Going to the lavatory in the middle of a flight is never a pleasant experience, but you probably won’t have much of a choice about it. Perhaps the most unpleasant thing about them is the roar they make every time you flush. What’s behind this seemingly unnecessary loudness?

Airplane lavatories are loud because the flushing system uses a vacuum to remove the waste from the bowl at high speeds. This system uses very minimal water as carrying water on a plane is heavy, reduces cargo space, and reduces the number of passengers and baggage that can be flown.

The modern airplane lavatory has had a serious design project behind it to make it efficient, lightweight, and odor friendly. The loud noise that it creates is a by-product of its design but if you want to know more about how these toilets work, please read on!

How Do Airplane Lavatories Work?

Airplane toilets use a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the airplane to create a vacuum to suck out the toilet bowl waste. When the flush button is pressed a small amount of odor-eliminating fluid is dispensed before a valve opens to create the vacuum. Waste is held on the plane.

Toilets on the ground use a siphon system. A large surge of water is released from a holding tank above the toilet bowl and with the help of gravity this surge pushes the waste around a weir in the base of the toilet and into the sewer system. It’s an effective and, in comparison, not too loud system, but it uses ALOT of water and water is heavy!

On average, each passenger will use the lavatory an average of 2.5 times during a long-haul flight and the average ground-based toilet uses 2-4 gallons of water each flush. For an airplane to accommodate 300 passengers it would have to carry over 3000 gallons of water weighing around 25,000 lbs!

To remove the problem of carrying all this water the modern airplane toilet utilizes a non-stick toilet bowl and when you press the ‘Flush’ button a small solution called SkyKem is released into the bowl. Skykem helps decompose waste, kill bacteria, and reduce odor.

Once the Skykem has been dispensed, the airplane toilet system opens a valve that uses the lower atmospheric pressure from outside the aircraft to rapidly pull the waste from the toilet bowl and into the airplane sewage holding tanks. It does not dump it outside of the airplane!

This pressure difference is what you hear as the whoosh. As the valve closes, the toilet goes quiet and is ready for the next visit.

By using this system the airplane only needs to carry a small amount of Skykem and the weight of the waste is already accounted for because it has only moved from inside the passenger to outside the passenger.

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What Happens to the Toilet Waste on Airplanes?

Airplane toilet waste is funneled through a network of pipes under the cabin floor to holding tanks usually located at the rear of the airplane. Automatic monitoring systems use valves to ensure the holding tanks fill evenly to aid in even weight distribution. Tanks are emptied upon landing.

Just like the toilets in your own home, airplane toilets are all connected. The sewage pipes are all fed through the complex airplane structure to the rear of the airplane so that means all the First-Class waste runs under your seat – Nothing ever changes in society’s class system!

Once the airplane lands, the airport’s ground servicing staff empties the sewage holding tanks and refill the Skykem tank so the airplane is ready for its next flight.

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There have been issues in the past when airplanes have been grounded with passengers on board and the airplane’s sewage system has reached its capacity. Although this is very, very rare it can happen and it is not a pretty sight. Once the system is full, there is nowhere for the waste to go!

When the ground service staff do get to empty the airplane’s waste tanks they use purpose-made extraction vehicles that store the waste in a holding tank until it is transferred into the airport’s ground sewage system. Just like your home, it is then piped to the cities’ sewage and waste-water treatment facilities.

Can Airplane Toilets Hurt Me?

Airplane toilets are designed so that nobody can get hurt during a flush cycle. Specially designed toilet seats have vents around them to ensure any person still sitting on the toilet during a flush cycle will not be harmed by the vacuum.

There are myths floating around of how some people were killed by having their insides sucked out through their rectum when an airplane toilet was flushed while they still sat on the seat. As you can imagine, this is something that the toilet designers spent a great deal of time and resources to ensure never happens!

Because the airplane toilet uses a lower air pressure to suck out the toilet contents, the designers had to make sure that there would never be a seal between the passengers’ buttocks and the toilet system. To do this they designed a special toilet seat that sits above the toilet bowl with an air gap all around it.

By using spacers like pillars on a bridge there is always a passage for air to travel from the toilet cubicle and into the vacuum system. Without this clear passageway the passenger would be in grave danger should the flush button become pressed.

