DHC6tropics;
Even with two experienced pilots actively scanning and tilting for CBs we still managed to get into very turbulent tops with lot's of St. Elmo's fire on a regular basis...not ever severe turbulence but definately more than you would expect from an area that was either not painting or only very lightly painting on the radar.
In tropical regions CBs and their associated turbulence are not always easy to detect and avoid. Until you actually spend some dark and dirty nights boucing around over the Pacific or the Amazon you don't really have an idea of what these guys may have been dealing with.
Precisely; well stated.
My comments aren't about passenger-bashing; this is about being aware of the kind of travel you're undertaking. This is about complacency about the environment transport aircraft operate in which is, despite the relative comfort, (I certainly hear the poster who brings up the "sardine" point!, and sympathize greatly - even though I flew them for 35 years, I'm still an SLF once in a while), a hostile and, despite current technologies, not a wholly predictable one.
I see that some would shift the blame for passengers not wearing their seatbelts to the pilots, and that getting up and wandering around is justified because "the pilot forgot to turn the sign off". In my view that is an immature approach and an inappropriate solution to the problem. First, no passenger knows what's up ahead; there have been many times when there's been ten minutes of smooth air but the reports from others ahead indicate more bumps; second, check with the CCs and let them know you gotta go.
What I will accept from passengers by way of criticism, because it's valid, is the complaint about the FD not telling passengers what's going on. Crews have to keep people informed, even if such announcements are a nuisance to some. Even if it's an announcement every 15 minutes or so, explaining why the sign is on, its a requirement to keep people informed. Sometimes we'd get calls from the CCs asking, and reminding us - no problem - it gives us the opportunity to either turn the sign off or explain why it's still on and to make a PA.
Radar, ADS/CPDLC, pilot and ATC reports are all technologies/techniques we use to avoid turbulence. But passengers need to realize that despite these technologies and our best efforts, not all turbulence is predictable. That is the only point to my original post but I see that point has been missed or misinterpreted by some. It is situational awareness that I am emphasizing, not blind obedience to authority. We have ample evidence in injuries and even deaths to demonstrate the point I'm making.
Technology helps but it isn't perfect. Probably most passengers don't know, for example, that radar only paints moisture - rain; it doesn't paint thunderstorms or ice crystals in the higher altitudes - it only paints the liquid water associated with thunderstorm activity. Through training and experience, we learn what the radar signal means and can interpret the returns pretty well, but it isnt' perfect and sometimes there is no avoiding a solid line of 'em, a phenomenon which is more usually found on the continent, (NA, Europe, etc) than over the Pacific where they're generally more isolated.
Cloud bunny, you say you're a pilot?
If you're a real pilot, whether commercial or private, you'd understand all this and know that airline pilots, any pilots, do not fly as close to thunderstorms "as we dare". Do you think we just make all this up as we go and just guess or that there's a John Wayne in every pilot just waiting to let loose? Airlines have ops manuals which provide clear guidance on TCU avoidance, usually 20 miles from the red returns and more if there are hooks, curls or steep gradients in the returns. Bear in mind what I said about radar as well, although as a pilot you should know this already as part of your kit. From such knowledge, as a pilot you're pretty quick in assigning blame to crews and setting your hair on fire over an incident the cause of which no one has yet any knowledge.