Originally Posted by
Piltdown Man
Unfortunately, the some of the rough stuff is described by passengers as being like a roller coaster ride. The reality is that unlike a roller coaster, most rises and falls are just a few feet but the passengers have no way of knowing and exaggerated claims go unchallenged.
Indeed. The best comparison I've heard is that it's like being a passenger in a 4x4 car. Mild turbulence is like driving on a smooth but unsrfaced road, where the most severe turbulence is a bit like doing a full off-road course at speed. But severe turbulence is very rare in an airliner because most of the weather that causes it can be seen on weather radar and avoided, and because pilots report it to eachother so that those behind can route aropund it (except for a few specific places in the world where it's sometimes unavoidable). In my experience as SLF over 99% of the turbulence is just like doing 40mph on an unsurfaced road or driving on the motorway in a car with unbalanced wheels. You might get a few lumps and bumps during the climb and final descent, but nothing alarming.
You will often hear descriptions of "air pockets", the word "plummet" and "I thought I was going to die" when used to describe a what passengers believe is a rough ride.
...along with claims that the aeroplane was about to go into a "nose dive" or "tail spin" (I've never been clear on the difference between a "nose dive" and a "dive", and I've yet to observe a tail spinning while the rest of the aeroplane remains straight & level!).
Amazingly, time after time these very same people are safely delivered to their destination just like a James Bond Martini - shaken, not stirred.
I always assumed that this was a typical Flemming affectation, but when I lived in the colonies I received my cocktail education, and discovered that a "stirred" martini will have no ice in the poured drink, so it will be slightly less chilled but stronger (less diluted), while a "shaken" martini will have small fragments and shards opf ice remaining in the poured drink so it will taste more chilled and will be weaker (more dilluted).