World's Worst Area's Of Turbulence?
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Detroit USA
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737 Pilot,
Ask and you shall receive:
Northwest's Turbulence Plot (TP) system has given Northwest the best turbulence avoidance system of all U.S. carriers, a fact that has been well documented. TWA's retired Chief Pilot Bob Buck known world- wide for his down-to-earth language on how-to-fly and related weather books, not to mention his deliberate thunderstorm and icing penetrations as safety-advancing research — calls the TP program "a program that is admired worldwide" and "(giving Northwest) the most enviable safety record as to turbulence in the industry." Painstaking, careful calculations — not wild guesswork — shows Northwest saves some $700,000 a year, more than $22 million in the 32 years since the system was developed. Well-documented cases demonstrate how, where and why others experienced fatal accidents while transgressing Northwest TP "do not fly" areas. This system was awarded Air Transport World's Airline Tech Management award in 1999.
See: www.ll.mit.edu/AviationWeather/WW-10196.pdf/
It's a PDF file, you need Adobe www.adobe.com
Ask and you shall receive:
Northwest's Turbulence Plot (TP) system has given Northwest the best turbulence avoidance system of all U.S. carriers, a fact that has been well documented. TWA's retired Chief Pilot Bob Buck known world- wide for his down-to-earth language on how-to-fly and related weather books, not to mention his deliberate thunderstorm and icing penetrations as safety-advancing research — calls the TP program "a program that is admired worldwide" and "(giving Northwest) the most enviable safety record as to turbulence in the industry." Painstaking, careful calculations — not wild guesswork — shows Northwest saves some $700,000 a year, more than $22 million in the 32 years since the system was developed. Well-documented cases demonstrate how, where and why others experienced fatal accidents while transgressing Northwest TP "do not fly" areas. This system was awarded Air Transport World's Airline Tech Management award in 1999.
See: www.ll.mit.edu/AviationWeather/WW-10196.pdf/
It's a PDF file, you need Adobe www.adobe.com
Last edited by nwaflygirl; 6th Dec 2004 at 03:14.
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No-ones mentioned the Sea of Japan??
I remember many a ride Anchorage - Narita that was more than uncomfortable
One a/c got 'changed' at Anchorage, nothing mech but so many pax had been violently
........
Twas not pretty
I remember many a ride Anchorage - Narita that was more than uncomfortable
One a/c got 'changed' at Anchorage, nothing mech but so many pax had been violently
........Twas not pretty
The Cooler King
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Worst....well, BEST turbulence of my life, which had cc's strapped back in after a courageous sprint up the cabin to clear trays of food in business class......was on an Aer Lingus A321 from Heathrow to Dublin.
Unusual??? Maybe someone can add to this.
Unusual??? Maybe someone can add to this.
Join Date: Jan 2001
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It can get slightly bumpy in the back when flying in the tropics, but these wide bodied long haul jets seem to do OK. Local flights in 737s are a bit more bumpy in the back, but don't know whether thats because they are smaller or because the local flight crew are more confident around storms than those visiting from afar, so get closer.
But for real turbulence on scheduled flights you cannot beat the 19 seat turbo-props that shuttle you from Denver to the ski-towns over the continental divide. Those things take off into the nastiest winter blizzards and head west, straight for the 14000ft high wall called the Rockies 40 miles away, crossing at the MEA a few thousand feet above the peaks. Once you have had your bones broke going up on the lee side, they come down into the valleys on the west and start hunting for the localiser on some untowered airport with some automated weather system - or even worse a ramp-rat with a radio
More often than not the weather is below minimums and we get to hold a few thousand feet above the ground at some VOR, being thrown around like a rag doll in some horific snow storm, the boots on the wings working like the clappers, pilot doing mental gymnastics calculating his inbound leg.
Half the plane are saying prayers to a new found god, the other half are crazy Texans on their ski-holiday, whooping and hollering like they are on the back of a wild bull that's just had the rope around it's nuts tightened hard.
The the skipper comes on saying 'Well folks, sorry about the ride back there, just an average days work here in Colorado, looks like there is a break in the weather and we're going for it'!
Plane breaks off and slams into some nasty wind shear, up and down she goes, total white out through the windows, teeth falling out, seat belt about to snap and all of a sudden it's clear and a few seconds later a lovely greaser of a landing.
Captain makes sure he is standing at the aircraft door before the seat belt sign is turned off, big grin on his face, and as we all stagger off he is high-fiving everybody.
If they cannot get in after half an hour holding they head back to Denver and that's when it gets real scary, cos that's when they say the only way you will get there tonight is on the bus....
