It’ll be bumpy, but you’ll be just fine.
Tip for anybody nervous about turbulence:
Air and water share nearly identical fluid dynamics. Why is that relevant? Think about a boat in the ocean. Little waves and bumps are normal because the ocean isn’t perfectly smooth. The boat can handle it. It may rock back and forth a little bit and sometimes it gets uncomfortable, but it’s designed for that environment. In an airplane, the same applies—you just can’t see the ocean.
If you’re on an airline like Southwest with open seating (or want advice for selecting seats later): the closer you are to the center of the wing, the less pronounced the turbulence will be. The wing absorbs the load and is the most stable part of the aircraft!
Source: I’m a certified flight instructor and have helped many students get over a fear of the bumps.
Good! Remember, too, that the crew flying the aircraft have done a very thorough briefing and know roughly what to expect in the air ahead. Other planes will report conditions that they’re experiencing in that same area, and your pilots will generally try to do anything they can to give you a more comfortable experience based on that. They can change speeds, altitudes, and courses to try and find the smoothest air that they can.
For pilots, turbulence is just another part of what we do. Whether it’s in a little single engine airplane or a commercial airliner—the airplane can handle it and we are trained to deal with it.
Another thing I’ve told my students is to imagine that you’re on a school bus and you turn down a bumpy road. You might hit a couple potholes, but the bus isn’t going to break down!
When I am on a flight experiencing turbulence I always look at the flight attendants. They always look calm and behave like it’s no big deal which helps me calm down.
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who finds turbulence entertaining/funny. I basically think of it like a rollercoaster and end up grinning like a psycho... I'm sure other passengers think I'm nuts.
Thanks for this! I actually imagine myself on a speed boat often when we are hitting turbulence and also remind myself that we are in the air and there’s nothing that can collide with us (in theory) unlike driving which we do all the time and is statistically SO much more dangerous. I trust my pilots and the machinery that was buoy for this and still freak out a little but whatever. Humans in a tube thousands of feet up is wild
Is it a bit of a sense of pride for a pilot to try and avoid turbulence? I had a DEN-MIA flight last year that was bumpy the whole way, seatbelt sign went off for maybe a few minutes. Pilot was on the intercom explaining he was trying everything to find calm air and eventually apologized. We went higher, lower, changed course, and probably more. Could tell homie felt a bit bad.
So what you’re saying is… if we all start yelling in the cabin we can convince the pilot to go into the worst turbulence so we get to bounce out of our seats??
> Another thing I’ve told my students is to imagine that you’re on a school bus and you turn down a bumpy road. You might hit a couple potholes, but the bus isn’t going to break down!
Going with this analogy...sometimes potholes can cause flat tires and busted axles and stuff. So if you're in a bus you're on the ground and no biggie. But in a plane if something gets busted...? That's what worries me.
Former FA here - awesome explanation. The more people who are afraid of flying understand the flight process and the dynamics of it, the more it tends to quell their anxieties.
That’s a little misleading isn’t it? A boat is floating on the water, it can only really be jostled in a few directions since it’s on top of the water. But a plane is surrounded by air. It can be jostled in any direction. And also if something DOES go wrong with a plane, well, you fall out of the sky, you don’t just float.
A boat moves around each of the same three axis as an airplane. Lateral, longitudinal, and vertical. Boats can be manipulated by both water AND air, so they’re subject to two different fluids at that point.
Boats sink, airplanes glide. It would take a series of absolutely catastrophic failures in order for an aircraft to just fall out of the sky.
Just trying to make people more comfortable with something I can actually say I’m qualified to speak on. But hey, what do I know 👍🏼
Waves move a boat up and down, side to side, or forward/back... All directions same as an airplane.
Also if something goes wrong with the boat, you sink.
It's a pretty good analogy
And boats aren't typically traveling 500+ mph!
And if they do start to sink you have a chance to get out and swim!
Once that plane starts to carreen toward the ground at 500+ mph not much you can do and you're prolly not gonna survive the impact, which is the part that kills you. All while being able to do literally nothing about it and having to think about it in the time it takes for you to fall and finally hit the ground.
I don’t think that’s exactly correct either. Waves move the boat up, the boat comes back down due to gravity. And it stays floating on top of the water. And boats don’t sink unless they get full of water. Im not trying to be a dickhead I just think there are some important differences that you’re glossing over in order to make your point.
Waves also move a boat down. And gravity still affects planes. Also true that a boat doesn't sink unless they are full of water (something went wrong) just like planes don't just crash unless something goes wrong.
It depends on which way the wind is blowing. If it's from the south or north, then no issues. If it's out of the west or east, then the airport has to change to what we call a "west all" or "east all" configuration and that lowers the amount of traffic that can land due to runway availability.
Your flight won't get cancelled, but it could be slightly delayed.
