I’m a former flight attendant, and I have to say, once flying out of Maine, we hit the worst clear air turbulence I ever went through. Our capt. says it was the worst he had ever been through, and he had 20 years of experience. It was awful.
I was a flight attendant for several years during the 1980s, and turbulence never bothered me much back then, though there were a few scary moments, like the time we were descending into a typhoon that was bearing down on Manila. The aircraft was buffeted all over the place. But after I stopped flying professionally, flying as a passenger, I have since found turbulence extremely unnerving. There was one incident I'll never forget flying from Cleveland to LGA, the winds were so fierce in NY, that it seemed like the pilots could hardly control the aircraft. I thought we would crash. There've been a few scary Transatlantic crossings, too. I don't fly much these days, about once or twice a year, but I'm always on edge when I do :( I KNOW statistically it's safe and the aircraft can withstand a lot. But the unknown unknowns worry me.
As a nervous passenger flier, I'm curious why you find it more unnerving as a passenger than as a professional. Is it just something that's developed over time anyway, or is there something different in the mindset when you're working that makes it less nerve wracking?
@@GoldenPhoenix101 In a word, it's about trust. Back in the days when I flew professionally, the entire aviation business was different. I knew many of our pilots, how rigorous their training was, they were skilled aviators and professionals and I had confidence in them and their abilities. In addition -- and this is also significant -- most airlines did in-house maintenance of their aircraft and everything was overseen by the FAA and other civil aviation authorities. In recent years, airlines have outsourced a lot of their maintenance to third-parties in developing countries where the rules are not as stringent, and oversight is a bit on the lax side. So it begs the question, what else is being sacrficed in the interest of cost-cutting? While I am not suggesting that pilots now are less professional or not rigorously trained (many of them started out in the military and got the best training) but they are under much more stress than before. Both crew and aircraft are being pushed to their limits (while at the same time more seats are being jammed into airplanes to maximize profitability, along with all the increasing incidents of air rage.) Undoubtedly, this is exacting a toll on the crews' mental and physical health. There have been three incidents in recent years (that we know of) of commercial pilots committing suicide with airplanes full of people. What does that tell you?
You and many others Liz… I believe Landing is the most dangerous… so there’s nothing to really worry about with turbulence…. Unless the pilots gone rouge into a storm 😂
There is really nothing to worry about, though. It's like driving over a very rough road with your car. It can feel very frightening sometimes but the plane won't fall out of the sky or break up.
@@LukeCrisp@Liz Fesczenko They always say that take off and landing the most dangerous but that's no comfort to those of us freaked by turbulence, haha and personally, I love the feeling of landing, the gradual descent and views out the window, the sort of silence the plane takes on as everyone quiets for final descent.
The most turbulent flight I ever had was flying from Canberra to Sydney in an Ansett Airlines 737. The flight was delayed more than 30 minutes in Canberra because of severe weather. Enroute things got real bad real fast. As you would have experienced on your flight, there was a lot of wing flex, and the aircraft was pitching from left to right. Lightning was flashing through the windows, and the noise of the engines accelerating to full power, then powering down between the vertical gusts was terrifying. I remember tightening my seatbelt, and could feel the weightlessness, as the vertical acceleration was trying to pull me out of my seat. On the descent into Sydney many of the overhead lockers flew open, and there were clothes, and baggage strewn all over the isles. People were throwing up, and screaming as the aircraft learched from left to right, pitching erratically up and down, and rapidly ascending, and descending. It was like a scene from hell. The aircraft touched down in Sydney amid pelting rain, and all the passengers cheered, and clapped hysterically. Never have I experienced anything like this since, and now consider even moderate turbulence to be somewhat mild by comparison.
Wow! Firstly Ansett! Isn’t that a blast from the past… unfortunately I never got to fly with them before they went bust.. As for you story, it’s incredibly detailed and I could actually visualize the event in my own mind 😆 I’d wonder if the sickness was from being scared or as a result of the bumps and swaying… thanks for the comment Karl! Great story!
I’m sorry you had to go through that I remember that flight like yesterday. I was first pilot that day the captain had been up all night snorting coke with some of the flight attendant lady’s an wasn’t 100% that day so I took over the flight while he slept. 😅
The worst turbulence I've ever experienced was on a short 30-minute flight from Ithaca, NY to Newark, NJ. It was a 6am flight and there were severe thunderstorms in the area. We were in a tiny CRJ-550, and for some reason, the pilots decided to fly through the storms, which happened to be right in the middle of the flight path. It was such a short flight that I assume they didn't have too many options. I'm already a fearful flyer and very weary of turbulence, so this flight was some of the worst and scariest 30 minutes of my life. The plane keep dropping and bucking like a horse, with really powerful bumps and people holding onto the seats in front of them. I just curled up in my seat, covered my ears, and counted down the minutes until we landed. Luckily we did, but I was on edge for the rest of the day. Thank god it was only a 30-minute flight!
I was recently on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London to NYC. Upon our arrival over Canadian airspace, we encountered the the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, now a tropical storm. It was by far the bumpiest flight I’ve been on. The plane was swaying from left to right like a seesaw, and dipping like a bucking horse. It lasted for about 30 mins. Another time I was on a Delta flight from Miami to NYC. Upon final approach into LGA, I noticed that a storm was rolling into Manhattan from west to east. Just as we were about 100 ft from the runway. The picket had to abort the landing and we had to go around. By this time we were in the eye of the storm and the go-around was bumpy. Upon the second approach into LGA, we had to abort the landing again. At this point, the weather over LGA was so bad green flight was diverted to JFK. As scary as that flight was it was impressive how agile the plane was to go from landing speed and seconds away from landing to full thrust. The pilot's skills were on full display. It was scary and amazing at the same time.
30 mins would feel like a long time to be getting bounced about in the plane. It’s crazy to think NOAA / Hurricane Hunters actually fly directly into these storms all for the purpose of research. Go arounds are fun!…. annoying if you need to be somewhere of course, due to adding more time to the flight. I agree though, the performance of the plane is really put on display… with full flaps and the plane being lighter due to fuel usage during flight… The planes just roar and pitch right up with ease haha! Thanks for the comment Isaac!
@@jpaleas They are better compensated, yes, but from experience, United and JetBlue have the more skillful ones out of the domestics, followed by US Airways (now American), then Delta.
I've been in heavy turbulence. It can be very disconcerting. I use logic and statistics to remain calm. It is my understanding that turbulence is one of the least likely things to worry about in terms of safety. Pilot error or system malfunction are the issues that concern me most. We put an enormous amount of faith in those on the flight deck. I know most take it very seriously. That is a good thing.
I have to say that I agree with you in terms of rationalizing the situation. Alongside this, I would also consider a level of risk management in terms of airlines I fly with… there are certain airlines that I believe the best of the best fly… and also have a great deal of scrutiny placed on their training. In terms of the aircraft, I am not concerned in the slightest if it could handle turbulence or not…. It’s the pilots, technical functions and airline meteorologists that I would consider in the equation. Great comment Will! Thanks.
As a pilot, that turbulence actually wasn't very significant. Typical updraft activity when going through the tops of cumulus that are still growing. You will know the turbulence has become moderate when you can hear carts jostling around in the galleys. Also turbulence tends to get accentuated a bit in the 737 because the wing is pretty stiff compared to other models.
In my experience as a frequent traveller past 15yrs, the 3 areas where you can always count on experiencing pretty solid turbulence are; 1. Bay of Bengal 2. Uttar Pradesh, India south of Himalayas 3. Rockies in the U.S. I’d say its close to 90% hit ratio on moderate chops and 20% for heavy. Fortunately, I’ve been spared any extreme cases of CAT.
Yes I encountered some chop over the bay of bumps as it’s also known by!. The SIA A380 from LHR that we were on was being buffered about like some toy at some stages!
I flew from LHR on a Qantas 747 back in the 70s. After we left Singapore, en route to Sydney the plane was dropping and lifting so much that the tip of the wing was almost disappearing upwards and downwards. This went on for quite some time. That's when I realised how much flexibility there is in the fuel-loaded wings of these giant aircraft.
The engineering behind planes really is incredible Neil… I remember watching a wing (stress test) of the 787 here on TH-cam…. I believe it can flex around 25ft… sure that’s much more than other planes… but it’s quite incredible with the load wings can take through them. Cheers for the comment Neil
On one of my first transatlantic flights from London to Minneapolis when turbulence caused the overhead compartments to open and luggage started falling onto the passengers, I turned to the person next to me to ask if this was normal. He said it was. Well 50+ years of regular flights on this and other routes it's never happened again, so far! So I think the other passenger was just being nice.
I flew from Denver to Las Vegas last fall and the turbulence was so bad at every altitude that after 45 minutes of shaking violently the pilot had to drop 10,000 feet and slow the plane down which increased the 1 hour and 20 mins flight to a full 2 hour flight. That was the most consistent turbulence I’ve every been in. It was unnerving to say the least as the passengers wee half scared and the other half played like they were on a roller coaster. That was on a Airbus 321.
Im a Colorado Native & yrs flights out of Denver to Las Vegas are ALWAYS Bumpy! I have always been terrified of flying and I think it's from living in Denver my whole life experiencing the turbulence over the mountains has always scared me. What doesn't make sense about my situation is I love take off and Landing. I actually don't mind flying as long as there's no turbulence. But they're always is. Currently at the moment I'm living in Arizona and when you fly into here in the summertime at 120°, it is very very bumpy
My worst experiences were also flying over mountains in and out of Denver. On one occasion the cabin steward hit the roof and had a significant cut in her forehead. She was OK, but....
I’ve lived all over the world, currently in UK, but most turbulent flight was Melbourne to Adelaide in the middle of summer, about 40 degrees and a thunder storm was brewing, we never came out of the clouds.
I've also heard that crossing the equator between USA and Oz can be very rough. An acquaintance flew the journey in an A380 and no meals were served during the whole 14 hours, it was that bad.
Brisbane to cairns in 2010 absolute nightmare never in my life have I experienced anything like it , never been frightend after that flight nothing since has been anywhere near that awful day will always remember it . I was on a trip to see my brother who I had not seen for a while and had just arrived from England and was very tired .......I can tell you by the time I landed in cairns I was well awake 🙏🙏🙏
I fly frequently from Dallas to Manila as my wife is from the Philippines. Seems like going over Alaska and Japan things always get pretty bumpy for 30-40 Mins
Lucky man! I used to do the same between Australia and China for my Fiancé! Little tough now because of the restrictions… I found around the Philippines sea got quite bumpy as well when heading back to OZ. Cheers for the comment!
Looks similar to what I experienced during a flight from Austria (Vienna) to Milano, over the Alps. The flight was smooth but suddenly became very rough when the pilot had just started the descent and lateral winds were shaking the plane, I was hurled to my right side and luckily there was nobody sitting next to me, otherwise I would have ended up banging my head against another passenger. The good part was that it lasted no more than a couple of minutes, I didn't have the time to be really worried or scared. Better a short strong turbulence like this one than a flight of several hours constantly trembling and shaking, even if lightly.
I consider myself an aviation enthusiast but turbulence still gets to me a bit. Even though I know its normal I cant help but be a little worried. Great video!
I think that’s completely normal… even to be just a little worried. For me… it’s about not being in control…if that makes sense? Even though I can’t fly these planes 😆 sort of like if I’m in the car with someone else… I’m more relaxed if it’s me driving.
