WHY DO AIRCRAFT RUN INTO TURBULENCE?

WHY DO AIRCRAFT RUN INTO TURBULENCE?

Subject: Science & tech

Context: Eight passengers on board a Vistara flight from Mumbai to Kolkata on Monday, June 7, suffered injuries after the Boeing 737-800 encountered severe turbulence during its descent.

Concept:

• Air turbulence means disruption of airflow over the wings of an airplane, which causes it to enter an irregular vertical motion.
• There are at least seven different kinds of turbulence which an aircraft can face.
• Jet streams trigger sudden changes in wind speed that can rock the plane.
• Another type is thermal turbulence. It’s created by hot rising air, usually from cumulus clouds or thunderstorms.
• Mechanical turbulence is caused by the landscape. Mountains or tall buildings can distort the wind flow in the sky above them.
• Airplanes can also create turbulence. The wings cause wake turbulence as it passes through the air. This can affect planes flying behind one another. It’s why planes avoid taking the same flight path on take offs and landings.
• Pilots and air traffic control do a lot to avoid turbulence.
• Other kinds of turbulence include “wake turbulence”, which forms behind an aircraft when it flies through air, creating wingtip vortices.

Are turbulence incidents dangerous?

• It depends on the nature and intensity of the turbulence. Aircraft face some form of turbulence on a regular basis, and pilots are trained to deal with these disturbances.