It goes without saying that anyone still sat on the toilet when they accidentally start a flush sequence would be startled and I’m sure a rapid vertical departure from the toilet would ensue, but no danger is ever present to the person!

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The other day I was sitting on an airplane and the person sitting next to me was very nervous. You could see their hands gripping the armrests tighter and tighter as we began to take off. During the flight, we got chatting and they told me they hated takeoffs because the bumps and vibrations terrified her.

Airplanes bump & shudder on takeoff mainly due to expansion joints in the runway surface, out-of-balance tires while being retracted for stowage, wake turbulence remaining from a previous aircraft, and crosswinds creating unequal lift across the airplane’s wings.

After explaining to her what the bumps and vibrations were she so was so much more relaxed! This article is a repeat of my explanation to her…

Airplane shudders and Vibrations on takeoff are caused by:

• Expansion Joints in Runway
• Crosswinds
• Wake Turbulence
• Out of Balance Tires
• Slowing of Wheels during stowage

Let’s take a look at each of these and see how they affect the comfort of your ride:

What are Runway Expansion Joints?

When runways are constructed their top layers are sectioned off into large slabs with gaps between them. These gaps allow the surface material to expand and contract with annual temperature changes and prevent cracking of the surface layer. The gaps are filled with a flexible sealant to prevent ice damage.

As the airplane takes off its tires roll over these expansion gaps and that creates a bump with each tire. These are usually the first bumps or vibrations you will feel as an airplane begins to take off.

The older the runway is, the more damage there is to its uppermost layer. The more gaps and cracks the runway has, the more bumps and vibrations you will feel. Runways are constructed from many layers of material with concrete or asphalt being the uppermost layer, depending on the runway design.

Runways need to be resurfaced regularly and major runways at the world’s biggest airports can be repaved every 6-10 years.

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Why Do Crosswinds Make Airplanes Shake on Takeoff?

Strong crosswinds on a runway alter how lift is produced on an airplane wing. As the airplane lifts off the lift is created by the speed of airflow over it. When the speed of that airflow changes due to gusty and strong crosswinds, so does the lift.

If some wing sections create more lift than others this can cause the wings to violently flex and vibrations to be felt throughout the cabin. Wings are designed to do this though so no need to worry!

Strong crosswinds will also require large and abrupt flight control movements from the pilot/s to keep the airplane from being pushed off the centerline of the runway as the ground friction on the tires is reduced as the plane becomes airborne. This can cause shaking and rolling of the aircraft.

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Why Does Wake Turbulence Make Airplanes Shake on Takeoff?

Wake turbulence is the disturbed air left behind an aircraft as it takes off. The larger and heavier the airplane, the more air its wings disturb as it lifts off. Aircraft departing after one another have to be held by air traffic control for this disturbed air to dissipate off the runway.

Just like a crosswind, pockets of irregular air sitting over a runway will affect how the wing that meets it produces lift. When the wind around an airport is calm this disturbed air (turbulence left in the wake of an aircraft) can linger over the runway.

As an airplane following meets this irregular air it can cause the airplane to lift off in unpredictable ways causing the pilots to react with abrupt and forceful control inputs to keep the aircraft where it needs to be.

It is for this reason that air traffic control may hold your airplane sitting on the runway for a few moments, especially of a larger airplane has taken off ahead of you and there is not much wind to help dissipate the uneven air pockets.

Why Do Tires Make Airplanes Shake?

Airplane tires can make an airplane shake when they are out of balance. This can be caused by ice build-up or irregular rubber wear each time the tires touch down. Wheels that are due for rebalancing can create large vibrations that can be felt by everyone onboard.

Every time a plane lands its tires are stationary until the moment of contact with the runway. In the brief moments of the initial contact the tire skids along the runways until it is brought up to the same speed as the landing aircraft.

Each skid creates a flat spot on the tires and these flat spots cause the rubber on each tire to wear unevenly. If more rubber is worn on one side of the tire compared to the other, this can create the tire and wheel to wobble as it rotates.

Remember back to an old washing machine that would ‘Walk’ itself across the room when they are running. This is because the clothes inside it all sat in one part of the drum causing it to be out of balance. The airplane tire is exactly the same.

The worse the airplane’s tires become the worse the vibrations that get transmitted into the cabin.