I honestly am the same, i want to be a pilot and love flying but turbulence always worries me just a tiny bit - even though i know it’s completely safe
I agree, i understand how the dynamics of flight works and never had feared flying, but turbulence really does get me nervous and uncomfortable. Its just a bad feeling and the lack of control of the situation makes it worse.
Oh, I hate turbulence. I also fly 2-4 x a year but still terrified by it. Turbulence usually happens upon crossing over seas (especially near the Equator), clouds & mountains. There is lots of turbulence around SE Asia (Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore), Japan, HK & China and around Greenland to Canada. Last July, we flew from Philippines to Dubai and there is so much lightning up in the sky. It was so bumpy until Thailand. This month, we flew from Seychelles to Qatar and there is around 2 hour of mild turbulence. I love travelling but I hate turbulence.
3 Years ago my grandma had a flight to the canary islands which faced a bad sand storm from the sahara right at this time ( calima). She was never a nervous flyer and always chill but she said the turbulences were so bad that the person next to her grabed her hand and seat and people were crying. They were not allowed to land so they had to turn around and fly home again because all the nearest airports were closed.
@@LukeCrisp It would have been a 5,5 h flight which became something around 7-8 hours. We were the ones to take her to the airport and pick her up hours later. I'm a nervous flyer and even the smallest turbulences are a nightmare for me. So hearing the story right after it happend was terrible for my flight anxiety as she told me everything in detail how the people cried and screamed :D
@@couchpotatoeschuh Ohhh no!!! I was hoping it was just a short flight! That’s insane! Your poor grandma! I find the more you know about turbulence… aircraft… etc… you can begin to rationalize the situation… for example, recently on a flight back from Singapore to Sydney, we encountered moderate turbulence… and I was expecting it (I won’t go into the details why 😆) but I managed to inform my neighbour who was concerned about it, as to why it was happening and why there isn’t any reason to be concerned. They were happy to be sitting near me 😆 and ended up enjoying the bumps with me… it’s actually in a video I have coming up on a few weeks.
For worst turbulence, two flights come to mind: - August 1995: flying in a turbo-prop from Ottawa to Montreal, Canada. 30 minute flight, but probably the most unnerving 30 minutes as we flew through a thunderstorm. Even the flight attendants looked nervous as they tried to announce our descent over the intercom. - April 2012: San Francisco to Philadelphia red-eye. About an hour before landing the cabin shook violently. I assume it was a bad storm below but too dark to discern.
Reading some of the comments reminded me of a Rex Airlines flight into Sydney. The little Saab 340 was tossed round like a cork in the rapids as we lined up over Botany Bay. My wife grabbed my left arm, I was taking video with my right arm holding my small camera. Fairly bumpy ride!
I know it sounds stupid but even watching that made my heartrate rise from 75 to 105bpm on my Apple watch! I used to fly between Perth and London regularly with no issue but now flying terrifies me. I have a short four hour flight coming up in June and I'm already anxious - I shall be downing whatever drugs I can get hold of to stop me climbing the walls 😞
That looked scary. It looks like the plane flew into a storm cloud. Good thing the pilots flew out of it. But yeah I hate turbulence. And im flying in two days to visit family. Hopefully there is no high turbulence during that trip. But, I am a bit worried it's been quite windy here.
Hey Leticia, it was just the plane climbing up into faster moving winds. The same things happens sometimes on descent, except the other way around. There wasn't any storms, however Sydney seems to get a fair bit of turbulence. All safe and just a bumpy ride.. If it wasn't safe they wouldn't fly at all. Enjoy your trip! and have a great flight!
return flights from ASIA to the USA over Alaska can sometimes be pretty rough in the winter time. flying over the Colorado Rockies can also be pretty rough.
Yeah some of those mountain waves could certainly make things bumpy along the way. If it’s during the day, I’m sure flying over Alaska would be scenic. Thanks for the comment Janne.
The bumpy ride you had was as you flew through the clouds, once the plane flew above them you were fine. I flew Montreal to London about 15 years ago and they couldn't serve food or drinks the entire flight due to clear air turbulence and the plane shook dipped and swayed until we reached land. After that flight, no others have seemed even close to bad. I did have a quite exciting flight last year where the plane hit an air pocket trapped between the mountains on pula croatia runway and the pilot couldn't put the plane down, so we had to abort and go around. Never a moments worry though, I've had much closer shaves when driving my car.
Not quite.. it was bumpy outside and inside the clouds… the first bigger bump wasn’t in the clouds. I also enjoy it! Recently I had a flight back from Singapore (SYD-SIN) and upon descent we had some nice moderate turbulence… was great fun… although I do prefer it during the day when I can see outside, otherwise I can feel a little funny with my motion after the flight. Thanks for the comment!
@@LukeCrisp Now you just sound like a complete dolt - you are clearly uncomfortable, confused, possily even your fearless buttlhole puckered up a little. You even admit how unnerving it was, now its great fun. Turbulence takes down planes thats why pilots avoid at all costs and the industry, boomers, friends. you, etc have told us TURBULENCE HAS NO EFFECT ON THE PLANES FLYING CAPABLITIES - WELLLLLLLLLLL YES IT DOES AND ITS A VERY REAL THREAT AS YOU KNOW....
That would have been on a light aircraft as well, possibly a Q400, hence you would have felt the bumps quite a bit more than a heavier aircraft 😆 Thanks for the comment Ken
As a little kid I remember being on a smallish plane that I think must have been either going to regional NSW (Armidale) from Sydney or going to Sydney from Armidale - a lady smacked her head on the roof because of what I’m assuming now was turbulence. I saw her just go flying up and crack, whacked her noggin. I don’t remember screams. Just turbulence and seeing her rocket up. From memory it was very quiet during, perhaps a bone chilly nervous quiet in hindsight. I always kept my seatbelt on and I was too small to be scared, so I was just chilling.
The worst turbulence I ever experienced was on the flight home from my honeymoon from Nassau, Bahamas to JFK. We were in an L10-11 which seats almost 400 people. We hit turbulence and would drop about 1000 ft in seconds. That plane was getting tossed around like it was nothing. I was so happy to be back on the ground when we landed and I came off the plane vowing to never fly again. This was my first time ever flying.
Glad you got your honeymoon in before the flight 😆…. That is quite a large plane.. depending what year this was, I think radar technology has advanced dramatically since these days. As it’s a Lockheed L10.. I’m assuming this was 70s or 80s. Not the best flight for a first one… hoping you have had many pleasant flights since.. Thanks for sharing!
Ex FA who was based in WLG NZ for 13 years. The two worst turbulence experiences I had were on descent into Melbourne and descent into Auckland. Even the Capt on the Auckland flight said he had never experienced anything like it!
13 years of experience and countless flights… great to have your perspective in the comments here. As soon as you mentioned based in WLG, I assumed it would have been descent into the Windy City… and if the captain mentioned that, It certainly says something 😆 Thanks for the comment!
Yes many captains have never experienced it. I'm retired fa and we had severe turbulence yrs ago. Felt like God was playing with aircraft.shaking it. Our captain said that if we had dropped more,we would have hit Sierra Nevada mts. 1 plane out of Reno. Our capt notified at of turbulence. Thought we were going to die. Dropped few thousand ft.
in Feb this year we were flying out of heathrow to New Delhi in a British Airways 777-200ER during storm Eunice(If you havent seen the videos of this id highly reccomend checking it out) on the ground it was blowing around 30 - 50kts with occaisional gusts as high as 70kts, so we had a really bumpy takeoff, however the worst was yet to come. After take off we entred a really powerful jet-stream which accelerated the aircrafts ground speed as high as 630kts!! or 724mph(1166kph). However this jet stream actually weakened abruptly over the Baltic Sea, and the tailwinds dropped from around 150kts to 40kts in the space of about 50miles, This caused a pretty rough ride with turbulence even reaching moderate. This led the captain to suspending in flight food and drink services till the ride got smoother. The absolute worst of the turbulence lasted for a 10 minute spell somwehre over latvia. I've experienced moderate turb before, but this time it was in completely clear air (CAT) and I had to put my Ipad away cuz i was worried it would go flying :)
No, sorry I didn’t hear about this storm! I’ll have to look it up. However your story rings very similar to a flight I was on a couple of days ago! I was trying out Scoot airlines (Singapore-Sydney) and we had a very strong tail wind while inland over Australia… at one point (1224kph ground speed)…. I told my neighbor next to me.. I guarantee when we start to descend, we are going to get some bumps as we descend out of this fast moving air… and sure enough lol…. At some point quite moderate… although fun! She was quite happy I was sitting next to her and could explain the process and as to why it was happening. Thanks for the comment Mohit!
Worse turbulence in all my flying experiences was landing in a thunderstorm at Chicago O’Hare. Never wish to experience turbulence like that again. I swear I saw the whole top of the cabin move in what I can only explain as a wave type movement. These planes are definitely built to endure.
Flight from Kona to PDX, solid turbulence for 4+ hours straight. Climbed close to 41,000 feet and still couldn’t find clean air. Flight attendants were not allowed to leave their seats until the last hour where they were tasked with helping passengers who had gotten sick all over themselves. It was a nightmare.
Worst turbulence ive ever experienced was an overnight flight back to London from LAX. Roughly halfway through the flight we had about 5 minutes of bad turbulence. People who was asleep was waking up and screaming, and i vividly remember people who was still awake and watching their TV’s the TV’s was flickering on and off. It wasn’t pleasant and i have flown that route many times. I have also experienced bad turbulence flying down to Greece from the UK as we was going over the Italian Alps.
Always the worst turbulence has been over mountains. To San Fran/ to Vancouver over the Rockies; to Dubai over the Caucasus . Giant aircraft bucking like a bronco, coffee cups jumping on tray tables, steep drops, gasping pax, the whole kit and caboodle. Fun times. Oddly enough one of the smoothest was flying over the Himalayas. The jagged peaks looked so close.
Not a fan of turbulence too. Just retired a few years ago from serving in the US Air Force...you would think it wouldn't bother me from all the international flights I've been on. Worst I've felt was flying out of Denver over the Rockies and feeling the plane just drop for 1-2 seconds what seems like an eternity! LOL
Hahah! Ahh the drops… nah tbh I don’t think it makes a difference how many times you fly. I feel if I was in the cockpit and in control (which I’m not obviously 😆) but I’d be very chill depending on the severity… maybe just more focused? But ever since this video I’ve had a few more experience of light to moderate… I’m becoming more relaxed as I’ve learned more and more about it… but yeah still can feel slightly un easy - my mind is fighting itself with reasoning and what is logical etc 😆 I guess our brains know we are not exactly meant to be way up there haha!
Always bumpy in the pacific around the equator. Worst I ever had was flying Dallas to Houston. Overhead compartments broke open with stuff flying around the cabin. Upon landing the DC-9 stopped at the end of the runway and was towed to the gate. Upon leaving it appeared the cockpit door was mid aligned and half open. Happy to be off that flight b
I Flew from LGA to ATL and then connected from ATL to DFW. The flight from LGA to ATL was horrendous. The pilot informed us that there was a weather system in our path and that we were going to encounter some turbulence. And this is after our flight was delayed in NYC due to weather. So the Pilot already showed his concern. Mind you, on the way to ATL, we barely had a stretch of a calm flight. We had bumps, and dips most of the 1.5hr flight. It was pretty much one of the most turbulent flights I had been on to date, until i connected to DFW. What i experienced from LGA to ATL was just a warm up to what i was going to experience from ATL to DFW. After take off we had about a nice 30minute calm ride, until the pilot announced that we were going to be going thru a system that was going to be a little bumpy for about 8-10 minutes. If only it really was 8-10 minutes. That turbulence didnt let up until we got to Texas. It lasted for about 45 minutes. Never in my life had i been on a plane that felt like a roller-coaster. It was bumping up and down, swaying left and right, sliding up and dipping down, even shaking almost violently that you can hear all the food equipment in the back making so much noice. The flight attendants suspended service and never returned. No one went to the bathroom, and no one make a sound. All we heard were the engines and winds roaring the entire time. I was sitting on a isle seat and was even holding on from the bottom of it just to not flop around so much in my seat as i was reading to distract my mind from what was going on. Absolutely nerve recking. I was expecting the flight to divert and land because the weather was so bad, but there was no announcement and no diverting. We just danced in the sky the remainder of the flight. This was happened back in 2005, 17years ago, and I’ve never been had that bad of turbulence every again thank God. Good thing to know at least that these planes can withstand enormous amount of pressure and still remain intact. Although turbulence can be frightening at times, at least we know these planes are very well built for our safety.
