WEBVTT - Short Stuff: Turbulence 0:00:04.200 --> 0:00:07.760 Hey, and welcome to the short stuff. I'm Josh. There's Mr. Chuck, 0:00:07.840 --> 0:00:11.039 and there's Ms Jerry over there. That's Ms tu Succa. 0:00:11.560 --> 0:00:15.800 This is, like I said, short stuff. Buckle up everyone. Yeah, 0:00:16.480 --> 0:00:19.760 for the turbulent addition of short stuff. Have you ever 0:00:19.840 --> 0:00:24.200 had a bad like really bad? No, not really bad? No, 0:00:24.720 --> 0:00:27.480 Yeah I haven't either. You know, there's actually a classification 0:00:27.560 --> 0:00:30.200 for that. It's not called really bad. It's called extreme 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:34.720 or severe. But there's three types of turbulence. There's light turbulence, 0:00:35.000 --> 0:00:36.680 you know, it's kind of kind of shakes like your 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:39.080 drink a little bit. And I'm going on this again. 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:42.240 There's moderate, which is like your drink is now spilling 0:00:42.280 --> 0:00:46.400 out of your cup. And then there's severe and that 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:51.160 is like the kind where people get hurt sometimes very 0:00:51.400 --> 0:00:55.960 rarely die. But um I saw photos of a plane 0:00:56.120 --> 0:01:01.040 ride from Santa Anna up to Seattle, I think, and 0:01:01.120 --> 0:01:04.640 it was like a Delta flight and the drink cart 0:01:04.880 --> 0:01:07.320 was on its side and like they have been serving 0:01:07.400 --> 0:01:09.679 drinks and the thing the plane just hit turbulence, took 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:12.800 a two ft nose dive, and apparently one of the 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:15.240 flight attendants and the drink cart were on the ceiling 0:01:15.280 --> 0:01:18.240 and it just came down. So it can get pretty bad, 0:01:18.280 --> 0:01:20.800 but it's very very rare, it turns out. Yeah, So 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:22.600 if you haven't picked up on it, we're talking about 0:01:22.640 --> 0:01:27.880 airplane turbulence and specifically when a pilot knows when they 0:01:27.959 --> 0:01:30.720 come on there and say, you know, hold onto your 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:34.440 butts everyone, here we go in the next ten minutes. 0:01:35.560 --> 0:01:38.480 I've always wondered, like, what the deal was, Well, now 0:01:38.600 --> 0:01:40.840 we know. Now we know when we can just bother 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:44.319 every passenger next to us till the end of let 0:01:44.360 --> 0:01:45.959 me you know how they realize, you know, when they 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:47.880 make this announcement. Yeah, if you really want to get 0:01:47.880 --> 0:01:50.240 at somebody sleeping next to you on an airplane's attention, 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:54.600 don't just kind of elbow them, like just slowly increase 0:01:54.680 --> 0:01:56.840 the pressure of your pointy elbow in the rib cage 0:01:56.880 --> 0:02:01.800 until they wake up. That'll get them talking. Yeah, And regardless, 0:02:01.840 --> 0:02:03.919 like you said, of how bad it gets, it's usually 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:06.600 not to that big of a deal. Um, as far 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:09.320 as planes go there, they're made to take it. I know. 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:11.480 Sometimes if you're sitting on the wing and looking out, 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:13.799 Oh yeah, you can be a little distressing seeing those 0:02:13.800 --> 0:02:17.400 things almost flapping, But they're meant to move a little. 0:02:17.440 --> 0:02:20.120 They're supposed to do that. Yeah, so don't worry. Uh, 0:02:20.480 --> 0:02:22.760 the wing is not going to snap off most likely. Now, 0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:25.480 remember when we talked about cars and how it seems 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:28.480 like they're made terribly today because they come apart, but 0:02:28.520 --> 0:02:31.160 they're actually designed like that to make them like easier 0:02:31.200 --> 0:02:33.079 to take a crash. The same thing with the plane 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:35.600 if they were just completely rigid and brittle, and the 0:02:35.639 --> 0:02:38.120 wing might actually snap off. So it's supposed to flap 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:40.040 a little bit in turbulence. Yeah, And the other part 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:43.520 of that is injuries. Um, the f a A said 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:47.160 forty four injuries in two thousand sixteen due to turbulence 0:02:48.120 --> 0:02:51.120 nine plus million people flying. That is not a lot 0:02:51.160 --> 0:02:53.720 of injuries. Yeah, I think the most exceedingly rare, Like 0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:57.000 there was thirteen and two thousand thirteen. Oddly, there was 0:02:57.160 --> 0:03:00.480 seventeen in two thousand seventeen, and between ninth teen eighty 0:03:00.639 --> 0:03:04.400 and two thousand eight there were only three deaths from turbulence. 