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The second reason that airplane tires make the aircraft shake on takeoff is during the storage of the landing gear.

As the airplane tires break contact with the runway’s surface the weight imposed on them by the airplane reduces causing the tire to change shape. This shape change also causes the tire to become out of balance and thus creates a different vibration just as the plane lifts off. The more tires the airplane has, the more vibration each tire sends into the cabin.

As the pilot raises the landing gear after takeoff they apply the brakes to prevent the tires from turning while in their wheel wells. This slowing down of the tires also causes them to vibrate at different frequencies until they are stopped.

The bumps and noises felt and heard at this time are the wheel well doors opening and closing as the landing gear stows for the cruise.

To Finish

The vibrations, shudders, and bumps heard and felt as an airplane takes off are all just normal operations and are nothing to be afraid of. Every aspect of these noises has been carefully researched and designed to ensure the aircraft can handle them with lots of room to spare.

Whether it is the runway, the weather, or another aircraft creating situations that make the airplane shudder it’s just a case of sitting back, relaxing, and letting the airplane do its thing.

If you’ve ever taken a close look at an aircraft, you may have noticed two dominant red lights on top and under its belly. There are also a couple of other blinking lights spread out across its wings and length. What do all these flashing lights mean? 

Aircraft have blinking lights to capture the attention of other pilots on other airplanes and the operators on the ground. The lights alert everyone that the plane is in the air, that its engines are running or about to start, and that they should keep a safe distance from the aircraft.

Airliners have several types of lights that help in landing, positioning, illuminating the runway, and much more. This article will explain what each of these lights is for and why they’re placed in specific parts of the plane.

What Lights are on an Aircraft?

There are many types of lights on an aircraft, and all of them fulfill one of two functions: safety and navigation.

Aircraft lights consist of:

• Strobe Lights
• Beacons
• Landing Lights
• Navigation Lights
• Taxi Lights
• Wing Illumination Lights
• Logo Illumination Lights
• Runway Turnoff Lights

With this in mind, we can divide plane lights into two groups: anti-collision lights and everything else.

Flashing or Anti-Collision Lights

Flashing lights—also known as anti-collision lights— is a set of bright, blinking lights intended to improve visibility. They can be further divided into 2 categories:

• Strobe lights – These emit intense flashes of white light to improve the aircraft’s visibility. On most planes, they’re located at the wingtips. These are great for operation in darkness or low visibility. Strobe lights are the things I look for when trying to find another aircraft, especially at night. 
• Beacons – These lights flash red to alert the ground crew that the engines are about to start or are already running. Beacon lights come in pairs, one at the top and the other at the bottom of the fuselage.
  I use the beacon on my helicopter to ensure I don’t walk away with my battery switch left on – Trust me, many a pilot has done it! By leaving the beacon light permanently switched on I always turn around and look at it as I’m walking away from the helicopter – It’s saved my butt a few times!

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Other Types of Aircraft Lights

• Landing Lights –Sometimes, landing lights are also considered part of the anti-collision lighting system. The left and right landing lights can pulse alternately to make the aircraft more visible when landing in the darkness or with reduced visibility. Landing lights can be found at the wing root or somewhere below the wing, near the fuselage. These alternating lights are VERY effective at finding an aircraft when it’s flying.
• Logo Illumination Lights – Logo lights are steady white lights. They light up the plane’s emblem printed on the rear vertical tail. Two logo lights are usually mounted on the horizontal stabilizers facing upwards to illuminate the airliner’s logo, one on each side.
• Wing Illumination Lights – These are used on the ground to illuminate the wings to make them visible to other taxiing aircraft and ground vehicles to help prevent a collision with the wing.
• Taxi Lights – These are used to light areas ahead of the aircraft when the airplane moves on the ground/runway at night. Taxi lights are located on the landing gear strut and work the same as your car’s headlights.
• Navigation Lights – These lights are located at the wingtips and the plane’s rear end. A red light is located on the left (portside), while a green light is located on the right (starboard). There’s also a white light located at the rear of the plane. Together, these three lights help pilots of other aircraft to determine the direction of the aircraft at night depending on the lights they see.
• Runway Turnoff Lights – Runway lights are found beneath the wing roots and the fuselage. They are angled lights that are used to illuminate the taxiway an airplane is about to turn onto.