The 737 has quite a stiff structure when compared to the A320 family, so you really feel every bump. Sitting aft of the wing is usually worse as the aircraft tends to fish-tail a bit, although the yaw damper does a fairly good job. I’ve had some rough rides crossing the Pyrenees in late summer/early autumn and also over the Bay Of Bengal.
I can’t say I know a whole lot about the engineering that goes into making a Boeing or Airbus, but I’ll take your word for it Martin 😆 Yeah, I certainly felt the bumps… almost like a stiff suspension on a car or bike. Thanks for the comment Martin! Interesting!
I think you're right as I've noticed more turbulence on the 737 compared to the A320. In fact, Boeing planes in general including the 767 have weaker resistance to turbulence but are still safe.
Well it is the “Windy City” so I am not surprised, especially in the lighter aircraft. Wellington has always been on my list to go places… I’ve been to AKL and ZQN in NZ but never been to the capital.
I was on a a 40 minute flight from SLC to Idaho Falls that was turbulent from take off to landing. The flight attendants were buckled in the entire time. I get anxiety just thinking about it. After I got off I had two martinis. There were several flights later that night on the same route that were cancelled. I nearly drove home after my business trip.
Sounds like an experience Kerrie! It’s a shame you didn’t have the 2 martinis before the flight.. 😆 I don’t like the sound of take off to landing… even at 40 minutes… The good part is you will probably never experience the same level of turbulence.. or at least if you do, as un comfortable as it feels, just remember.. that these days… it’s never turbulence that brings a plane down.
I'm laughing only because I can relate, I had a 2 leg flight and the first leg was so turbulent I considered renting a car at the transfer airport and driving the hours and hours/days it would take to reach home. The man in the seat beside me convinced me to push on :)
I recall several instances of very rough turbulence where I looked up from my book, smiled reassuredly to those around me, and resumed reading the same page over and over while desperately wishing for smoother air.
Flew Sydney to Hong Kong with no problem. Got back on board and my heart sank with 2 drunk Germans in front of us. After 15 mins the turbulence started. The loud germans became quiet. I had sore elbows from rubbing on seat rests(economy)
Even with video stabilization I could tell that it got very choppy and uncomfortable! I’ve had a few flights like this and even worse in my experience as a passenger. I’ve flown nearly 1M miles and the worst I can remember was a flight on Delta from New Orleans to Atlanta about 20y ago,same factor as your flight explained by the captain! I’ll never forget it, quite scary... Everyone got really quiet I remember several people getting pale from fear and I got a nice little bruise on my arm from hitting the armrest several times not expecting the several severe drops ! I finally crossed my arms and closed my eyes. It lasted about half an hour and everyone survived LOL.
Thanks for hanging around and listening to the part about video stabilization 😆 some people jump to conclusions quite fast and then comment. Half an hour is a decent session of turbulence… glad to hear you survived the ordeal 😆
We were flying back to the UK from New York once and we encountered some bad turbulence, the stewardess at one point suddenly sat down on the floor in the isle. At one point it felt like the plane had suddenly dropped a few feet in an instant.
I remember a flight from Chicago O'Hare to Manchester UK. It was the worst I ever experienced. It lasted about 45 minutes. He managed to pull up in altitude and made sure to inform all flights behind us of the severity. Then it smoothed out, only to get bumpy while descending in Manchester. Manchester is known for the wind. Probably worse than windy city itself.
England generally appears to not have the best weather. I have never been there, however I’ve seen a tonne of videos of bad weather approaches in different airports across the Uk.. so doesn’t surprise me! Cheers for the comment Giancarlo
I usually look at these titled videos sideways and with skepticism. But certainly, I think this qualifies as heavy turbulence. Must have been a heck of a ride.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion… hence lot labelling it with (severe or moderate)… just my own words really 😆 It was a heck of a ride indeed! Cheers for the comment
Flying from LA to Denver in a holding pattern for 1 hour through severe thunderstorm. I was swearing and people were praying. Severe drops. It made me phobic of flying.
I was walking on the bridge to the plane the other day and someone was preying behind me.. was with Batik Air… made me feel a little nervy 😆 safe to say I made it to the destination safely… enough.
As an Flight Dispatcher in America, I'm not surprised. He looked like he was among the clouds and not sure of the ti,e of year, but it looked warm. Clouds like that in warm weather are most surely containing updrafts ( Think cumulus and thunderstorms ). At the end of the video it looked as if he were trying to climb above the clouds. You' ll find a bit more stable air above the clouds thought CAT ( Clear air turbulence) can occur anywhere. In THE US you'll find turbulence everywhere anytime of the year. Definitely in the south I. Late afternoons when the earth warms. When the air warms, that air rises and it gets bumpy. You fly out west here over Arizona and Phoenix...be prepared to thrown around. As dispatchers, we do our best to plan flights at altitudes to give the smoothest flights possible for crew and passengers.
Between flying out of AKL to LAX on a Boeing 777-319 ER ALL BLACKS LIVERY Heavy turbalance flying at 41000 feet through a big thunderstorms about 4.5 hours into the flight in the Pacific Ocean
Firstly, I love the all Blacks livery and want to fly with Air NZ again very soon… their possibly one of, or if not my favourite airline - at least from my experience flying with them domestically in NZ. Yeah, no surprise… about the same as me when I was leaving Sydney, about 5-6 hours into the flight over the pacific… most people are resting/sleeping at that point too… so it catches people by surprise 😆
The whole video is worth watching, but the time reference up front was a nice touch. It probably wasn't the worst turbulence i have been through, but the worst turbulence experience i had was in small plane when i was learning to fly. Those little planes don't handle it well! Flying through that same air in a jet would probably not even be noticeable. Thanks for taking the time to create and share the video.
I have never experienced anything more that light turbulence on smaller aircraft… Did the instructor take over when this happened? Anyhow, I’m sure it was a great learning experience in how to deal with turbulence, especially in a light aircraft. I appreciate the comment Billy!
Great vid and thanks for sharing, reading peoples comments on turbulence is always an interesting insight. Having some 30+ years flying both as pilot and pax, I don't mind turbulence that much but always remain alert when the dinks cart with hot kettles is near by. Perhaps the worst I have ever experienced (as a passenger) was in the early 90's heading into Melbourne aboard an Ansett A320, we got hammered from about 7000ft till touchdown. The overhead bins popped open, peoples bits and pieces were strewin all over the aircraft, there were many screams, people crying, swearing with even the Hosties looking worried. Mind you, I was parked at the back in the last row (the worst place to be, except for the crew seats!) the only thing that had me on edge was the sound of the airframe taking all the stresses, I could hear the vertical stabilizer stressing and creaking along with the rest of the empannage (back of plane). Not having much actual flight experience as a pilot in those days, I was a little unnerved by it but knew the plane was up to the job. The pilots did a go-round on first attempt to land as the plane was tackling significant crosswind, you could actually hear the wind rushing the side of the plane! The final landing was very professional and made use of another runway, the windsock was straight out and swinging wildly, all regional flights were cancelled that day and for good reason!
Worst turbulence I've ever experienced was flying from Hawaii to Japan almost 40 years ago. The plane felt like it would drop 10 feet and then it felt like a hard landing - it felt like a car in one of those movie chases through San Francisco. I didn't feel aprehensive - I knew even then that we were very comfortably with the design envel;ope of the 747 I was on - but it was definitely uncomforable, especially since I sometimes get a little motion sick.
I've flown between the Middle East and Melbourne almost every time i fly between EU and Aus. (once on Qatar's 777, and multiple times on Emirates' A380s/777s). The most turbulence always happens when flying over the Indian Ocean and on decent into Dubai/Doha. Back in 2020 when i did MEL-HKG-LHR with Cathays' A350-1000, we had the usual bumps over China and Russia en-route to London. Other than that, I've not really had any bad turbulence experiences. Turbulence occurs in 99% of flights all around the world, so its something I've become used to.
I encountered the worst turbulence many times flying from Dubai to Sydney over the Indian Ocean But always on my return trip to Dubai from Sydney I don’t encounter any turbulence in the same area.
Landing in Las Vegas at the peak of the Summer. The ground gets very hot and creates a lot of near-ground turbulence. This tends to make the approach to landing very bumpy.
my worst so far was lightning storm retuning from Fiji, Nandi to MEL. Also a Southwest pilot announced prior to leaving the gate ALB for DFW that we were headed into bad weather and it would be BUMPY and anyone who wanted to change flights could exit aircraft now before doors closed. Result was ok crew did top job to go up and around, earnt their money that day.
Can’t say I ever flown near or been around a lighting storm… those are actually dangerous… pretty sure Jetstar currently has a plane grounded due to a lightning strike..they can really mess the plane up. Haha! I’ve heard about southwest and that they crack jokes on the plane with passengers! We’re they being serious? 😆
July 1991 from Belfast to larnaca,Cyprus,in the middle of the aggean sea,it was by far the worst turbulence I have ever experienced,my father and I were seated in the front row and as they were about to serve drinks it started without any warning,the trolley hit the ceiling and the air hostess fell into my lap I gladly held onto her for dear life for what was the longest 60 seconds of my life ! Not turbulence related but I had an engine failure 10 seconds after take off ,Rhodes island to Gatwick, London,emergency landing in Athens,horrendous experience ,not being able to control your own destiny go me is a scary thing !!!!
July 1991 was when I was born 😆 I’m not sure what weather radar or forecasting capabilities they had back then? These days, for example yesterday during my flight there was forecasted turbulence hence no hot drink service! Wouldn’t complain too much about the hostess falling onto your lap 😉 haha! Aircraft engine failure or a bird strike in an engine would be scary for sure! Most commercial aircraft outside of a380/747 Ofcourse only have one more.. I’d be staring out the other engine just hoping that one stays well and good! Thanks for the stories J2!
I would say flying from LAX to Brisbane or Sydney.....right around Hawaii. Its bad turbulence when an A380 is shaking! Seems to always be bumpy around that part of the flight path.
You’re absolutely right, a couple of weeks ago I flew to New York on EVA Airlines from Taipei, Taiwan, and we encounter very bad turbulence over Japan and most of the Pacific Ocean that the captain made an announcement for the flight attendants to be seated, that’s when you know it’s going to be bad. Fortunately, we made to NY okay, but it was a bit concerning. Thanks for sharing video .
Yep, I’ve had plenty of flights they announce that… mainly as a safety precaution so no one goes flying (inside the cabin). No worries, thanks for watching.
