Usually, when there is a large flare up of turbulence on a popular route, I like to compare which routings airlines take through the areas. Many airlines will change altitudes a lot to avoid rough air, but Northwest takes the top spot by giving potentially turbulent areas a wide berth. Back in March of 2006, there was some moderate turbulence over Colorado, and I looked at the flight paths taken by airlines in this forum post. Today, I see SIGMETs obscuring part of the flight path indicating the chance for severe turbulence. I wanted to know, does Northwest still use this policy in their flight planning? The answer is clearly yes.
Here are the advisories for the evening of December 13th, 2006. The usual flight path for Las Vegas-Detroit is an arc which usually runs right through Colorado and in the middle of the ‘red zones’ on this map. This path is most likely used to save fuel, a large expense to the airlines.
Here are the routings used by different flights that left at around the same time.
As you can see, Northwest gives a wide berth to most of the activity, as well as it can.
America West/USAirways 96
Spirit Airlines 116.
Pilot reports of Turbulence.
Northwest airlines pioneered the best turbulence forecasting in the business, so much so that other airlines actually purchase the data from Northwest.
Let’s be clear. Northwest is doing this for the comfort of their passengers. Flying through moderate turbulence is no more dangerous than a bumpy road, yet many people would prefer a smoother flight. Let Northwest know you appreciate this by patronizing them whenever you can and letting them know exactly why you fly with them.
Tracking maps are from flightaware.com.
Written by tb_neg on December 13th, 2006 with 9 comments.
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I recently read a copy of Patrick Smith’s well written book, Ask the Pilot: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel. As soon as I was a few pages in to it, I knew that I had to finish the book because it was both informative and entertaining, a rare combination especially considering that aviation can be considered by some to be a boring subject.
At the start, Smith goes in to the hows and whys of flight. He explains how the airplane stays in the air, and why you hear that distinctive ‘buzzsaw’ sound on takeoff from the engines. He paints a wonderful picture of how the wing works, and what the flaps and slats are used for. He also speaks to how all of the major important systems of an aircraft are doubly or triply redundant.
Nearly the first half of the book is spent reassuring the reader on many questions they would ask an airline pilot. Patrick Smith hits upon many of the most popular questions, including questions about safety, the age of an airplane, ‘propeller planes’, turbulence, dumping fuel, speed, lightning, and many more questions are answered with clear, concise explanations and a great sense of humor.
About halfway through, the book departs from the safety and concerns of the passenger for a while and tells about the life of an airline pilot, which disappointingly enough, isn’t all that glamorous, although he does have some good stories to tell.
After this short diversion, Smith again launches into a discussion of safety and discusses many famous aviation accidents, and why they are so rare. Toward the end of the book, he discusses his opinion on airline livery designs and other issues that are interesting to the flying public.
At 269 pages, the book is a quick read and over much too soon, as you learn a lot and are entertained at the same time, a rare combination.
You can purchase an autographed copy from the author at his website.
Written by tb_neg on December 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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