When are an Airplane’s Flashing Lights Used?

Anti-collision or flashing lights are required safety equipment for aircraft. Not only do they make an airplane visible in pitch darkness, but they also warn the ground controllers and other staff of the plane’s presence and status.

Flashing lights on aircraft are used when the engine/s are about to be started and when the aircraft is in flight. Beacon lights indicate that the engines are running, while bright white strobe lights flash to aid in being visually detected by other pilots and air traffic control.

When large airliners are given the all-clear from airport ground control to start engines the pilots will first turn on the beacon to allow all ground personnel to become aware they are about to start an engine. For smaller aircraft and helicopters, the same is true, but usually at small airports, no permission is required to start their engine/s. 

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Strobe lights on aircraft are turned on when the aircraft is about to take off and are turned off after it has landed and before it begins to taxi. The bright white strobe lights can hurt the ground personnel’s eyes hence why they are only used during flight.

How Many Flashing Lights Are on Each Aircraft?

The number of flashing lights on an aircraft is determined by the size of the aircraft. Larger planes have more flashing lights than smaller planes.

There is at least one set of flashing lights on every aircraft. On larger airplanes, the strobe lights consist of three white flashing lights. One on each wingtip and one at the rear. Red Beacons are located on the top and sometimes an additional beacon is on the belly, depending on the aircraft’s size.

The FAA dictates what lights an aircraft must have installed depending on when it’s flying. For flight during the day, Federal Aviation Regulation 91.205(b)(11) states there must be at least one red or white anti-collision light must be installed.

If flying at night, according to 91.205(C)(2,3,4) there must also be navigation lights installed and if the aircraft is being operated for hire, must also have an electric landing light installed

Why Do Aircraft have Flashing & Constant Lights?

Flashing aircraft lights are designed to make the aircraft easily identifiable by other pilots. Peripheral vision detects flashing very easily. Constant lights are designed to help determine the aircraft’s direction and position depending on which lights can be seen by the other pilots.

Blinking or flashing lights have the following features:

• Blink at regular intervals.
• More powerful than constant lights.
• Designed to attract attention, increase visibility, and avoid collisions.
• Travel longer distances.

Meanwhile, constant lights:

• Always stay on during the day and night.
• Show the position and orientation of the aircraft.

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Final Thoughts

Aircraft have blinking lights to make air travel safer. Besides giving away the aircraft’s position, blinking lights also help ward off weather-related accidents. They’re strong enough to pierce through the mist, fog, and thick clouds.

Airplanes also have a variety of lights that aid in navigation, both in the air and on the runway.

When you travel on a plane, you may hear pilots, copilots, and crew members chatting and laughing amongst themselves, as long-time friends typically do. Pilots and copilots may seem like they know each other and travel together frequently. However, pilots and crew members are often recently acquainted. 

Pilots don’t always fly with the same copilot, also known as a first officer. Pilots will often fly with the same copilot within one trip to and from a location. However, pilots typically fly with different copilots and crew members for each new trip.  

In this article, I’ll explain the two primary pilot and copilot assignment systems. I’ll also discuss how differences between larger and smaller airline companies create a lower or higher probability of repeated pilot and copilot pairing. Finally, I’ll identify reasons why the rotation of pilots and their crews can be beneficial. 

What are Pilot Scheduling Systems?

There are two central scheduling systems for pilots and copilots that airlines use:

• Line bidding
• Preferential bidding

These systems allow pilots to request particular trips based on their individual needs and preferences. 

Different airlines will use one of these systems based on the particularities of the airline. Pilots choose their schedules and trips based on their trip length, layover preference, flight distance, and personal needs. 

Line Bidding

In the line bidding system, airlines create a specific schedule with a series of flights, referred to as lines. The flights on a line often have similar characteristics in terms of flight distance, the number of days in the round-trip flight, and layover locations. 

The airlines create lines that vary in trip length, typically anywhere between one to four days. The airline makes the lines and schedules for the entirety of the month. Then, the pilots can choose the line or the flights they prefer. This means the pilots will choose their schedule for the whole month. 

