Eli5: why isn’t a plane experiencing turbulence considered dangerous?
In: Engineering
Air is a fluid so just imagine you can see waves of air. Those waves are turbulence. The aeroplane just goes over a bigger wave than usual, like a car goes over a speed bump or a ship goes over a wave. It’s just that air isn’t as forceful as water so the air waves don’t move the plane as much as a huge wave moves a ship.
Aeroplanes are designed to withstand more turbulence than is naturally possible. You might get thrown about a bit inside the plane going over a really big wave if you’re not wearing your belt but the plane itself will be fine.
Latest Answers