Is Air Pocket really dangerous for commercial plane?

Question

passenger plane

Answer 1

Yes, they absolutely are. An air pocket is better called a vertical draft, or an updraft or a downdraft, depending on which direction is is moving. The reason they are sometimes called air pockets, even though everything around it is also air, is that the vertical draft is typically a pocket of air at a different temperature than the surrounding air, which causes the vertical displacemet of air.

Vertical drafts are dangerous because they can lead to overcompensation by inexperienced pilots. This is most commonly seen during landing, if the air pocket takes the form of a downburst. The air spreads in all directions after hitting the ground, creating a headwind that causes a false indication of increased speed. The pilot might then slow the forward speed, if he is not familiar with this phenomenon. Once the headwind is cleared, the plane is no longer moving fast enough to provide lift force in the still air, and the plane can plummet to a crash.

Answer 2

Hi. Air pocket is a misnomer, I think. It is the vertical velocity of air as it changes from an updraft, say, to a downdraft that it dangerous to some degree.