A pronounced jet stream is causing bumpy rides for flyers all over the US today, concentrated over the central plains. Reports of moderate are the norm, with a few reports of moderate-severe and severe. Some planes will encounter a 200mph tailwind/headwind depending on direction of flight. Buckle up!
Edit 1: An amusing pilot report off the east coast of the US:
PIREP 21:08Z 01/24/07
JFK UUA /OV 3750N 7218W/TM 2108/FL390/TP A332/TB MOD-SEV/RM CLEAR AIR TURB CONTROLLER SAID IF THIS AIRLINE IS COMPLAINING IT MUST BE BAD ZNY CWSU
A new airline, Virgin America is having difficulties getting approved to fly in the US due to regulations. A website www.letvafly.com has been set up, which explains further. Virgin America would be good competition for the airline industry, and their very advanced in flight entertainment system may take your mind off the bumps. Watch this video to learn more.
A common concern of this site’s visitors is damage to the aircraft in severe turbulence.
This video shows stress testing of the Boeing 777 aircraft wings. The wing ultimately fails at 154% of design load, forces that probably will never be encountered in flight.
If you are flying near southern California Friday or Saturday, be prepared for a ride. Wind gusts of up to 55mph will ensure that even the largest of airplanes will bounce all around during takeoff and landing. Once off the ground, you’ll find no relief as the jet stream shears at altitude, tossing around aircraft of all sizes, at all altitudes. Many reports of severe, and a two reports of extreme turbulence [the highest on the scale] in the area around ONT. A 737 reported extreme turbulence just east of ONT. Another hot spot, the Pacific Northwest with many reports of severe turbulence. The east side of the US is not spared, with many reports of severe turbulence between Detroit and Orlando.
Turbulenceforecast.com has always worked on most mobile devices, but now you can visit a light version of the site on your mobile device. Navigate to m.turbulenceforecast.com on your Blackberry, cellular phone, or any other mobile device. Let us know what you think by filling out the comment form. Note that the mobile service is in beta, and will be changing and improving. Also, it may not be available right away as the DNS name was just entered.
Edit 1: On 1/24/2007, I modified the mobile website to make the maps clickable, so you should be able to view the full sized maps.
