that in winter crossing the Rockies the seatbelt sign goes on almost the entire time, and sometimes the FAs are asked to be seated. But on a larger plane it's jst like bumps in the road.

I also recommend that if you are nervous, lift your feet off the floor. Sounds weird, but you wont' feel the bumps. And get distracted by something to avoid nerves - your kids, a magazine, etc.

I fly a LOT (over 15,000 miles in the first 5 weeks of this year) and have become ok with bumpy flights. I can only recall 3 really bad flights in all my years of flying around the world. Hope that helps!

 

[meloneyb21]

Thank You, I'm feeling a little bit better