Jet stream shifting towards the poles

Good news for those of you who like a smoother ride. Although subtle, the jet streams have been slowly shifting towards the poles gradually over the past 20 years.

Full Article, and below, a video.

Written by tb_neg on June 18th, 2008 with no comments.
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Laminar Flow vs Turbulent Flow

Here are two great approximations of turbulence near the jet stream. While the jet stream can cause a turbulent flight, it can also be smooth. This is why turbulence is so hard to predict.

Turbulent

Laminar

Written by tb_neg on June 17th, 2008 with no comments.
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Most flights, most of the time, are smooth.

While this PDF document is heavy reading, it is a fascinating read if you have the time. The document has an interesting excerpt that states that most turbulence is proportionately over reported and smooth flights are under reported.

From: SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINES FOR REGIONAL CLEAR-AIR TURBULENCE PREDICTION

In-situ data provides a better representation of turbulence statistics in the atmosphere (Dutton (1980), Sharman et al. (2006)). Figure 1 shows that over 99% of in-situ reports are reports of null turbulence. If this distribution is representative, at any time at most 0.01% of the atmosphere at upper levels should contain MOG turbulence. In contrast, about half of PIREPs report null turbulence, 27% report light, 17% report moderate and 1% report severe; thus, pilots substantially underreport the null events. In-situ data overcomes this uncertainty by reporting data every minute during flight.

Written by tb_neg on June 17th, 2008 with no comments.
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Southwest maintains no fees, others tack them on

While many people like to ‘harsh’ on Southwest Airlines for their particular practices (opening seating, serving secondary cities), it’s also quite clear that out of all the major airlines, they are the only airline to ‘get it’. While other airlines ratchet up fees, Southwest counters with a brilliant advertising campaign as explained, and seen in the video below. No other airline can come close to claiming 35 years of profitability in a row, but Southwest can. They must be doing something right. While I’m still a Northwest fan, I’d take Southwest in a second, and I found that on a recent trip, my first on Southwest, was completely satisfactory in a clean plane with on time performance. I’d say that 35 years of profitability is no accident, and a testament to a clear vision and respecting customers and employees alike.

Written by tb_neg on June 6th, 2008 with no comments.
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