But for real turbulence on scheduled flights you cannot beat the 19 seat turbo-props that shuttle you from Denver to the ski-towns over the continental divide. Those things take off into the nastiest winter blizzards and head west, straight for the 14000ft high wall called the Rockies 40 miles away, crossing at the MEA a few thousand feet above the peaks. Once you have had your bones broke going up on the lee side, they come down into the valleys on the west and start hunting for the localiser on some untowered airport with some automated weather system - or even worse a ramp-rat with a radio
More often than not the weather is below minimums and we get to hold a few thousand feet above the ground at some VOR, being thrown around like a rag doll in some horific snow storm, the boots on the wings working like the clappers, pilot doing mental gymnastics calculating his inbound leg.
Half the plane are saying prayers to a new found god, the other half are crazy Texans on their ski-holiday, whooping and hollering like they are on the back of a wild bull that's just had the rope around it's nuts tightened hard.
The the skipper comes on saying 'Well folks, sorry about the ride back there, just an average days work here in Colorado, looks like there is a break in the weather and we're going for it'!
Plane breaks off and slams into some nasty wind shear, up and down she goes, total white out through the windows, teeth falling out, seat belt about to snap and all of a sudden it's clear and a few seconds later a lovely greaser of a landing.
Captain makes sure he is standing at the aircraft door before the seat belt sign is turned off, big grin on his face, and as we all stagger off he is high-fiving everybody.
If they cannot get in after half an hour holding they head back to Denver and that's when it gets real scary, cos that's when they say the only way you will get there tonight is on the bus....
Death Cruiser Flight Crew
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slim_slag: Ah, that would explain why paxing on United between Denver and Las Vegas, the signs came on at the slightest tremor.
Just about the worst turbulence I ever encountered was climbing out of Las Vegas and flying through what we think was the rotor off Mt Charleston.
Just about equal was descending into Turin on Dec 26 1999 (the day of the Great Storm in France). Ditto rotor Mt Blanc. The 300 mb wind was 300/180, if my memory serves me well. The 757 ahead of us had to day-stop due to some of the cabin crew suffering fractured limbs.
The aircraft in both cases was a DC-10. The flight engineer was also with me on both occasions. He says he'll fly with me anywhere ... but only out of curiosity!
Just about the worst turbulence I ever encountered was climbing out of Las Vegas and flying through what we think was the rotor off Mt Charleston.
Just about equal was descending into Turin on Dec 26 1999 (the day of the Great Storm in France). Ditto rotor Mt Blanc. The 300 mb wind was 300/180, if my memory serves me well. The 757 ahead of us had to day-stop due to some of the cabin crew suffering fractured limbs.
The aircraft in both cases was a DC-10. The flight engineer was also with me on both occasions. He says he'll fly with me anywhere ... but only out of curiosity!
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Read somewhere that the worlds worst turbulence is over Japan.
This was well documented many years ago when the US dropped the atom bombs. The weather patterns were examined in great detail before the attack and possible severe turbulence was one of the problems.
Once when flying from Krakow to Warsaw in 735. The cabin crew were collecting the rubbish during decent at about 20,000ft. Seat belt signs were on.We went into a cloud and all hell broke loose. The crew were spreadeagled in the aisles holding the seat frames, pax were screaming, we were thrown about like rag dolls with no chance to stay on the seats.
It lasted for about 5 minutes but seemed like hours.
I was not happy as I had to go back up in an ERJ to Milan but it was ok.
This was well documented many years ago when the US dropped the atom bombs. The weather patterns were examined in great detail before the attack and possible severe turbulence was one of the problems.
Once when flying from Krakow to Warsaw in 735. The cabin crew were collecting the rubbish during decent at about 20,000ft. Seat belt signs were on.We went into a cloud and all hell broke loose. The crew were spreadeagled in the aisles holding the seat frames, pax were screaming, we were thrown about like rag dolls with no chance to stay on the seats.
It lasted for about 5 minutes but seemed like hours.
I was not happy as I had to go back up in an ERJ to Milan but it was ok.
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Around Beirut can be pretty hairy too..
Remember a GF flight on 767 where a crew member landed on seat armrest and broke it, another one cracked the ceiling..quite a few crew members were injured and they were all made to operate straight back.
Nice.
Remember a GF flight on 767 where a crew member landed on seat armrest and broke it, another one cracked the ceiling..quite a few crew members were injured and they were all made to operate straight back.
Nice.
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In my experience, Japan takes first place for Clear Air Turbulence, and the New England Tableland in Australia for Thunderstorms. Like so many others here, have had many 'bad' trips across the Bay of Bengal, but never a terrible one. The damned B of B even insists on giving it's share of clear Air Turbulence in non stormy days (rare).
It's all a bit subjective about where you've been.
O.S.
It's all a bit subjective about where you've been.
O.S.