I also hate when the pilot makes the request for flight attendants to take their seats and announces upcoming turbulence and you sit in anticipation then it never happens 😅
That was quite a rough patch as you climbed through the cloud layers. It seemed to smooth out once you climbed above it. I also fly often, and I’ve had my share of turbulence. But I can’t recall an event, after 300+ flights, that put the fear of God in me. Perhaps one or two. Oh, I just recalled one, but it was more inconvenience and annoyance than fear: a night flight from Chicago to Stewart Airport (just north of New York City). I called it The Tigger Flight because we just bounced along the entire route; no terrifying jolts, just constant small bumps, so that you couldn’t even read a book or magazine.
Great video! The most turbulence I’ve encountered was from Manila to Sydney. I actually lost my breakfast and went quite green around the gills. Pilot Patrick Smith says that pilots understand the transition between smooth and rough air like we understand the difference between a sealed road and dirt road when driving.
I watch these kinds of videos to help me as a nervous flyer because it’s just a reminder of how capable planes are…. that being said id probably still be scared on my next flight 😅
Flying over the top of some thunderheads in Gabon in a Dash 8 once was the worst turbulence of my life. It was like a rollercoaster. I could feel my seatbelt keeping me in at times. Thankfully it didn't last more than 10 or 15 mins. I'm always wary of flying at those latitudes (tropical convergence zone), Australia can be partially bad too. Had a long flight from Houston to LHR once years ago where turbulence in the jet stream never stopped, not just bumbs but up and down like a sine wave for hours. The Gabon turbulence was on another level with the G's, however.
I think my flight must have been following yours, I had exact same from Canada to London and the plane only stabilised when we got over land. Everyone got off the plane and kissed the floor.
interesting..nice pics of Sidney, wow some turbulence, wonder if could b avoided?? ive not much experienced, flew alot w dad, job, as a kid...dont rember any. smooth as heck landing.
Arvo from USA I actually like turbulences especially over the ocean. Last year my brother and I flew to Melbs for 2.5 weeks. That visit before into Oz I had a seizure episode which I don't remember much. I was immediately transferred to a local hospital. Do remember staff had hard times getting ahold of my USA doctor from day and time difference. This time we'll be going to Sydney in May.
Flight back to Perth in a Cessna 441 Conquest. That was the first time i had seen "Extreme" Turbulence forecast on the ATIS. And yep, it lived up to the ATIS' forecast !
Andy, I’m assuming you were flying… are there rules for flying during “extreme turbulence”… I’m guessing it was a private flight due to the aircraft… so was it self discretionary?
How long did the heavy turbulence last? Looked like about 20 seconds in your clip. The worst turbulence i experienced was ireland taking off and landing at dublin airport. Also flying over honduras and costa rica, which is very mountainous terrain
Hard to say Steve, I haven’t watched the clip in a while… but it felt moderate for some time, then pushing towards slightly heavy.. but not all that long… Yeah mountain waves would cause the turbulence in some of those areas. It’s strange… when flying in and out of Queenstown NZ… (very mountainous terrain).. I never felt a thing… I guess it just depends on the day. Thanks for the comment Steve!
Barcelona to Zurich: 30min of madness Pilots later said they had not expected it to be 200 km/h cross wind at cruising altitude. It felt like taking off from the run way mid air when the engines spooled up to max thrust again. Left right and massive drops for 30min
I think you guys just flew straight through convective activity. That cumulus may have been on its way to become a storm cloud. That's why I tend to avoid mid-day flights whenever I can.
I flew from Huston to New Orleans in December, the weather was rainy, and shortly after takeoff the plane starting going through strong turbulences, including long (2-3 seconds) and rapid changes of altitude in one direction, making us experience rather strong G-force for a longer time than just "a wobble". The flight was 1h long and the seatbelt sign stayed on during the entire flight. The cabin lights were all off as it was dusk, which created an even eerier atmosphere. Once we reached cruise altitude I rang the bell to ask a flight attendent for some anti-nausea pill, but they replied to me through the loudspeakers that the flight was too dangerous for them to get off their jumpseats. That was probably my scariest flight so far!
Sunnyday flight (specially in summer) + clouds = turbulance . I mostly experience moderate turbulance landing in Zurich, Frankfurt (not that often) and simply flying with bad weather/strong winds (which we sadly cannot completely avoid for 100% unless the flight is cancelled)
Good video - and that is some quite some turbulence. Having lived in OZ for years, I found it pretty choppy at times coming into SYD, especially Sept/Oct. Vegas is always turbulent because it is surrounded by a mountain range. Rides to and/or over Japan can get very choppy as well. Pls keep posting and safe travels!
I definitely have to agree with you in regards to Sydney… it’s really the only place during landing/takeoff where it has felt somewhat turbulent… including go arounds etc - in saying this I understand that a go around could be for various other reasons. Never flown into Vegas… last trip was on a bus.. so nice and smooth that day. Thanks Mike! I will do, off to Singapore/Malaysia next week so I’m looking forward to getting a bunch of videos up. All the best!
Worst one I had was Palmerston North to Auckland in a Dash 8 on Air NZ in a thunderstorm. That thing bucked and shook like a demented rollercoaster. We also had hail.
Not so much bad but unexpected. London Heathrow after a smooth flight from Stockholm heading east to turn onto runway 09R . All of a sudden the plane jolted a lot of passengers screamed . The plane seem to move in all directions and it would have been very rough if it lasted very long. It was wake turbulence from another aircraft. It does happen quite often on that approach I have since found out . I did sit up & take notice that’s for sure.
Qatar Airways 2017 - Dublin to Doha. The turbulence got so bad that the pilot said in a rough but worried voice 'cabin crew be seated for turbulence'. We were flying over Ukraine at the time. I was worried because I remembered MH17
Oh wow! yeah to be honest I think my mind would go there aswell… it’s unfortunate but I wouldn’t have been overly keen flying over there anytime after that event… and most likely in the future.
Mine was surprisingly on a domestic flight circling Brisbane CBD to land at airport via southern approach. We were in an ATR prop jet, those strong winds had us bouncing and rolling like a ship in stormy seas.
Yikes! Yeah I’m just imagining that aircraft in bad conditions! Or fun conditions I suppose.. 😆 depends how one looks at it. Thanks for the comment Kay!
Red eye from Bermuda to London last December 2:45mins of pitches and drops. FA said by far the worst turbulence she had even been thru. Just a nightmare
I pretty much expect turbulence when flying through clouds, not that it makes me happier. I try to get a seat near the wings because they says its less intense there.
I also find when your sitting at any window seat (behind the wing), you have a better sense of motion… so if you can see what the aileron is doing on your side.. even if in thick clouds… you know if your level or banking to the left or right… sitting there helps the senses I think.
Worst I've encountered, was on flight JQ824 in early 2021. As we descended into Brisbane Airport, we flew through a decent storm, and the whole thing shook up and down, and side to side pretty heavily. A flight attendant had to look after a screaming child, and even the parent was freaking out over the turbulence. Once we saw the City below us, the atmosphere for the plane was much better. It did freak me out good though.
Flying BA, Heathrow to JFK in December I experienced moderate to severe turbulence. As in, flight attendants get in your seats! We were following in the wake of a flight to Philadelphia that had to go through parts of a storm. The turbulence was pretty bad, not just up and down but side to side. I would've hated to have experienced it in anything other than a jumbo!
Was this an evening or day flight? Never crossed the Atlantic myself… personally if it’s during the day I feel quite chill and enjoy it… the other night flying back to Australia from Singapore I had periods of light to moderate during descent… still fun, however I like to see outside as to help my sense of position 😆 if that makes sense… my equilibrium was out of wack for a good 24 hours, but that’s also because of 9 flights in 1 weeks… the turbulence just topped it off.
Anytime the cloud tops are as ragged as those were, you can expect some pretty decent bumps flying through them. It's never a safety issue though - the ragged nature of them is the visual indication of the changing winds around them; that being the cause of the turbulence you felt.
Los Angeles to Atlanta back in the day on a Delta L-1011, coming into ATL the plane dropped several hundred feet all at once and many passengers let out a ‘whoop’ like on a roller coaster. Kinda fun actually
Haha love it! Yeah I know the feeling… especially if it’s an overnight flight and passengers are sleeping/resting…. There will be a nice synchronized whoop in the cabin 😆
Flying down the east coast of Australia from China to Brisbane in an A330 at an alt of 43,000 ft. The plane flew into really dark cloud, which was weird at that height. The plane rocked and dropped violently for over 30mins until we emerged from the cloud. Often turbulence over Indonesia flying into Singapore.
I flew with my brother from Zurich to Prague and we were taking off and climbing through the heaviest clouds.. it was a thunderstorm in Zurich but the plane made a big turn to left but during that time and the next 15 minutes was so bumpy.. it was scary but for me was scarier the turn during the turbulence.. 🫢
I’m a former flight attendant, and I have to say, once flying out of Maine, we hit the worst clear air turbulence I ever went through. Our capt. says it was the worst he had ever been through, and he had 20 years of experience. It was awful.
If your captain even said so, then it was definitely a bad patch!
Thanks for the comment Pamela
I was a flight attendant for several years during the 1980s, and turbulence never bothered me much back then, though there were a few scary moments, like the time we were descending into a typhoon that was bearing down on Manila. The aircraft was buffeted all over the place. But after I stopped flying professionally, flying as a passenger, I have since found turbulence extremely unnerving. There was one incident I'll never forget flying from Cleveland to LGA, the winds were so fierce in NY, that it seemed like the pilots could hardly control the aircraft. I thought we would crash. There've been a few scary Transatlantic crossings, too. I don't fly much these days, about once or twice a year, but I'm always on edge when I do :( I KNOW statistically it's safe and the aircraft can withstand a lot. But the unknown unknowns worry me.
As a nervous passenger flier, I'm curious why you find it more unnerving as a passenger than as a professional. Is it just something that's developed over time anyway, or is there something different in the mindset when you're working that makes it less nerve wracking?
It never bothered you but it was pretty scary?
Im from Denver Colorado & Turbulence is Awful there! I only gi 2 times a yr...thats all i can handle 😬
@@GoldenPhoenix101 In a word, it's about trust. Back in the days when I flew professionally, the entire aviation business was different. I knew many of our pilots, how rigorous their training was, they were skilled aviators and professionals and I had confidence in them and their abilities. In addition -- and this is also significant -- most airlines did in-house maintenance of their aircraft and everything was overseen by the FAA and other civil aviation authorities. In recent years, airlines have outsourced a lot of their maintenance to third-parties in developing countries where the rules are not as stringent, and oversight is a bit on the lax side. So it begs the question, what else is being sacrficed in the interest of cost-cutting? While I am not suggesting that pilots now are less professional or not rigorously trained (many of them started out in the military and got the best training) but they are under much more stress than before. Both crew and aircraft are being pushed to their limits (while at the same time more seats are being jammed into airplanes to maximize profitability, along with all the increasing incidents of air rage.) Undoubtedly, this is exacting a toll on the crews' mental and physical health. There have been three incidents in recent years (that we know of) of commercial pilots committing suicide with airplanes full of people. What does that tell you?
100% how i feel too!!! i hate flying but sometimes you just have to to see family
Turbulence is honestly the most frightening part of flying for me.
You and many others Liz…
I believe Landing is the most dangerous… so there’s nothing to really worry about with turbulence…. Unless the pilots gone rouge into a storm 😂
There is really nothing to worry about, though. It's like driving over a very rough road with your car. It can feel very frightening sometimes but the plane won't fall out of the sky or break up.
I think it's not being in control
Turbulence really doesn't bother me at all of course if it was violent then it would.