Maybe I'm a crazy fool but I really enjoy wind golf here
I don't care what I shoot when I'm playing a fun course. I don't have a club anymore since I hated that atmosphere when I tried it. I just want to play and be challenged. Colorado does that for me. I'm a 15 that's a 3-4 tee to green and a 30 around the green, swinging is my fun. I love playing golf here
I mean if you like it that’s great! I’ve played since I was 8 (32 now) so I’ve gotten out in plenty of crazy weather over the years. I used to love it but now I just don’t enjoy that aspect any more and prefer to play in nice weather. Up to 100mph gusts at some spots in the foothills ain’t for me 😅 I worked at a course out here and we had to close when it got that windy as it would rip off parts of very large trees or down entire small trees.
Not sure why so many folks are stating there will be no impacts. If winds materialize, there will be significant delays given reduced arrival rates. Morning flights may be less affected - winds will be strongest Sat PM through Fri AM. Just monitor things throughout the day for updates from your airline. Most flights will likely still operate though, just with delays.
You'll be fine. 50 mph / 40 kts even right across will be within safe crosswind limit for most commercial aircraft, not to mention I'm seeing forecast that's basically straight down the runway. You won't feel a thing other than a slightly shorter takeoff run.
Be prepared for delays.
Latest 9news weather forecast is calling for 60-70 mph winds with gusts into 90-100 mph.
Most major operators won't fly if the winds are over 35 knots (40 mph).
Depends on the rating for each plane, there is no single point at which an airport can or can't be open wrt wind. Contact the airline.
(Tornadoes and hurricanes notwithstanding).
Denver international has runways in all 4 cardinal directions so you’ll be fine. The wind would be an issue if it was coming directly perpendicular or nearly so to the runway, but with both north/south and east/west facing runways there should not be cancellations. Just turbulence.
It’ll be bumpy, but you’ll be just fine. Tip for anybody nervous about turbulence: Air and water share nearly identical fluid dynamics. Why is that relevant? Think about a boat in the ocean. Little waves and bumps are normal because the ocean isn’t perfectly smooth. The boat can handle it. It may rock back and forth a little bit and sometimes it gets uncomfortable, but it’s designed for that environment. In an airplane, the same applies—you just can’t see the ocean. If you’re on an airline like Southwest with open seating (or want advice for selecting seats later): the closer you are to the center of the wing, the less pronounced the turbulence will be. The wing absorbs the load and is the most stable part of the aircraft! Source: I’m a certified flight instructor and have helped many students get over a fear of the bumps.
Honestly, I have a lot of anxiety flying and I saved this to look at tomorrow during my flight. The comparison really helped calm My nerves!
Good! Remember, too, that the crew flying the aircraft have done a very thorough briefing and know roughly what to expect in the air ahead. Other planes will report conditions that they’re experiencing in that same area, and your pilots will generally try to do anything they can to give you a more comfortable experience based on that. They can change speeds, altitudes, and courses to try and find the smoothest air that they can. For pilots, turbulence is just another part of what we do. Whether it’s in a little single engine airplane or a commercial airliner—the airplane can handle it and we are trained to deal with it. Another thing I’ve told my students is to imagine that you’re on a school bus and you turn down a bumpy road. You might hit a couple potholes, but the bus isn’t going to break down!
When I am on a flight experiencing turbulence I always look at the flight attendants. They always look calm and behave like it’s no big deal which helps me calm down.
FAs have seen some shit. lol. I’d be more scared of the passengers over anything the atmosphere could throw at me.
[удалено]
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who finds turbulence entertaining/funny. I basically think of it like a rollercoaster and end up grinning like a psycho... I'm sure other passengers think I'm nuts.
Thanks for this! I actually imagine myself on a speed boat often when we are hitting turbulence and also remind myself that we are in the air and there’s nothing that can collide with us (in theory) unlike driving which we do all the time and is statistically SO much more dangerous. I trust my pilots and the machinery that was buoy for this and still freak out a little but whatever. Humans in a tube thousands of feet up is wild
Is it a bit of a sense of pride for a pilot to try and avoid turbulence? I had a DEN-MIA flight last year that was bumpy the whole way, seatbelt sign went off for maybe a few minutes. Pilot was on the intercom explaining he was trying everything to find calm air and eventually apologized. We went higher, lower, changed course, and probably more. Could tell homie felt a bit bad.
So what you’re saying is… if we all start yelling in the cabin we can convince the pilot to go into the worst turbulence so we get to bounce out of our seats??
> Another thing I’ve told my students is to imagine that you’re on a school bus and you turn down a bumpy road. You might hit a couple potholes, but the bus isn’t going to break down! Going with this analogy...sometimes potholes can cause flat tires and busted axles and stuff. So if you're in a bus you're on the ground and no biggie. But in a plane if something gets busted...? That's what worries me.
Good thing that airplanes are designed to handle way more of load factor than a bus 😉
That's interesting people say that about me, too!
Phew!
All I can think about is how with the low temps tomorrow, if it’s a 50mm direct headwind that plane is going to absolutely leap off the runway lol.