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:06.519 So it is very very rare. And one of the 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:09.320 reasons it's not way worse and it's actually getting even 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:13.200 better is because pilots are able to predict where the 0:03:13.240 --> 0:03:16.920 turbulence is coming. Because number one, they're trained to see 0:03:17.000 --> 0:03:20.920 signs of it. But also there are a entire network 0:03:21.000 --> 0:03:23.760 of people on planet Earth back down on the ground 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:26.280 who are working to let those pilots know what places 0:03:26.320 --> 0:03:29.720 to avoid and why. Yeah, so when they when they 0:03:29.840 --> 0:03:31.880 go to take off, there's a few types of turbulence 0:03:32.160 --> 0:03:36.600 to look out for. Convective that is, you know, kind 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:39.720 of the standard thunderstorm turbulence that you might expect. Yeah, 0:03:39.760 --> 0:03:43.160 Like when air on the Earth surface gets warm, it 0:03:43.360 --> 0:03:46.400 rises and it can create clouds as it carries water 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:49.040 vapor up and cools, and the taller the cloud, the 0:03:49.080 --> 0:03:52.400 more turbulent there is in there, that's right. Uh. Then 0:03:52.440 --> 0:03:55.160 there's mountain wave of turbulence, and that's when air is 0:03:55.520 --> 0:03:59.440 just literally cresting over the top of a mountain, uh, 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:01.960 and wave like you would see in the ocean. Yeah, 0:04:01.960 --> 0:04:04.240 because it's all fluid. I mean air and water they're 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:06.400 both fluid, you know, so of course they would break 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:08.320 like that. You don't want to get your little plane 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:11.080 caught up in a breaking air wave, no, uh. And 0:04:11.120 --> 0:04:13.560 then finally you have the clear air turbulence, and that's 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:16.920 the toughest to predict because it's not like you see 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:20.919 a big mountain range or lightning popping off in the foreground. 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:25.080 That is just air colliding with warm air and cold 0:04:25.120 --> 0:04:28.080 air colliding with one another. Yeah, so it forms jet streams, right, 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:31.600 and those those that's that can be problematic because the 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:36.440 the difference in um, the direction that the winds moving in, 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:39.560 the speed it's moving in can really wreak havoc on 0:04:39.680 --> 0:04:43.120 your plane. And when you're cruising through a patch like 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:46.360 that very quickly, all of those little bumps and jostles 0:04:46.400 --> 0:04:49.320 and turns come together to make what we think of 0:04:49.440 --> 0:04:53.720 as turbulence. That's right. So that is uh, what turbulence is. 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:56.000 Let's take a little break here and we're gonna talk 0:04:56.040 --> 0:05:11.080 about how these pilots can avoid it. If you want 0:05:11.120 --> 0:05:15.200 to know, then you're in luck. Just listen up to 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:25.039 just chuck sew shoon. So before they even take off, 0:05:25.120 --> 0:05:29.080 they have started avoiding turbulence. When they get their flight 0:05:29.160 --> 0:05:32.000 plan together, they don't just say, you know, we're flying 0:05:32.040 --> 0:05:34.640 from Atlanta to l A. So let's just you know, 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:38.560 take a left turn after takeoff and fly west until 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:40.839 we get to l A. Maybe you've been taken out. Yeah, 0:05:40.880 --> 0:05:45.000 it's a very you know, uh, it's very planned out. Uh. 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:48.560 And although they can't predict every bit of turbulence, they 0:05:48.600 --> 0:05:51.520 can certainly say, well, we know there's a mountain range 0:05:51.560 --> 0:05:54.800 here and there is a thunderstorm going on here, so 0:05:54.920 --> 0:05:58.280 we're gonna set our flight plan accordingly, right exactly, so 0:05:58.400 --> 0:06:01.560 they start off on the right foot the UM. They 0:06:01.640 --> 0:06:04.840 also have like little handy weather maps too, because storms 0:06:04.880 --> 0:06:08.960 can develop even after you've already taken off that weren't predicted. 