Turbulence Forecast Blog

Delta and Northwest to merge, turbulent rides ahead?

tb_neg — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:29:21 +0000

In our discussion forums is an interesting thread about two different flights. One, operated by Delta, flew through some decent moderate turbulence. Another, operated by Northwest, stayed low and dodged most of the turbulence. Which flying personality will prevail in a Delta/Northwest merger? Will it be Northwest’s turbulence adverse strategy, or will that die with the Northwest name? See the thread for details.

Merger details.

Hate turbulence? Flying to be smoother in 2011.

tb_neg — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:50:10 +0000

Article

A fascinating article about upcoming improvements in turbulence prediction and information. In the meantime, rely on Turbulence Forecast to give you the information you need!

New turbulence analysis software designed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) maps patches of rough air and compares the maps against the real-time flight paths of airliners. Alerts are sent to pilots giving them advance notice and presenting alternative routes that enable pilots to thread paths between turbulent regions without changing their arrival times. This should not only result in smoother flights but also save fuel and reduce delays on the ground.

“Last summer when we started testing the current system, we estimated that we could detect 80 percent of moderate-or-greater regions of turbulence,” said NCAR scientist John Williams. “Since then we have improved the system further, so we expect to get even better results when we analyze the data next month.”

If the results are as good as expected, the program will be expanded to other United flights and, eventually, to other airlines. 2011 is slated as the first year for nationwide turbulence “nowcasts” to all airliners flying over the United States.

Emirates allows you to shower at 43,000 feet

tb_neg — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:42:32 +0000

Considering that at one time, you could find a piano bar in a 747, a shower on an airplane while in the air at 43,000 isn’t that far of a reach. but I wonder what happens if you hit a rough patch of air in the shower? Drop down seat in the shower? Waterproof seat belts? Speculate all you want after watching this video of the new Emirates A380 with shower spa. Other features include a fully stocked bar, and apparently, a rubber duck is included.

Shower Spa Video.

Emirates

Delta will add Wi-Fi to all domestic planes

tb_neg — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:29:34 +0000

Good news for those of you who want the latest Turbulence Forecast. Delta Airlines will offer Wi-Fi on all domestic flights, starting with the MD-80/MD-90 fleet first and throughout the whole fleet in 2009, for between $9.95 and $12.95 per flight, depending on length.

Press Release.

Delta

Number three for Qantas

tb_neg — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:47:50 +0000

Beleaguered Qantas has had yet another incident, bringing it up to number three in a very short time period. This time around, hydraulic fluid began leaking from a wing control mechanism.

Edmonton Sun Article.

Qantas

Another emergency for Qantas

tb_neg — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:46:49 +0000

Qantas is in the news again, with another incident involving a open cargo door on a 767.

Qantas

Giant hole in Qantas 747

tb_neg — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 20:01:52 +0000

A rather scary incident aboard a Qantas flight resulted in shaken people, but no loss of life as a giant hole appeared in a Qantas 747. The cause of the incident is still unknown. Flight QF30 from Hong Kong to Melbourne diverted to Singapore after the incident.

Somewhat disturbing, a report of oxygen mask failure.

Times Online Article.
Sun Article.
BBC Article.
Video of inside.
Video 2.

Qantas

Rowdy passengers cause different kind of flight turbulence

tb_neg — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:22:50 +0000

An American Airlines flight that was delayed a mere hour and half ended up never leaving the ground because passengers started booing the late flight crew and started acting hostile towards them. The crew, citing a ‘hostile work environment’, refused to work the flight. American ended up canceling the flight, and in the ultimate bit of irony, when the flight left the next morning and arrived at LGA, the bags were sent to JFK. Given it was a Florida based flight, delays are almost inevitable this time of year and the passengers were being unreasonable.

See the story and video here.

Jet stream shifting towards the poles

tb_neg — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:51:26 +0000

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.

Laminar Flow vs Turbulent Flow

tb_neg — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:45:16 +0000

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