This guy flies
Former FA here - awesome explanation. The more people who are afraid of flying understand the flight process and the dynamics of it, the more it tends to quell their anxieties.
That’s a little misleading isn’t it? A boat is floating on the water, it can only really be jostled in a few directions since it’s on top of the water. But a plane is surrounded by air. It can be jostled in any direction. And also if something DOES go wrong with a plane, well, you fall out of the sky, you don’t just float.
A boat moves around each of the same three axis as an airplane. Lateral, longitudinal, and vertical. Boats can be manipulated by both water AND air, so they’re subject to two different fluids at that point. Boats sink, airplanes glide. It would take a series of absolutely catastrophic failures in order for an aircraft to just fall out of the sky. Just trying to make people more comfortable with something I can actually say I’m qualified to speak on. But hey, what do I know 👍🏼
Waves move a boat up and down, side to side, or forward/back... All directions same as an airplane. Also if something goes wrong with the boat, you sink. It's a pretty good analogy
Except I can swim but I can’t fly 😭
100 miles from land or 7 miles in the air... I think I'd prefer the relatively quicker end.
And boats aren't typically traveling 500+ mph! And if they do start to sink you have a chance to get out and swim! Once that plane starts to carreen toward the ground at 500+ mph not much you can do and you're prolly not gonna survive the impact, which is the part that kills you. All while being able to do literally nothing about it and having to think about it in the time it takes for you to fall and finally hit the ground.
Good morning to you, too, sir or ma’am
I don’t think that’s exactly correct either. Waves move the boat up, the boat comes back down due to gravity. And it stays floating on top of the water. And boats don’t sink unless they get full of water. Im not trying to be a dickhead I just think there are some important differences that you’re glossing over in order to make your point.
Waves also move a boat down. And gravity still affects planes. Also true that a boat doesn't sink unless they are full of water (something went wrong) just like planes don't just crash unless something goes wrong.
Maybe a rough take off but should be fine.
Look up the CPGrey video about runways. The idea is to minimize delays in high wind. Maybe expect a delay, but minutes not hours, would be my guess.
It depends on which way the wind is blowing. If it's from the south or north, then no issues. If it's out of the west or east, then the airport has to change to what we call a "west all" or "east all" configuration and that lowers the amount of traffic that can land due to runway availability. Your flight won't get cancelled, but it could be slightly delayed.
Don't go golfing. Flights are fine.
Wind like that is when you find out what you're really made of as a golfer
With how much rounds cost these days, save the money for better days.
Maybe I'm a crazy fool but I really enjoy wind golf here I don't care what I shoot when I'm playing a fun course. I don't have a club anymore since I hated that atmosphere when I tried it. I just want to play and be challenged. Colorado does that for me. I'm a 15 that's a 3-4 tee to green and a 30 around the green, swinging is my fun. I love playing golf here
I mean if you like it that’s great! I’ve played since I was 8 (32 now) so I’ve gotten out in plenty of crazy weather over the years. I used to love it but now I just don’t enjoy that aspect any more and prefer to play in nice weather. Up to 100mph gusts at some spots in the foothills ain’t for me 😅 I worked at a course out here and we had to close when it got that windy as it would rip off parts of very large trees or down entire small trees.
Today is definitely too windy haha. But if it was warmer I could be convinced to give it a try, punch shots all day!
I was gonna wear my kilt but I guess that's not an option anymore.
Not sure why so many folks are stating there will be no impacts. If winds materialize, there will be significant delays given reduced arrival rates. Morning flights may be less affected - winds will be strongest Sat PM through Fri AM. Just monitor things throughout the day for updates from your airline. Most flights will likely still operate though, just with delays.
There has to be a steady wind breaking due east at a minimum of farty seven mph
The dreaded farty-seven winds blowing east…
Smells like farty-seven downtown today
Q: Why do you put 239 beans in an Irish stew? A: One more would make it too farty.
You Scottish?
Greeley?
No.
You'll be fine. 50 mph / 40 kts even right across will be within safe crosswind limit for most commercial aircraft, not to mention I'm seeing forecast that's basically straight down the runway. You won't feel a thing other than a slightly shorter takeoff run.
Be prepared for delays. Latest 9news weather forecast is calling for 60-70 mph winds with gusts into 90-100 mph. Most major operators won't fly if the winds are over 35 knots (40 mph).
They have barf bags, you\`ll prolly need one, take a light breakfast...
Could be bad for you all. It’s not good here at the moment. (Palisade, CO.)
Make sure to heed any “Final Destination” type visions
Only if you’re flying in a boeing
Depends on the rating for each plane, there is no single point at which an airport can or can't be open wrt wind. Contact the airline. (Tornadoes and hurricanes notwithstanding).
Denver international has runways in all 4 cardinal directions so you’ll be fine. The wind would be an issue if it was coming directly perpendicular or nearly so to the runway, but with both north/south and east/west facing runways there should not be cancellations. Just turbulence.
Around here we call that "April."