Why do airplanes experiance turbulence when they go through clouds.?

Question

i've been flying since I was born, probably more than 8 or 10 times a year. But lately I've been more freaked out by planes(not related to question, just thought I'd throw it in.) And on my last flight we were going through a cloud. Not a storm cloud, but your 'average everyday-you can sit and watch on a clear day' kind of cloud and it was horendously bumpy. We pretty much dropped like 20 feet and sped way back up a few times, just through this one cloud. I've never experienced that before. What happened?


Also I am flying out of Denver soon and am extremely scared now. Any tips for relaxing? It's a 4 hour flight. (I can't get to sleep on an airplane if I tried)

Also, why are cell phones EXTREMELY banned on airplanes?

Answer 1

The reason why you often find turbulence in those "clear day" kind of clouds is that those "puffy" (cumulus) clouds are created due to convective activity. That is, warm air rises. As it rises, it cools an average of 2 deg. C per 1000 feet. Eventually it cools to the point where any moisture present in the air will condense, and that is your cloud. These types of clouds generally form in an "unstable" atmosphere. That just means that these vertical movements of the air are large, and the airflow is thus turbulent. The more unstable the atmosphere, the quicker and higher the air will rise. If there's enough convective activity, and enough moisture in the air, you'll eventually get a thunderstorm.

Clouds that form in layers are generally smooth because they form in what is called a "stable" atmosphere. This usually happens with cooler, drier air. In these conditions, the air rises more slowly, and therefore is less turbulent.

There are other types of turbulence, however. One is caused by "mountain wave" which is when high speed winds rush up the mountains on one side, and then form "waves" as they rush down the leeward side. These "waves" are very turbulent, just like ocean waves, and can extend out 100 miles from the mountain that caused them. This can happen in perfectly clear air. Another type of turbulence is called "Clear Air Turbulence" and generally happens at much higher altitudes, and is caused by the jetstream. This is hard to predict, and can happen unexpectedly.

It's true that you'll find a lot of the "convective" types of clouds around Denver and it's surrounding mountains almost every day in the summer when it's generally warmer. But don't worry. The aircraft are engineered to fly in these kinds of conditions. The airframe flexes with *all kinds* of turbulence so that nothing will break. It's uncomfortable, true, but certainly not dangerous. Just be sure to RESPECT the "fasten seat belt" sign.I can't tell you how many times I've been riding in the back of an airliner and see people just blow off this warning. I usually get to hear them get thrown about as they go to the lav when the sign is on, or once, even had one nearly land on me as he got thrown side to side walking down the aisle. I even got to laugh at one guy who decided that when the seat belt sign came on (after 1:30 of perfectly smooth ride) that it was a perfect time to apply eye drops. Needless to say, they ended up all over his face!

When the Captain turns that sign on, it is for your SAFETY. It means he probably knows something that you don't. And for those times when the crew turns the sign on but nothing happens? They probably expected it and were pleasantly surprised. Better than taking chances, don't you think?

Bring an exciting book, and your ipod. Chew some gum and that 4-hour flight will over before you know it. If you're a fidgeter, bring Sudoku puzzles, or crosswords. Or learn how to knit :-)

Answer 2

Turbulence is basically a stream of air in irregular motion that normally cannot be seen and often occurs unexpectedly. It can be created by a number of different conditions. The most common encounter is flying in the vicinity of thunderstorm. In fact, a flight through a patch of cloud will often jostle the airplane. Flying over mountainous area with a prevailing wind is another major cause of air turbulence. Other causes come from flying near to jet streams at high altitude, in a frontal system or where temperature changes in any air mass in the sky.

Turbulence can also occur when the sky is clear of clouds. These are known as clear air turbulence or CAT. As the name suggests, CAT occur in clear air and cannot be seen on the radar. One can encounter CAT when flying from a slow moving air mass of about 10 to 20 knots into or near a jet stream with speed of well above 100 knots. Although one cannot see CAT visually, a close scrutiny of the weather charts or the forecasted turbulence factor on the flight plan, could usually warn pilots of possible affected areas on the route.

Answer 3

Turbulence is caused by changes in air pressure I believe, Cell phones are banned because their transmissions can block or interfere with the electronics on board and communications between the cockpit and air traffic control.

Don't let yourself get this out of proportion. The planes are built to withstand the buffetting that turbulence causes. After all, you've never heard of a plane losing its wings in midair have you? Just always keep your seatbelt loosely fastened so that a sudden drop doesn't send you up in the air. That's the dangerous part of severe turbulence - people who refuse to keep their seatbelts on.

Answer 4

Some clouds have strong air currents in them. In fact, that's what causes the cloud in the first place. If you have a strong updraft, it carries air to a higher altitude. At a higher altitude the air expands and has less air pressure, so it can't carry as much moisture, so moisture comes out in little water droplets, which is the cloud. If you fly through a cloud like that you hit this updraft and it shakes the plane up a bit. 'Thunderheads' (cumulonimbus clouds) can have very violent updrafts in them and can go up to 50,000 or 60,000 feet. Airplanes don't fly into them, they steer around them.

Answer 5

Clouds don't cause turbulance. Turbulance can occur in clear air and is caused by a number of different conditions, including atmospheric pressures, jet streams, mountain waves, cold or warm fronts, or thunderstorm.

Answer 6

Cell phones are banned because they may interfere with navigation equipment and other aircraft systems.