Pilots are assigned their desired lines based on seniority with the more senior pilots receiving higher priority. This means that first officers or copilots are unlikely to receive their first preferences since they don’t have seniority. Considering the personal needs, senior priority, and airline scheduling of pilots and copilots, it’s rare that pilots and copilots would fly together frequently with this type of scheduling system. 

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Preferential Bidding 

In a preferential bidding system, there’s no posted schedule from which pilots and crew can choose. Instead, pilots submit their individual preferences for flights. For example, pilots may request a layover in a particular city, only have one-day trips, or fly a specific route. The airline then takes these preferences and matches them according to the flight schedule. 

The matching is also done based on the seniority of pilots. With this system, pilots and copilots rarely coincide on flights more than once since their levels of seniority are so different. Copilots are often placed into undesirable flights in a preferential bidding system because of their low seniority. The preferential bidding system also creates minimal concurrence between pilots and the same copilot. 

Can Pilots Request a Particular Copilot?

Based on these two scheduling systems for pilots, this may lead you to wonder if, although it’s rare for pilots to be randomly paired with the same copilot, can they request a particular copilot. 

It’s very uncommon for pilots to request a specific copilot and have their requests granted. It can usually only happen if two senior pilots put in what’s referred to as a “buddy bid.” This can only happen in a preferential bidding system when two senior pilots bid to fly together. 

So while two senior pilots might be allowed to fly together, it’s still rare because airlines have their own needs and may be forced to put senior pilots on different flights due to experience requirements. 

Do Pilots Ever Fly With the Same Copilot?

While it’s rare that pilots fly with the same copilot, it’s not impossible. Pilots and copilots flying together more than once may happen in smaller airline companies. Smaller airlines with fewer than 5,000 employees will have a higher probability of repeated matches in pilot and copilot schedules. 

With fewer pilots and copilots to choose from, pilots are more likely to be matched with the same copilot occasionally. Some pilots may consider this an advantage of working for a smaller airline. On the contrary, at larger airlines, with up to 97,000 employees, pilots would be unlikely to fly with the same copilot more than once.  

Advantages of Flying With Different Crews

While you may think it would be preferable for pilots to always fly with the same copilot and crew, there are also many advantages to flying with a different crew. For the copilots and crew, it allows them to gain experience flying with various pilots and work with a variety of people. While all pilots go through the same training program, there is still much to be learned from senior pilots. 

It can be an opportunity for pilots to mentor copilots and discuss their futures in the industry. Based on my own personal experience, flying with different pilots gives an excellent opportunity to learn from each other and prevent bad habits from forming.

One of the biggest downsides to working with varying pilots is the constant learning of the other pilots’ personalities. Some pilots are very easy to get on with, while others can be a complete nightmare! At least the trips are usually only a few days if the pairing is a miserable one!

Finally, just as with any other job, working with a variety of people can be beneficial for company unity. In the case of airlines, pilots and crew may feel more unified and loyal to the company as they connect with more people.  

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, a pilot will rarely fly with the same copilot on separate trips. Due to the line bidding and preferential bidding systems, which give senior pilots priority and leave lower-ranking pilots to fill in less desirable flights, it’s unlikely that a pilot and copilot will fly together often. 

Additionally, the vast quantity of employees that most airlines have makes the probability of pilots and copilots flying together repeatedly relatively rare. However, this is usually not a problem for anyone. Pilots flying with different copilots and crew can be beneficial for their professional growth and airline unity. 

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Turbulence is never a pleasant experience for anyone, especially those who are frightened of flying. Even the most seasoned of travelers have experienced a formidable bout of airplane turbulence, even in the most peaceful of journeys.

However, turbulent situations aren’t nearly as dangerous as they may seem, and sometimes, they’re inevitable, especially in the warm summer months.

Airplanes shake in clouds because of changes in air pressure, air density, and rising and falling air currents within the cloud and the air surrounding it. The atmosphere inside a cloud is also very irregular, especially in cumulus clouds causing the airplane to shake as it flies through each pocket.

Although it might be a little frightening at times, airplanes shake in clouds for a very good reason – and the shaking is not dangerous. It is something the airplane designers planned for and have built-in huge safety margins!

Aside from spilling your coffee while the plane lurches about, or luggage that falls out of the overhead bins when opened there isn’t much to be afraid of.