@@LukeCrisp@Liz Fesczenko They always say that take off and landing the most dangerous but that's no comfort to those of us freaked by turbulence, haha and personally, I love the feeling of landing, the gradual descent and views out the window, the sort of silence the plane takes on as everyone quiets for final descent.
The most turbulent flight I ever had was flying from Canberra to Sydney in an Ansett Airlines 737. The flight was delayed more than 30 minutes in Canberra because of severe weather. Enroute things got real bad real fast. As you would have experienced on your flight, there was a lot of wing flex, and the aircraft was pitching from left to right. Lightning was flashing through the windows, and the noise of the engines accelerating to full power, then powering down between the vertical gusts was terrifying. I remember tightening my seatbelt, and could feel the weightlessness, as the vertical acceleration was trying to pull me out of my seat. On the descent into Sydney many of the overhead lockers flew open, and there were clothes, and baggage strewn all over the isles. People were throwing up, and screaming as the aircraft learched from left to right, pitching erratically up and down, and rapidly ascending, and descending. It was like a scene from hell. The aircraft touched down in Sydney amid pelting rain, and all the passengers cheered, and clapped hysterically. Never have I experienced anything like this since, and now consider even moderate turbulence to be somewhat mild by comparison.
Wow! Firstly Ansett! Isn’t that a blast from the past… unfortunately I never got to fly with them before they went bust.. As for you story, it’s incredibly detailed and I could actually visualize the event in my own mind 😆 I’d wonder if the sickness was from being scared or as a result of the bumps and swaying… thanks for the comment Karl! Great story!
The moral of the story is if you are travelling from Sydney to Canberra to catch the train. It's really not that far.
I guess we KNOW why that airline isn’t operating anymore. It’s extremely unsafe to fly through storms.
I’m sorry you had to go through that I remember that flight like yesterday. I was first pilot that day the captain had been up all night snorting coke with some of the flight attendant lady’s an wasn’t 100% that day so I took over the flight while he slept. 😅
The worst turbulence I've ever experienced was on a short 30-minute flight from Ithaca, NY to Newark, NJ. It was a 6am flight and there were severe thunderstorms in the area. We were in a tiny CRJ-550, and for some reason, the pilots decided to fly through the storms, which happened to be right in the middle of the flight path. It was such a short flight that I assume they didn't have too many options. I'm already a fearful flyer and very weary of turbulence, so this flight was some of the worst and scariest 30 minutes of my life. The plane keep dropping and bucking like a horse, with really powerful bumps and people holding onto the seats in front of them. I just curled up in my seat, covered my ears, and counted down the minutes until we landed. Luckily we did, but I was on edge for the rest of the day. Thank god it was only a 30-minute flight!
I was recently on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London to NYC. Upon our arrival over Canadian airspace, we encountered the the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, now a tropical storm. It was by far the bumpiest flight I’ve been on. The plane was swaying from left to right like a seesaw, and dipping like a bucking horse. It lasted for about 30 mins.
Another time I was on a Delta flight from Miami to NYC. Upon final approach into LGA, I noticed that a storm was rolling into Manhattan from west to east. Just as we were about 100 ft from the runway. The picket had to abort the landing and we had to go around. By this time we were in the eye of the storm and the go-around was bumpy. Upon the second approach into LGA, we had to abort the landing again. At this point, the weather over LGA was so bad green flight was diverted to JFK. As scary as that flight was it was impressive how agile the plane was to go from landing speed and seconds away from landing to full thrust. The pilot's skills were on full display. It was scary and amazing at the same time.
30 mins would feel like a long time to be getting bounced about in the plane. It’s crazy to think NOAA / Hurricane Hunters actually fly directly into these storms all for the purpose of research.
Go arounds are fun!…. annoying if you need to be somewhere of course, due to adding more time to the flight. I agree though, the performance of the plane is really put on display… with full flaps and the plane being lighter due to fuel usage during flight… The planes just roar and pitch right up with ease haha!
Thanks for the comment Isaac!
I honestly believe that Delta pilots are top notch!
@@jpaleas They are better compensated, yes, but from experience, United and JetBlue have the more skillful ones out of the domestics, followed by US Airways (now American), then Delta.
I've been in heavy turbulence. It can be very disconcerting. I use logic and statistics to remain calm. It is my understanding that turbulence is one of the least likely things to worry about in terms of safety. Pilot error or system malfunction are the issues that concern me most. We put an enormous amount of faith in those on the flight deck. I know most take it very seriously. That is a good thing.
I have to say that I agree with you in terms of rationalizing the situation. Alongside this, I would also consider a level of risk management in terms of airlines I fly with… there are certain airlines that I believe the best of the best fly… and also have a great deal of scrutiny placed on their training. In terms of the aircraft, I am not concerned in the slightest if it could handle turbulence or not…. It’s the pilots, technical functions and airline meteorologists that I would consider in the equation. Great comment Will! Thanks.
As a pilot, that turbulence actually wasn't very significant. Typical updraft activity when going through the tops of cumulus that are still growing. You will know the turbulence has become moderate when you can hear carts jostling around in the galleys. Also turbulence tends to get accentuated a bit in the 737 because the wing is pretty stiff compared to other models.
In my experience as a frequent traveller past 15yrs, the 3 areas where you can always count on experiencing pretty solid turbulence are;
1. Bay of Bengal
2. Uttar Pradesh, India south of Himalayas
3. Rockies in the U.S.
I’d say its close to 90% hit ratio on moderate chops and 20% for heavy. Fortunately, I’ve been spared any extreme cases of CAT.
Yes I encountered some chop over the bay of bumps as it’s also known by!. The SIA A380 from LHR that we were on was being buffered about like some toy at some stages!
And going to Hawaii
So true, I was travelling over the Bay, and even clear weather couldn't stop the plane from being jittery occasionally.
I flew from LHR on a Qantas 747 back in the 70s. After we left Singapore, en route to Sydney the plane was dropping and lifting so much that the tip of the wing was almost disappearing upwards and downwards. This went on for quite some time. That's when I realised how much flexibility there is in the fuel-loaded wings of these giant aircraft.
The engineering behind planes really is incredible Neil… I remember watching a wing (stress test) of the 787 here on TH-cam…. I believe it can flex around 25ft… sure that’s much more than other planes… but it’s quite incredible with the load wings can take through them. Cheers for the comment Neil
On one of my first transatlantic flights from London to Minneapolis when turbulence caused the overhead compartments to open and luggage started falling onto the passengers, I turned to the person next to me to ask if this was normal. He said it was. Well 50+ years of regular flights on this and other routes it's never happened again, so far! So I think the other passenger was just being nice.
I think he was just keeping you at ease 😆 Thanks for Sharing!
I flew from Denver to Las Vegas last fall and the turbulence was so bad at every altitude that after 45 minutes of shaking violently the pilot had to drop 10,000 feet and slow the plane down which increased the 1 hour and 20 mins flight to a full 2 hour flight. That was the most consistent turbulence I’ve every been in. It was unnerving to say the least as the passengers wee half scared and the other half played like they were on a roller coaster. That was on a Airbus 321.
Im a Colorado Native & yrs flights out of Denver to Las Vegas are ALWAYS Bumpy! I have always been terrified of flying and I think it's from living in Denver my whole life experiencing the turbulence over the mountains has always scared me. What doesn't make sense about my situation is I love take off and Landing. I actually don't mind flying as long as there's no turbulence. But they're always is. Currently at the moment I'm living in Arizona and when you fly into here in the summertime at 120°, it is very very bumpy
Denver airport is bad for turbulence
My worst experiences were also flying over mountains in and out of Denver. On one occasion the cabin steward hit the roof and had a significant cut in her forehead. She was OK, but....
Yes its Always bad from Denver to Vegas . 🙉
@@davidhenry9054 OMG.😱 I would probably Never fly again!
You’re in the hands of some of the best pilots in the world 🌎
Absolutely!
I’ve lived all over the world, currently in UK, but most turbulent flight was Melbourne to Adelaide in the middle of summer, about 40 degrees and a thunder storm was brewing, we never came out of the clouds.
That’s very close to home… I am living in Adelaide! Just shows it can happen anywhere. Thanks for the comment!
This North Pacific between Alaska and Japan is where I’ve experienced the worst turbulence. It gets really bumpy, especially in the winter.
I’ve never flown between those two but it doesn’t surprise me. Thanks for the comment Michael
I've also heard that crossing the equator between USA and Oz can be very rough. An acquaintance flew the journey in an A380 and no meals were served during the whole 14 hours, it was that bad.
@@kaypotter2867 That sounds like a he'll to me !! Lol Sorry that you had to experience all that !! 💜🥁🐉🎤✈️💞
I am Japanese, you might be right !! Lol. I am gonna Google it ! 💜🥁🐉🎤🎶✈️💞
Am too scared...
Brisbane to cairns in 2010 absolute nightmare never in my life have I experienced anything like it , never been frightend after that flight nothing since has been anywhere near that awful day will always remember it . I was on a trip to see my brother who I had not seen for a while and had just arrived from England and was very tired .......I can tell you by the time I landed in cairns I was well awake 🙏🙏🙏
Haha! Sounded like it was an experience Chris 😆 and still here 12 years later to tell the story. 🤙 Thanks for the comment
I fly frequently from Dallas to Manila as my wife is from the Philippines. Seems like going over Alaska and Japan things always get pretty bumpy for 30-40
Mins
Lucky man! I used to do the same between Australia and China for my Fiancé! Little tough now because of the restrictions…
I found around the Philippines sea got quite bumpy as well when heading back to OZ. Cheers for the comment!
Looks similar to what I experienced during a flight from Austria (Vienna) to Milano, over the Alps. The flight was smooth but suddenly became very rough when the pilot had just started the descent and lateral winds were shaking the plane, I was hurled to my right side and luckily there was nobody sitting next to me, otherwise I would have ended up banging my head against another passenger. The good part was that it lasted no more than a couple of minutes, I didn't have the time to be really worried or scared. Better a short strong turbulence like this one than a flight of several hours constantly trembling and shaking, even if lightly.
I consider myself an aviation enthusiast but turbulence still gets to me a bit. Even though I know its normal I cant help but be a little worried. Great video!
I think that’s completely normal… even to be just a little worried. For me… it’s about not being in control…if that makes sense? Even though I can’t fly these planes 😆 sort of like if I’m in the car with someone else… I’m more relaxed if it’s me driving.
@@LukeCrisp I feel the same way haha. Strange how much power our minds have!!
@@Lukeyyyyy240 same
I honestly am the same, i want to be a pilot and love flying but turbulence always worries me just a tiny bit - even though i know it’s completely safe
I agree, i understand how the dynamics of flight works and never had feared flying, but turbulence really does get me nervous and uncomfortable. Its just a bad feeling and the lack of control of the situation makes it worse.
Oh, I hate turbulence. I also fly 2-4 x a year but still terrified by it. Turbulence usually happens upon crossing over seas (especially near the Equator), clouds & mountains. There is lots of turbulence around SE Asia (Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore), Japan, HK & China and around Greenland to Canada. Last July, we flew from Philippines to Dubai and there is so much lightning up in the sky. It was so bumpy until Thailand. This month, we flew from Seychelles to Qatar and there is around 2 hour of mild turbulence. I love travelling but I hate turbulence.
LA to Japan was rough for me!
3 Years ago my grandma had a flight to the canary islands which faced a bad sand storm from the sahara right at this time ( calima).
She was never a nervous flyer and always chill but she said the turbulences were so bad that the person next to her grabed her hand and seat and people were crying.
