Severe Turbulence on DL Flight
Feb 14, 2019, 10:08 am
#16
Join Date: Feb 2017
Programs: DL DM, UA Gold, Alaska MVP, Bonvoy (lol) Ambassador
Posts: 2,994
Flying over the Sierra Nevadas right now - taking a zig-zag route at varying altitudes, presumably to avoid the worst of it (and also delaying the flight more than it already was).
Flight attendants repeatedly yelled at someone over the intercom to stay seated when someone got up to go to the bathroom (including threatening a diversion if they did not sit back down).
Nothing abnormal yet - we'll see if anything hits in the next 10-15 min.
Flight attendants repeatedly yelled at someone over the intercom to stay seated when someone got up to go to the bathroom (including threatening a diversion if they did not sit back down).
Nothing abnormal yet - we'll see if anything hits in the next 10-15 min.
Feb 14, 2019, 11:17 am
#18
Join Date: Feb 2017
Programs: DL DM, UA Gold, Alaska MVP, Bonvoy (lol) Ambassador
Posts: 2,994
Ended up being pretty uneventful - I would have called it a light chop. Of course, all it takes is that one big lurch to end up with broken bones so easy to say uneventful until you're that unlucky flight that hits a bad pocket. 
Feb 14, 2019, 12:01 pm
#20
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: ATL
Programs: Delta Gold Medallion, Avis Preferred, Hilton Gold
Posts: 22
Flying over the Sierra Nevadas right now - taking a zig-zag route at varying altitudes, presumably to avoid the worst of it (and also delaying the flight more than it already was).
Flight attendants repeatedly yelled at someone over the intercom to stay seated when someone got up to go to the bathroom (including threatening a diversion if they did not sit back down).
Nothing abnormal yet - we'll see if anything hits in the next 10-15 min.
Flight attendants repeatedly yelled at someone over the intercom to stay seated when someone got up to go to the bathroom (including threatening a diversion if they did not sit back down).
Nothing abnormal yet - we'll see if anything hits in the next 10-15 min.
Feb 14, 2019, 1:41 pm
#21
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Indianapolis
Programs: Hilton-Diamond Lifetime Platinum AA UA, WN-CP, SPG Gold.
Posts: 7,377
Okay, there is evidence that climate change is likely to cause increased turbulence. But there are many factors that cause turbulence for aircraft other than updrafts.
Without going into atmospheric dynamics, flying through a 170mph jet stream (as suggested by forecast soundings at the time and location of the incident) will often be turbulent because it is very hard for the atmosphere to flow smoothly at those speeds. The aircraft was also flying near the tropopause, which can cause increased shear instability.
Bottom line, don't blame this on "global warming" -- it's impossible to attribute a single event to "global warming."
Without going into atmospheric dynamics, flying through a 170mph jet stream (as suggested by forecast soundings at the time and location of the incident) will often be turbulent because it is very hard for the atmosphere to flow smoothly at those speeds. The aircraft was also flying near the tropopause, which can cause increased shear instability.
Bottom line, don't blame this on "global warming" -- it's impossible to attribute a single event to "global warming."
I have spent many a hours flying planes,,with my share of bumps.,
Feb 14, 2019, 2:49 pm
#23
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 252
Feb 14, 2019, 9:34 pm
#29
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: Delta Diamond; Marriott Gold Elite
Posts: 170
I can assure everyone here that Delta did not encounter any turbulence at all, merely just "rough air."
"Moderate" gets thrown around a lot but by a strict definition, even moderate is extremely rare. I believe the definition includes something to the effect of continuous strain against the seatbelt. Most of what is attributed as "moderate" is really just light.
There's also a difference between Severe and Extreme though those tend to be used interchangeably too.
I used to live in RNO and would read stories about once every 2 or so years about a flight with severe turbulence resulting in passenger or crew injuries. I'd inevitably look into it and it almost always occurred roughly in the same spot as this flight encountered it.
There's also a difference between Severe and Extreme though those tend to be used interchangeably too.
I used to live in RNO and would read stories about once every 2 or so years about a flight with severe turbulence resulting in passenger or crew injuries. I'd inevitably look into it and it almost always occurred roughly in the same spot as this flight encountered it.
Feb 15, 2019, 2:24 am
#30
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Canada
Programs: FB Platinum, SM Diamond
Posts: 645