As an airplane flies through the air, especially in and out of clouds it will encounter varying changes in atmospheric conditions. The changes are imparted onto the airplane and because they have such large surface areas on their wings, it amplifies the effect of the changes. However, the heavier an airplane is, the less these changes can be felt.

A small bump in a light aircraft like a Cessna can be far more violent than on a Boeing 747 because its mass is far less.

It’s like trying to push over Shaquille O’Neal Vs. PeeWee Herman

This is also a reason why a descent for landing may feel more uncomfortable than when the airplane took off because it has burned off tens of thousands of gallons of fuel and it now weighs far less.

In this article, I’ll discuss the ins and outs of why clouds cause the shaking of aircraft, commonly known as turbulence, and what causes it. 

What Type of Turbulence Is Caused by Clouds?

Clouds create convective or thermal turbulence. This is rising & falling columns of air within the cloud. As the airplane passes into and through the differing air columns it will rise and fall with the currents. This causes the airplane to shake & shudder especially when transitioning between them.

Typically, the most turbulence within a cloud often occurs in the summer months when the sky is dotted with large, fluffy Cumulous, or Cumulonimbus clouds. One minute the plane is flying smoothly through the air, and the next, it is shaking and bumping around like a cat is playing with it.

These clouds are known as unstable air masses and they usually build into thunderstorm cells which can create extreme turbulence. This is why pilots fly around large thunderstorm cells or the airport may suspend all flights taking off and landing until the cell has passed.

But, when clouds form a uniform layer or an overcast sky this is a Stratus-type cloud. These clouds are very stable, have uniform thermal, pressure, and density characteristics, and create very little turbulence when an airplane flies through them.

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Why Do Clouds Cause Turbulence?

When warmer air rises up inside a cloud its air pressure reduces. This rising air also carries water vapor with it which then cools and condenses into water droplets. This makes that portion of the cloud denser than the air outside of the cloud. Airplanes feel these changes as they fly through.

The more fluffy a cloud and the higher it rises in the sky, the more turbulence it will create within it. The air inside the cloud causing it to rise is ascending much faster than the air outside of the cloud. Just flying from these differing air speed columns will cause the airplane to rapidly rise and fall.

Have you ever walked out from the side of a building and been blown over by the strong wind out in the open? This is the same as going from outside a cloud to inside a cloud. The more powerful the thermal currents inside it, the higher the turbulent force will be when entering it.

The erratic updrafts and downdrafts also deposit their water vapor differently throughout the cloud itself. This creates irregular pockets of air density. As more water droplets accumulate in one area compared to another this creates the same differential as the air currents.

As the airplane flies from one pocket of dense air to a pocket of less dense air this affects how much lift the wings produce and causes the airplane to shake and shudder. 

Therefore if you watch an airplane as they take off before you and you see them flying towards fluffy clouds, be sure you may encounter some shakes and bumps on your departure too.

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Can Turbulence Be Avoided?

You can’t see turbulence, but it’s something for which pilots must be prepared, and with experience and modern techniques, areas of turbulence that catch pilots out are reducing.

Turbulence is hard to avoid because it cannot be seen. Reports from other pilots known as PIREPs help to let other pilots know where turbulence has been encountered. Large storm cells often produce turbulence and these cells can be seen on aircraft and air traffic control weather radars.

Since weather patterns are constantly changing, meteorologists have problems predicting their movements. Timely, ‘Best Guess’ reports are about the most accurate ways of predicting where turbulence may occur.

When large storm cells are developing in the area, air traffic control can adjust the airplane’s flight path to help steer them around the cell. Pilots can also request a heading change if they see a cell directly ahead and the data provided to them indicates there is a strong possibility of turbulence.

Besides avoiding clouds where possible and contacting other pilots, that’s about all that can be done.

Turbulence is no fun, but in general, the only real risk associated with turbulence is passenger injury should they’ve discarded their seatbelt. Otherwise, a rocky journey is probably the worst of it. 

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Final Thoughts

Airplanes shake in clouds because convective weather produces unpredictable air patterns and weather changes that pilots, unfortunately, don’t have much control over. 

Although it’s unpleasant – and can even seem downright terrifying in the event of a storm – the best advice you can hear in this situation is always to wear your seatbelt during a period of turbulence and trust that the pilots know what they’re doing.