They were not allowed to land so they had to turn around and fly home again because all the nearest airports were closed.
Fancy someone grabbing your poor grandma! 😆 what a trip! Takeoff and land at the same airport… hopefully it wasn’t a long flight!
@@LukeCrisp It would have been a 5,5 h flight which became something around 7-8 hours. We were the ones to take her to the airport and pick her up hours later.
I'm a nervous flyer and even the smallest turbulences are a nightmare for me. So hearing the story right after it happend was terrible for my flight anxiety as she told me everything in detail how the people cried and screamed :D
@@couchpotatoeschuh Ohhh no!!! I was hoping it was just a short flight! That’s insane! Your poor grandma!
I find the more you know about turbulence… aircraft… etc… you can begin to rationalize the situation… for example, recently on a flight back from Singapore to Sydney, we encountered moderate turbulence… and I was expecting it (I won’t go into the details why 😆) but I managed to inform my neighbour who was concerned about it, as to why it was happening and why there isn’t any reason to be concerned. They were happy to be sitting near me 😆 and ended up enjoying the bumps with me… it’s actually in a video I have coming up on a few weeks.
Denver has consistently provided me with heavy heavy turbulence throughout the years
Updrafts from mts. 2 of our fa's were hurt once during the updraft. They hit the ceiling in the galley and fell on the floor.awful!!
For worst turbulence, two flights come to mind:
- August 1995: flying in a turbo-prop from Ottawa to Montreal, Canada. 30 minute flight, but probably the most unnerving 30 minutes as we flew through a thunderstorm. Even the flight attendants looked nervous as they tried to announce our descent over the intercom.
- April 2012: San Francisco to Philadelphia red-eye. About an hour before landing the cabin shook violently. I assume it was a bad storm below but too dark to discern.
Reading some of the comments reminded me of a Rex Airlines flight into Sydney. The little Saab 340 was tossed round like a cork in the rapids as we lined up over Botany Bay. My wife grabbed my left arm, I was taking video with my right arm holding my small camera. Fairly bumpy ride!
I know it sounds stupid but even watching that made my heartrate rise from 75 to 105bpm on my Apple watch! I used to fly between Perth and London regularly with no issue but now flying terrifies me. I have a short four hour flight coming up in June and I'm already anxious - I shall be downing whatever drugs I can get hold of to stop me climbing the walls 😞
That looked scary. It looks like the plane flew into a storm cloud. Good thing the pilots flew out of it. But yeah I hate turbulence. And im flying in two days to visit family. Hopefully there is no high turbulence during that trip. But, I am a bit worried it's been quite windy here.
Hey Leticia, it was just the plane climbing up into faster moving winds. The same things happens sometimes on descent, except the other way around. There wasn't any storms, however Sydney seems to get a fair bit of turbulence. All safe and just a bumpy ride.. If it wasn't safe they wouldn't fly at all. Enjoy your trip! and have a great flight!
@@LukeCrisp thanks. Glad it's mostly the climbing 😂
return flights from ASIA to the USA over Alaska can sometimes be pretty rough in the winter time. flying over the Colorado Rockies can also be pretty rough.
Yeah some of those mountain waves could certainly make things bumpy along the way. If it’s during the day, I’m sure flying over Alaska would be scenic. Thanks for the comment Janne.
The bumpy ride you had was as you flew through the clouds, once the plane flew above them you were fine. I flew Montreal to London about 15 years ago and they couldn't serve food or drinks the entire flight due to clear air turbulence and the plane shook dipped and swayed until we reached land. After that flight, no others have seemed even close to bad. I did have a quite exciting flight last year where the plane hit an air pocket trapped between the mountains on pula croatia runway and the pilot couldn't put the plane down, so we had to abort and go around. Never a moments worry though, I've had much closer shaves when driving my car.
Not quite.. it was bumpy outside and inside the clouds… the first bigger bump wasn’t in the clouds. I also enjoy it! Recently I had a flight back from Singapore (SYD-SIN) and upon descent we had some nice moderate turbulence… was great fun… although I do prefer it during the day when I can see outside, otherwise I can feel a little funny with my motion after the flight. Thanks for the comment!
@@LukeCrisp Now you just sound like a complete dolt - you are clearly uncomfortable, confused, possily even your fearless buttlhole puckered up a little. You even admit how unnerving it was, now its great fun.
Turbulence takes down planes thats why pilots avoid at all costs and the industry, boomers, friends. you, etc have told us TURBULENCE HAS NO EFFECT ON THE PLANES FLYING CAPABLITIES - WELLLLLLLLLLL YES IT DOES AND ITS A VERY REAL THREAT AS YOU KNOW....
Coffs Harbour to Sydney in Nov 2019. Flew into a storm front, I have never been as scared in my life. I was drenched in sweat when we landec
That would have been on a light aircraft as well, possibly a Q400, hence you would have felt the bumps quite a bit more than a heavier aircraft 😆
Thanks for the comment Ken
Vegas in the summer is the worse turbulence I experience. Even when you expect it, it is still unsettling.
A few people have actually mentioned Vegas in the comments! Super interesting 🤔
As a little kid I remember being on a smallish plane that I think must have been either going to regional NSW (Armidale) from Sydney or going to Sydney from Armidale - a lady smacked her head on the roof because of what I’m assuming now was turbulence. I saw her just go flying up and crack, whacked her noggin. I don’t remember screams. Just turbulence and seeing her rocket up. From memory it was very quiet during, perhaps a bone chilly nervous quiet in hindsight.
I always kept my seatbelt on and I was too small to be scared, so I was just chilling.
Wow! Yeah that’s a good lesson to wear a seatbelt when seated! Geez!
Thanks for sharing Keira
The worst turbulence I ever experienced was on the flight home from my honeymoon from Nassau, Bahamas to JFK. We were in an L10-11 which seats almost 400 people. We hit turbulence and would drop about 1000 ft in seconds. That plane was getting tossed around like it was nothing. I was so happy to be back on the ground when we landed and I came off the plane vowing to never fly again. This was my first time ever flying.
Glad you got your honeymoon in before the flight 😆…. That is quite a large plane.. depending what year this was, I think radar technology has advanced dramatically since these days. As it’s a Lockheed L10.. I’m assuming this was 70s or 80s. Not the best flight for a first one… hoping you have had many pleasant flights since.. Thanks for sharing!
When I got to JFK I got off the plane and kissed the ground. Well my honeymoon was in 1985 so not sure what year the aircraft may have been.
Ex FA who was based in WLG NZ for 13 years. The two worst turbulence experiences I had were on descent into Melbourne and descent into Auckland. Even the Capt on the Auckland flight said he had never experienced anything like it!
13 years of experience and countless flights… great to have your perspective in the comments here. As soon as you mentioned based in WLG, I assumed it would have been descent into the Windy City… and if the captain mentioned that, It certainly says something 😆
Thanks for the comment!
Yes many captains have never experienced it. I'm retired fa and we had severe turbulence yrs ago. Felt like God was playing with aircraft.shaking it. Our captain said that if we had dropped more,we would have hit Sierra Nevada mts. 1 plane out of Reno. Our capt notified at of turbulence. Thought we were going to die. Dropped few thousand ft.
in Feb this year we were flying out of heathrow to New Delhi in a British Airways 777-200ER during storm Eunice(If you havent seen the videos of this id highly reccomend checking it out) on the ground it was blowing around 30 - 50kts with occaisional gusts as high as 70kts, so we had a really bumpy takeoff, however the worst was yet to come. After take off we entred a really powerful jet-stream which accelerated the aircrafts ground speed as high as 630kts!! or 724mph(1166kph). However this jet stream actually weakened abruptly over the Baltic Sea, and the tailwinds dropped from around 150kts to 40kts in the space of about 50miles, This caused a pretty rough ride with turbulence even reaching moderate. This led the captain to suspending in flight food and drink services till the ride got smoother. The absolute worst of the turbulence lasted for a 10 minute spell somwehre over latvia. I've experienced moderate turb before, but this time it was in completely clear air (CAT) and I had to put my Ipad away cuz i was worried it would go flying :)
No, sorry I didn’t hear about this storm! I’ll have to look it up. However your story rings very similar to a flight I was on a couple of days ago! I was trying out Scoot airlines (Singapore-Sydney) and we had a very strong tail wind while inland over Australia… at one point (1224kph ground speed)…. I told my neighbor next to me.. I guarantee when we start to descend, we are going to get some bumps as we descend out of this fast moving air… and sure enough lol…. At some point quite moderate… although fun! She was quite happy I was sitting next to her and could explain the process and as to why it was happening. Thanks for the comment Mohit!
Thanks, you have the best turbulence footage i have seen so far.
Thanks! I tried to hold the camera steady which helps.
Worse turbulence in all my flying experiences was landing in a thunderstorm at Chicago O’Hare. Never wish to experience turbulence like that again. I swear I saw the whole top of the cabin move in what I can only explain as a wave type movement. These planes are definitely built to endure.
Chicago was a rough trip for me too!
Flight from Kona to PDX, solid turbulence for 4+ hours straight. Climbed close to 41,000 feet and still couldn’t find clean air. Flight attendants were not allowed to leave their seats until the last hour where they were tasked with helping passengers who had gotten sick all over themselves. It was a nightmare.
Yikes! Couldn’t imagine the smell in the cabin😩 I’d wonder if it was because of the bumps or because they were scared. Thanks for the comment RJ
Worst turbulence ive ever experienced was an overnight flight back to London from LAX. Roughly halfway through the flight we had about 5 minutes of bad turbulence. People who was asleep was waking up and screaming, and i vividly remember people who was still awake and watching their TV’s the TV’s was flickering on and off. It wasn’t pleasant and i have flown that route many times. I have also experienced bad turbulence flying down to Greece from the UK as we was going over the Italian Alps.
Always the worst turbulence has been over mountains. To San Fran/ to Vancouver over the Rockies; to Dubai over the Caucasus . Giant aircraft bucking like a bronco, coffee cups jumping on tray tables, steep drops, gasping pax, the whole kit and caboodle. Fun times.
Oddly enough one of the smoothest was flying over the Himalayas. The jagged peaks looked so close.
Hopefully there wasn’t any coffee in those cups! Flying over the Himalayas is a dream flight for me!
Not a fan of turbulence too. Just retired a few years ago from serving in the US Air Force...you would think it wouldn't bother me from all the international flights I've been on. Worst I've felt was flying out of Denver over the Rockies and feeling the plane just drop for 1-2 seconds what seems like an eternity! LOL
Hahah! Ahh the drops… nah tbh I don’t think it makes a difference how many times you fly. I feel if I was in the cockpit and in control (which I’m not obviously 😆) but I’d be very chill depending on the severity… maybe just more focused? But ever since this video I’ve had a few more experience of light to moderate… I’m becoming more relaxed as I’ve learned more and more about it… but yeah still can feel slightly un easy - my mind is fighting itself with reasoning and what is logical etc 😆 I guess our brains know we are not exactly meant to be way up there haha!
