By: Daniel Tabares Met 1010-001 Pilots and winds By: Daniel Tabares Met 1010-001

Turbulence We’ve all hear about turbulence in either movies commercials and maybe even when we go on a trip on a plane we hear the captain say through the intercom “Ladies and gentleman we are experiencing some turbulence please fasten your seat belts and remain calm.” or at least something along those lines. And right after that we feel the plane shaking and rocking. But what is turbulence and how does it occur?

What is turbulence? Dictionary.com defines turbulence as noun: turbulence violent or unsteady movement of air or water, or of some other fluid.

Is turbulence dangerous? Something that makes flyers afraid of flying is turbulence. Although turbulence is really uncomfortable and causes anxiety it is actually not dangerous Most flights do experience some sort of turbulence at some point in the flight and its inedible since we can see or detect Many experts describe it as a bump on the road of the way to work.

Types of turbulence Severe Severe turbulence can really make a flight really unpleasant however it is still not dangerous to the plane or passengers You'll more than likely never experience server turbulence ratio of severe turbulence is 5 minutes:10,000 hours of flight time We classify turbulence by how hard it hits the plane. Light You'll most likely feel the plane shake but pilots and staff know nothing can happen and it usually goes away in a short time. Moderate In this kind of turbulence youll feel the plane shake harder and can cause drinks to spill but again it is not dangerous but it can last from 10-15 mins

Different types of wind pilots deal with HEADWINDS Headwinds are wind that hit the aircraft forward opposite of the direction traveling Tailwinds Tailwinds are opposite of headwinds they're winds that hit the plane from the back towards the direction traveling Downdrafts These winds can be deadly and cause the pilot to lose control of the aircraft

headwinds Pilots use head wind to help the aircraft take off easier Also helps the aircraft land easier landing into the wind helps reduce the aircraft’s speed making it stop faster and off the run way faster for other planes. Headwinds also decrease the time to get to the destination

tailwinds Tail winds makes it harder for the plane to be able to land faster on a runway But it can time to reach a destination much faster since its helping the plane travel through in the direction which it is heading Pilots receive weather notices prior to each flight to tell them where the best location is to catch tailwinds

downdrafts Signs DOWNDRAFTS These winds can be very dangerous especially for small planes Although the cause of downdrafts has not yet been determined we know its winds going straight from the atmosphere to the ground causing the plane to lose altitude and make the pilots to also lose control Pilots need to be able to identify these winds and make sure they can avoid them. Signs Sudden headwinds Very dry air with some light rain fall Sudden change in wind direction and speed Quick loss of elevation

Work cited page http://www.experimentalaircraft.info/flight-planning/aircraft-performance-4.php https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080101044129AAoxpDp http://www.flyingmag.com/technique/weather/deadly-downdrafts-understanding-risks http://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/20/science/new-study-of-downdrafts-expected-to-reduce-danger-of-plane- crashes.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9937719/What-causes-turbulence-and-is-it-dangerous.html http://www.askthepilot.com/questionanswers/turbulence/