0:06:09.520 --> 0:06:11.760 And they can also line up too, so you might 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:14.200 have to choose what storm you actually have to go 0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:16.880 through if you have to write, and so they have 0:06:17.000 --> 0:06:20.240 weather instrumentation that makes it real simple to choose. Like 0:06:20.400 --> 0:06:23.920 a storm up ahead that's yellow says if you have 0:06:24.040 --> 0:06:27.080 a green alternative, choose the green one. Ones that are 0:06:27.160 --> 0:06:32.280 read it says. You're gonna have to course correct basically UM. 0:06:32.400 --> 0:06:34.400 And when you course correct, you basically have to get 0:06:34.440 --> 0:06:37.640 in touch with UM air traffic Control and say, hey, 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:40.680 I know we weren't planning on going up an extra 0:06:40.800 --> 0:06:42.600 ten thou feet, but I need to fly over this 0:06:42.680 --> 0:06:44.600 turbulence for a little while, and they'll say do it. 0:06:45.160 --> 0:06:47.840 And you fly up, you go over the tribulence, you say, 0:06:47.880 --> 0:06:49.400 can I come back down now? And They're like, we 0:06:49.600 --> 0:06:51.520 we've been waiting for you to ask, buddy, come on 0:06:51.640 --> 0:06:53.719 back down, and you go back down to your original 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:56.200 flight plan, or you may not, or they may say, 0:06:56.360 --> 0:06:58.040 you know what, since you went this far out of 0:06:58.040 --> 0:07:00.800 the way to avoid this thing, why don't you just 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:03.560 take this course instead, right, and you have a new 0:07:03.600 --> 0:07:06.640 flight plan after that? Exactly. You gotta be nimble up there, 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:08.520 you gotta be quick, and you have your hands on 0:07:08.600 --> 0:07:11.880 the sticks, right. Isn't that what they call him sticks? 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:14.960 I think so. I'll bet they do call him sticks. 0:07:15.000 --> 0:07:18.640 Can you see pilot pilots calling him there? Sure, ladies 0:07:18.640 --> 0:07:22.080 and gentlemen, got my hands on the sticks. I've never 0:07:22.160 --> 0:07:27.040 heard that. You haven't, not from a pilot to a passenger. Okay, 0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:28.680 but I think that doesn't leave the cockpit. You know 0:07:29.240 --> 0:07:34.480 what happens in the cockpit talk um. So the mountain turbulence, 0:07:34.600 --> 0:07:38.240 that is uh pretty easy to predict because mountains are there, 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:43.640 and if a pilot has driven, driven, have flown past 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:46.920 the Rockies or the Andies or any big mountain range, 0:07:47.360 --> 0:07:50.040 they probably already know what's to expect there and have 0:07:51.000 --> 0:07:52.720 routed their plane in such a way where they're not 0:07:52.720 --> 0:07:54.440 going to get the worst of it. They can also 0:07:54.480 --> 0:07:56.840 tell by the clouds that are there. There's some called 0:07:56.920 --> 0:07:59.280 lenticular clouds, which are lens shaped, but I think it 0:07:59.320 --> 0:08:03.040 actually kind of traces the contour of a wave. But 0:08:03.160 --> 0:08:05.040 in cloud form you can be like, well, I've gotta 0:08:05.040 --> 0:08:07.680 stay out of there because there's breaking waves of wind 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:10.720 right there. Yeah. So yeah, there's things they can do visually. 0:08:10.840 --> 0:08:14.560 The problem is is the clear air turbulence. I mean 0:08:14.600 --> 0:08:18.080 they don't call it clear air, I exactly, and I 0:08:18.120 --> 0:08:22.240 mean it really is like it can be really really rough, 0:08:22.760 --> 0:08:25.560 not just because it comes out of nowhere, but because 0:08:26.080 --> 0:08:29.720 the differences in speed between one spot and another so 0:08:29.960 --> 0:08:33.680 pronounced that it can really jar and jostle you. Yeah, 0:08:33.800 --> 0:08:35.720 for those The thing, and this is kind of cool. 0:08:35.840 --> 0:08:38.960 The thing they count on the most, uh, is talking 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:41.120 to other pilots. There's a lot of planes up there, 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:44.760 and chances are if you're flying anywhere in the United States, 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:48.559 there's another plane on more or less your route just 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:50.480 a few minutes ahead of you, right, And so they 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:53.319 they're always in touch with one another. Uh, it's not 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:56.520 even you know, they share information. It's not like a 0:08:57.160 --> 0:08:59.800 delta pilot won't be like, hey, the Southwest guys behind us, 0:08:59.840 --> 0:09:05.160 but don't tell them what's so they're always warning each 0:09:05.200 --> 0:09:09.160 other about what to expect, how bad it is, um, 0:09:09.600 --> 0:09:12.360 whether or not you need to really alter your route 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:15.160 or maybe just park it at a certain altitude. Right. 