Always bumpy in the pacific around the equator. Worst I ever had was flying Dallas to Houston. Overhead compartments broke open with stuff flying around the cabin. Upon landing the DC-9 stopped at the end of the runway and was towed to the gate. Upon leaving it appeared the cockpit door was mid aligned and half open. Happy to be off that flight b
I Flew from LGA to ATL and then connected from ATL to DFW. The flight from LGA to ATL was horrendous. The pilot informed us that there was a weather system in our path and that we were going to encounter some turbulence. And this is after our flight was delayed in NYC due to weather. So the Pilot already showed his concern. Mind you, on the way to ATL, we barely had a stretch of a calm flight. We had bumps, and dips most of the 1.5hr flight. It was pretty much one of the most turbulent flights I had been on to date, until i connected to DFW. What i experienced from LGA to ATL was just a warm up to what i was going to experience from ATL to DFW. After take off we had about a nice 30minute calm ride, until the pilot announced that we were going to be going thru a system that was going to be a little bumpy for about 8-10 minutes. If only it really was 8-10 minutes. That turbulence didnt let up until we got to Texas. It lasted for about 45 minutes. Never in my life had i been on a plane that felt like a roller-coaster. It was bumping up and down, swaying left and right, sliding up and dipping down, even shaking almost violently that you can hear all the food equipment in the back making so much noice. The flight attendants suspended service and never returned. No one went to the bathroom, and no one make a sound. All we heard were the engines and winds roaring the entire time. I was sitting on a isle seat and was even holding on from the bottom of it just to not flop around so much in my seat as i was reading to distract my mind from what was going on. Absolutely nerve recking. I was expecting the flight to divert and land because the weather was so bad, but there was no announcement and no diverting. We just danced in the sky the remainder of the flight. This was happened back in 2005, 17years ago, and I’ve never been had that bad of turbulence every again thank God. Good thing to know at least that these planes can withstand enormous amount of pressure and still remain intact. Although turbulence can be frightening at times, at least we know these planes are very well built for our safety.
The 737 has quite a stiff structure when compared to the A320 family, so you really feel every bump. Sitting aft of the wing is usually worse as the aircraft tends to fish-tail a bit, although the yaw damper does a fairly good job. I’ve had some rough rides crossing the Pyrenees in late summer/early autumn and also over the Bay Of Bengal.
I can’t say I know a whole lot about the engineering that goes into making a Boeing or Airbus, but I’ll take your word for it Martin 😆 Yeah, I certainly felt the bumps… almost like a stiff suspension on a car or bike. Thanks for the comment Martin! Interesting!
I think you're right as I've noticed more turbulence on the 737 compared to the A320. In fact, Boeing planes in general including the 767 have weaker resistance to turbulence but are still safe.
The worst is always into Wellington Airport there is sometimes some hard drops in the Q300 or ATR in New Zealand btw
Well it is the “Windy City” so I am not surprised, especially in the lighter aircraft. Wellington has always been on my list to go places… I’ve been to AKL and ZQN in NZ but never been to the capital.
@@LukeCrisp yeah it can be a bit of fun going Blenheim-Wellington on a bad day
I was on a a 40 minute flight from SLC to Idaho Falls that was turbulent from take off to landing. The flight attendants were buckled in the entire time. I get anxiety just thinking about it. After I got off I had two martinis. There were several flights later that night on the same route that were cancelled. I nearly drove home after my business trip.
Sounds like an experience Kerrie! It’s a shame you didn’t have the 2 martinis before the flight.. 😆 I don’t like the sound of take off to landing… even at 40 minutes…
The good part is you will probably never experience the same level of turbulence.. or at least if you do, as un comfortable as it feels, just remember.. that these days… it’s never turbulence that brings a plane down.
I'm laughing only because I can relate, I had a 2 leg flight and the first leg was so turbulent I considered renting a car at the transfer airport and driving the hours and hours/days it would take to reach home. The man in the seat beside me convinced me to push on :)
Well done , I never experienced turbulence that rough as I see
I recall several instances of very rough turbulence where I looked up from my book, smiled reassuredly to those around me, and resumed reading the same page over and over while desperately wishing for smoother air.
Flew Sydney to Hong Kong with no problem. Got back on board and my heart sank with 2 drunk Germans in front of us. After 15 mins the turbulence started. The loud germans became quiet. I had sore elbows from rubbing on seat rests(economy)
Even with video stabilization I could tell that it got very choppy and uncomfortable!
I’ve had a few flights like this and even worse in my experience as a passenger.
I’ve flown nearly 1M miles and the worst I can remember was a flight on Delta from New Orleans to Atlanta about 20y ago,same factor as your flight explained by the captain!
I’ll never forget it, quite scary... Everyone got really quiet I remember several people getting pale from fear and I got a nice little bruise on my arm from hitting the armrest several times not expecting the several severe drops ! I finally crossed my arms and closed my eyes. It lasted about half an hour and everyone survived LOL.
Thanks for hanging around and listening to the part about video stabilization 😆 some people jump to conclusions quite fast and then comment. Half an hour is a decent session of turbulence… glad to hear you survived the ordeal 😆
We were flying back to the UK from New York once and we encountered some bad turbulence, the stewardess at one point suddenly sat down on the floor in the isle. At one point it felt like the plane had suddenly dropped a few feet in an instant.
I remember a flight from Chicago O'Hare to Manchester UK. It was the worst I ever experienced. It lasted about 45 minutes. He managed to pull up in altitude and made sure to inform all flights behind us of the severity. Then it smoothed out, only to get bumpy while descending in Manchester. Manchester is known for the wind. Probably worse than windy city itself.
England generally appears to not have the best weather. I have never been there, however I’ve seen a tonne of videos of bad weather approaches in different airports across the Uk.. so doesn’t surprise me! Cheers for the comment Giancarlo
Thanks Luke
I usually look at these titled videos sideways and with skepticism. But certainly, I think this qualifies as heavy turbulence. Must have been a heck of a ride.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion… hence lot labelling it with (severe or moderate)… just my own words really 😆
It was a heck of a ride indeed! Cheers for the comment
Lately flying the MAX Ind to Sea has had the worst turbulence. I now sit in row 11 and 12 and it is stabilizing! Never again in the back of the plane.
Flying from LA to Denver in a holding pattern for 1 hour through severe thunderstorm. I was swearing and people were praying. Severe drops. It made me phobic of flying.
I was walking on the bridge to the plane the other day and someone was preying behind me.. was with Batik Air… made me feel a little nervy 😆 safe to say I made it to the destination safely… enough.
As an Flight Dispatcher in America, I'm not surprised. He looked like he was among the clouds and not sure of the ti,e of year, but it looked warm. Clouds like that in warm weather are most surely containing updrafts ( Think cumulus and thunderstorms ).
At the end of the video it looked as if he were trying to climb above the clouds. You' ll find a bit more stable air above the clouds thought CAT ( Clear air turbulence) can occur anywhere.
In THE US you'll find turbulence everywhere anytime of the year. Definitely in the south I. Late afternoons when the earth warms.
When the air warms, that air rises and it gets bumpy. You fly out west here over Arizona and Phoenix...be prepared to thrown around.
As dispatchers, we do our best to plan flights at altitudes to give the smoothest flights possible for crew and passengers.
Between flying out of AKL to LAX on a Boeing 777-319 ER ALL BLACKS LIVERY Heavy turbalance flying at 41000 feet through a big thunderstorms about 4.5 hours into the flight in the Pacific Ocean
Firstly, I love the all Blacks livery and want to fly with Air NZ again very soon… their possibly one of, or if not my favourite airline - at least from my experience flying with them domestically in NZ. Yeah, no surprise… about the same as me when I was leaving Sydney, about 5-6 hours into the flight over the pacific… most people are resting/sleeping at that point too… so it catches people by surprise 😆
The whole video is worth watching, but the time reference up front was a nice touch. It probably wasn't the worst turbulence i have been through, but the worst turbulence experience i had was in small plane when i was learning to fly. Those little planes don't handle it well! Flying through that same air in a jet would probably not even be noticeable. Thanks for taking the time to create and share the video.
I have never experienced anything more that light turbulence on smaller aircraft… Did the instructor take over when this happened? Anyhow, I’m sure it was a great learning experience in how to deal with turbulence, especially in a light aircraft. I appreciate the comment Billy!
I`m from Europe and flights over the Alps or Pyrenees having jet wind conditions over them can get real nasty.
Sheesh, yeah I could imagine! I’ve never been over that way but hopefully in the near future.
Thanks for watching.
Great vid and thanks for sharing, reading peoples comments on turbulence is always an interesting insight. Having some 30+ years flying both as pilot and pax, I don't mind turbulence that much but always remain alert when the dinks cart with hot kettles is near by. Perhaps the worst I have ever experienced (as a passenger) was in the early 90's heading into Melbourne aboard an Ansett A320, we got hammered from about 7000ft till touchdown. The overhead bins popped open, peoples bits and pieces were strewin all over the aircraft, there were many screams, people crying, swearing with even the Hosties looking worried. Mind you, I was parked at the back in the last row (the worst place to be, except for the crew seats!) the only thing that had me on edge was the sound of the airframe taking all the stresses, I could hear the vertical stabilizer stressing and creaking along with the rest of the empannage (back of plane). Not having much actual flight experience as a pilot in those days, I was a little unnerved by it but knew the plane was up to the job. The pilots did a go-round on first attempt to land as the plane was tackling significant crosswind, you could actually hear the wind rushing the side of the plane! The final landing was very professional and made use of another runway, the windsock was straight out and swinging wildly, all regional flights were cancelled that day and for good reason!
It’s crazy how much those planes can handle and get through but I still can’t get over how they can handle that much turbulence
Worst turbulence I've ever experienced was flying from Hawaii to Japan almost 40 years ago. The plane felt like it would drop 10 feet and then it felt like a hard landing - it felt like a car in one of those movie chases through San Francisco. I didn't feel aprehensive - I knew even then that we were very comfortably with the design envel;ope of the 747 I was on - but it was definitely uncomforable, especially since I sometimes get a little motion sick.
I've flown between the Middle East and Melbourne almost every time i fly between EU and Aus. (once on Qatar's 777, and multiple times on Emirates' A380s/777s). The most turbulence always happens when flying over the Indian Ocean and on decent into Dubai/Doha. Back in 2020 when i did MEL-HKG-LHR with Cathays' A350-1000, we had the usual bumps over China and Russia en-route to London. Other than that, I've not really had any bad turbulence experiences. Turbulence occurs in 99% of flights all around the world, so its something I've
become used to.
Mate 100% agree! Cheers for the comment
I encountered the worst turbulence many times flying from Dubai to Sydney over the Indian Ocean
But always on my return trip to Dubai from Sydney I don’t encounter any turbulence in the same area.
@@rc70ys Yeah usually because the flight's from Dubai to Australia fly closer to India/Sri Lanka where there is always bad weather.
Landing in Las Vegas at the peak of the Summer. The ground gets very hot and creates a lot of near-ground turbulence. This tends to make the approach to landing very bumpy.
Super interesting explanation! I’ll have to look into this. Thanks for the comment
@@LukeCrisp Here you go.
th-cam.com/video/rOIztMY4Zfw/w-d-xo.html
@@captainyossarian388 unfortunately it says the video has been removed? All good, I’ll have a little search and see what comes up.
my worst so far was lightning storm retuning from Fiji, Nandi to MEL.
Also a Southwest pilot announced prior to leaving the gate ALB for DFW that we were headed into bad weather and it would be BUMPY and anyone who wanted to change flights could exit aircraft now before doors closed. Result was ok crew did top job to go up and around, earnt their money that day.
Can’t say I ever flown near or been around a lighting storm… those are actually dangerous… pretty sure Jetstar currently has a plane grounded due to a lightning strike..they can really mess the plane up.
Haha! I’ve heard about southwest and that they crack jokes on the plane with passengers! We’re they being serious? 😆
July 1991 from Belfast to larnaca,Cyprus,in the middle of the aggean sea,it was by far the worst turbulence I have ever experienced,my father and I were seated in the front row and as they were about to serve drinks it started without any warning,the trolley hit the ceiling and the air hostess fell into my lap I gladly held onto her for dear life for what was the longest 60 seconds of my life ! Not turbulence related but I had an engine failure 10 seconds after take off ,Rhodes island to Gatwick, London,emergency landing in Athens,horrendous experience ,not being able to control your own destiny go me is a scary thing !!!!
July 1991 was when I was born 😆
I’m not sure what weather radar or forecasting capabilities they had back then? These days, for example yesterday during my flight there was forecasted turbulence hence no hot drink service! Wouldn’t complain too much about the hostess falling onto your lap 😉 haha!
Aircraft engine failure or a bird strike in an engine would be scary for sure! Most commercial aircraft outside of a380/747 Ofcourse only have one more.. I’d be staring out the other engine just hoping that one stays well and good!
Thanks for the stories J2!
I would say flying from LAX to Brisbane or Sydney.....right around Hawaii. Its bad turbulence when an A380 is shaking!
Seems to always be bumpy around that part of the flight path.
You’re absolutely right, a couple of weeks ago I flew to New York on EVA Airlines from Taipei, Taiwan, and we encounter very bad turbulence over Japan and most of the Pacific Ocean that the captain made an announcement for the flight attendants to be seated, that’s when you know it’s going to be bad. Fortunately, we made to NY okay, but it was a bit concerning. Thanks for sharing video .
Yep, I’ve had plenty of flights they announce that… mainly as a safety precaution so no one goes flying (inside the cabin). No worries, thanks for watching.
I also hate when the pilot makes the request for flight attendants to take their seats and announces upcoming turbulence and you sit in anticipation then it never happens 😅
That was quite a rough patch as you climbed through the cloud layers. It seemed to smooth out once you climbed above it. I also fly often, and I’ve had my share of turbulence. But I can’t recall an event, after 300+ flights, that put the fear of God in me. Perhaps one or two.
Oh, I just recalled one, but it was more inconvenience and annoyance than fear: a night flight from Chicago to Stewart Airport (just north of New York City). I called it The Tigger Flight because we just bounced along the entire route; no terrifying jolts, just constant small bumps, so that you couldn’t even read a book or magazine.
Great video! The most turbulence I’ve encountered was from Manila to Sydney. I actually lost my breakfast and went quite green around the gills. Pilot Patrick Smith says that pilots understand the transition between smooth and rough air like we understand the difference between a sealed road and dirt road when driving.
Thanks Ally! Interesting to hear how they might think of it, as compared to our perception.
Holy.... That's not fake, that's real heavy bumps...
I watch these kinds of videos to help me as a nervous flyer because it’s just a reminder of how capable planes are….
that being said id probably still be scared on my next flight 😅
You are safer In a plane than in a car… these are not words but general facts proven from analysis
It was on a Saab to Broken Hill for me. Those things just can’t clear clouds. We were stuck in it for about an hour until we were over Parkes. Not fun
Flying over the top of some thunderheads in Gabon in a Dash 8 once was the worst turbulence of my life. It was like a rollercoaster. I could feel my seatbelt keeping me in at times. Thankfully it didn't last more than 10 or 15 mins. I'm always wary of flying at those latitudes (tropical convergence zone), Australia can be partially bad too. Had a long flight from Houston to LHR once years ago where turbulence in the jet stream never stopped, not just bumbs but up and down like a sine wave for hours. The Gabon turbulence was on another level with the G's, however.
I think my flight must have been following yours, I had exact same from Canada to London and the plane only stabilised when we got over land. Everyone got off the plane and kissed the floor.
interesting..nice pics of Sidney, wow some turbulence, wonder if could b avoided?? ive not much experienced, flew alot w dad, job, as a kid...dont rember any.
smooth as heck landing.
Arvo from USA I actually like turbulences especially over the ocean. Last year my brother and I flew to Melbs for 2.5 weeks. That visit before into Oz I had a seizure episode which I don't remember much. I was immediately transferred to a local hospital. Do remember staff had hard times getting ahold of my USA doctor from day and time difference. This time we'll be going to Sydney in May.
Flight back to Perth in a Cessna 441 Conquest. That was the first time i had seen "Extreme" Turbulence forecast on the ATIS. And yep, it lived up to the ATIS' forecast !
Andy, I’m assuming you were flying… are there rules for flying during “extreme turbulence”… I’m guessing it was a private flight due to the aircraft… so was it self discretionary?
How long did the heavy turbulence last? Looked like about 20 seconds in your clip.
The worst turbulence i experienced was ireland taking off and landing at dublin airport.
Also flying over honduras and costa rica, which is very mountainous terrain
Hard to say Steve, I haven’t watched the clip in a while… but it felt moderate for some time, then pushing towards slightly heavy.. but not all that long…
Yeah mountain waves would cause the turbulence in some of those areas. It’s strange… when flying in and out of Queenstown NZ… (very mountainous terrain).. I never felt a thing… I guess it just depends on the day.
Thanks for the comment Steve!
Barcelona to Zurich: 30min of madness
Pilots later said they had not expected it to be 200 km/h cross wind at cruising altitude. It felt like taking off from the run way mid air when the engines spooled up to max thrust again. Left right and massive drops for 30min
I think you guys just flew straight through convective activity. That cumulus may have been on its way to become a storm cloud. That's why I tend to avoid mid-day flights whenever I can.
I flew from Huston to New Orleans in December, the weather was rainy, and shortly after takeoff the plane starting going through strong turbulences, including long (2-3 seconds) and rapid changes of altitude in one direction, making us experience rather strong G-force for a longer time than just "a wobble". The flight was 1h long and the seatbelt sign stayed on during the entire flight. The cabin lights were all off as it was dusk, which created an even eerier atmosphere. Once we reached cruise altitude I rang the bell to ask a flight attendent for some anti-nausea pill, but they replied to me through the loudspeakers that the flight was too dangerous for them to get off their jumpseats. That was probably my scariest flight so far!
For me it was QF 72. After departing singapore and flying over Indonesia in-between the indian ocean turbulance
Sunnyday flight (specially in summer) + clouds = turbulance . I mostly experience moderate turbulance landing in Zurich, Frankfurt (not that often) and simply flying with bad weather/strong winds (which we sadly cannot completely avoid for 100% unless the flight is cancelled)
Good video - and that is some quite some turbulence. Having lived in OZ for years, I found it pretty choppy at times coming into SYD, especially Sept/Oct. Vegas is always turbulent because it is surrounded by a mountain range. Rides to and/or over Japan can get very choppy as well. Pls keep posting and safe travels!
I definitely have to agree with you in regards to Sydney… it’s really the only place during landing/takeoff where it has felt somewhat turbulent… including go arounds etc - in saying this I understand that a go around could be for various other reasons. Never flown into Vegas… last trip was on a bus.. so nice and smooth that day. Thanks Mike! I will do, off to Singapore/Malaysia next week so I’m looking forward to getting a bunch of videos up. All the best!
Worst one I had was Palmerston North to Auckland in a Dash 8 on Air NZ in a thunderstorm. That thing bucked and shook like a demented rollercoaster. We also had hail.
Yes the video does not reflect, but I can clearly see that was a bit scary for sure!
Its completly normal at this season of the year, Happy landings.
I always feel worried when I come across turbulence, then realise it's just as bumpy as driving on a Queensland highway except I'm not in control.
😆 that’s a good way of putting it.
The not being in control part is definitely a factor… cheers for the comment
I experienced heavy turbulence flying from LA to Kwaii in Feb. many years ago
Not so much bad but unexpected. London Heathrow after a smooth flight from Stockholm heading east to turn onto runway 09R . All of a sudden the plane jolted a lot of passengers screamed . The plane seem to move in all directions and it would have been very rough if it lasted very long. It was wake turbulence from another aircraft. It does happen quite often on that approach I have since found out . I did sit up & take notice that’s for sure.
Qatar Airways 2017 - Dublin to Doha. The turbulence got so bad that the pilot said in a rough but worried voice 'cabin crew be seated for turbulence'. We were flying over Ukraine at the time. I was worried because I remembered MH17
Oh wow! yeah to be honest I think my mind would go there aswell… it’s unfortunate but I wouldn’t have been overly keen flying over there anytime after that event… and most likely in the future.
Mine was surprisingly on a domestic flight circling Brisbane CBD to land at airport via southern approach. We were in an ATR prop jet, those strong winds had us bouncing and rolling like a ship in stormy seas.
Yikes! Yeah I’m just imagining that aircraft in bad conditions! Or fun conditions I suppose.. 😆 depends how one looks at it. Thanks for the comment Kay!
Red eye from Bermuda to London last December 2:45mins of pitches and drops. FA said by far the worst turbulence she had even been thru. Just a nightmare
If the FA is saying that, then it was obviously no good! Cheers for the comment Jaleel
I pretty much expect turbulence when flying through clouds, not that it makes me happier.
I try to get a seat near the wings because they says its less intense there.
I also find when your sitting at any window seat (behind the wing), you have a better sense of motion… so if you can see what the aileron is doing on your side.. even if in thick clouds… you know if your level or banking to the left or right… sitting there helps the senses I think.
Over the Alps and the Rockies. On approach to Malaga Spain. ( All mountain related!)
Yep, seems like a few others in the comments have had similar experiences with the alps and other mountainous regions. Thanks for sharing Jo
Worst I've encountered, was on flight JQ824 in early 2021. As we descended into Brisbane Airport, we flew through a decent storm, and the whole thing shook up and down, and side to side pretty heavily. A flight attendant had to look after a screaming child, and even the parent was freaking out over the turbulence. Once we saw the City below us, the atmosphere for the plane was much better. It did freak me out good though.
Flying BA, Heathrow to JFK in December I experienced moderate to severe turbulence. As in, flight attendants get in your seats! We were following in the wake of a flight to Philadelphia that had to go through parts of a storm.
The turbulence was pretty bad, not just up and down but side to side. I would've hated to have experienced it in anything other than a jumbo!
Was this an evening or day flight? Never crossed the Atlantic myself… personally if it’s during the day I feel quite chill and enjoy it… the other night flying back to Australia from Singapore I had periods of light to moderate during descent… still fun, however I like to see outside as to help my sense of position 😆 if that makes sense… my equilibrium was out of wack for a good 24 hours, but that’s also because of 9 flights in 1 weeks… the turbulence just topped it off.
Anytime the cloud tops are as ragged as those were, you can expect some pretty decent bumps flying through them. It's never a safety issue though - the ragged nature of them is the visual indication of the changing winds around them; that being the cause of the turbulence you felt.
Los Angeles to Atlanta back in the day on a Delta L-1011, coming into ATL the plane dropped several hundred feet all at once and many passengers let out a ‘whoop’ like on a roller coaster. Kinda fun actually
Haha love it! Yeah I know the feeling… especially if it’s an overnight flight and passengers are sleeping/resting…. There will be a nice synchronized whoop in the cabin 😆
Flying down the east coast of Australia from China to Brisbane in an A330 at an alt of 43,000 ft. The plane flew into really dark cloud, which was weird at that height. The plane rocked and dropped violently for over 30mins until we emerged from the cloud. Often turbulence over Indonesia flying into Singapore.
I flew with my brother from Zurich to Prague and we were taking off and climbing through the heaviest clouds.. it was a thunderstorm in Zurich but the plane made a big turn to left but during that time and the next 15 minutes was so bumpy.. it was scary but for me was scarier the turn during the turbulence.. 🫢