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:17.840 And so when they get this info, they'll say, uh, 0:09:18.080 --> 0:09:21.840 ladies and gentlemen, please put your seatbelts on, get out 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:25.720 of the bathroom. Uh. Flight attendants put them carts up. 0:09:26.000 --> 0:09:28.000 I think it's how they put it. That's in pilot lingo. 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:32.000 And that's usually when some somebody gets up, it's like, oh, 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:34.199 I really need to go. That's the moment I'm like, 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:37.079 I have to go to the bathroom so bad. Yeah yeah, um. 0:09:37.760 --> 0:09:40.520 But if you're not getting up, and even if they 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:43.800 aren't telling you to um to put your seatbelt on, 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:46.160 if you're just sitting in your seat, you should always 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:48.280 keep your seatbelt on, just because there is such thing 0:09:48.280 --> 0:09:52.439 as clearer. Turbulent catches everybody by surprise, and then all 0:09:52.440 --> 0:09:54.920 of a sudden you're like floating up against the ceiling, 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:56.760 which is bad enough for you, but you can also 0:09:56.880 --> 0:10:00.800 come down another poor unsuspecting travelers too. It's like about 0:10:00.840 --> 0:10:05.559 floating people who like smashing into the ceiling for a moment. Yeah. Um, 0:10:05.920 --> 0:10:07.959 it's like people who don't wear the seatbelt in the 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:12.200 back seat. It's like, you're not just putting your own 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:14.319 life in danger when you cut it getting a head 0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:17.640 on collision, you're flying forward past the people in the 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:20.240 front who did have their seatbelts on, and your feet 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:23.680 and your fists in your head are taking their heads 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:25.800 off with you. Yeah, you know what I mean. You 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:27.920 got to wear your seatbelt in the back seat. Check 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:31.640 so they get about if they're talking to other pilots 0:10:31.679 --> 0:10:34.040 in the air, they get a five to ten minute warning. 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:37.520 If they're getting a warning from the ground, that's about 0:10:37.559 --> 0:10:40.679 twenty minutes up to twenty minutes. So that's that's plenty 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:43.240 of time. That's why that's why it works so well. 0:10:43.280 --> 0:10:46.320 That's why you don't get more severe cases of turbulence 0:10:46.320 --> 0:10:49.480 because everyone's in contact at all times, making sure that 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:52.000 you don't feel the worst of it, which is great. 0:10:52.600 --> 0:10:54.920 They also figured out that you can't put two planes 0:10:55.000 --> 0:10:59.000 too close together because planes create weake and that creates turbulence, 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:01.800 and they you that out the hard way. Apparently planes 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:05.280 have crashed from following too close coming in for a landing. 0:11:05.600 --> 0:11:08.719 Don't do it on the road either. No, certainly not, 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:15.160 although apparently it does save your gas mileage. Yeah, behind 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:17.080 like a semi or something. Yeah, I mean that's why 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:21.520 they do it in NASCAR, right, But it's not safe. No, don't, 0:11:21.559 --> 0:11:24.840 don't do it. You're no NASCAR driver unless you are 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:27.880 a NASCAR driver listening to this, in which case you 0:11:28.000 --> 0:11:30.400 do what you're doing. Well. Thanks for joining us on 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:32.480 short Stuff. We love you.