Hi All,

sorry if this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find what I was specifically looking for.

I have flown regularly for the past 5/6 years and although nervous 10 yrs ago I am now fine. Well I was until recently!!
Sat on a BA flight from LHR-NCE I was next to an off duty pilot/first officer who told me that although the pilots have radar, Clear Air Turbulence can occur at any time with no warning whatsoever. This means that when i get up to go to the bathroom, or put something in the overhead locker etc etc the plane could drop with no warning.

I am about to fly LHR-LAX (10 hrs) and don't want to spend the entire time waiting/worrying for a major drop even though I have never ever had unexpected turbulence before.

Anyone got any help/tips/thoughts please let me know as I am kind of nervous now.

Thanks,
LCG

Turbulence does come out of the blue at times. However, it doesn't generally go from nothing to a big problem all at once. The pilots normally turn on the seatbelt sign at the first sign of turbulence, if you obey that the chance of being tossed around by it are very low.

yes, unexpected violent turbulence can occur, but it is rare......so, always have your seatbelt fastened....minimize time out of your seat....don't worry, be happy...good luck..

Ouch!

There isn't much to worry about here. Even if you hit moderate turbulence with no warning (and note that what is called 'moderate' will feel quite severe to you) the absolute worst case, one-in-a-million scenario for you would be bruises and breaks. There are a few turbulence-related accidents worldwide each year and these never result in serious injury.

The fact that the turbulence is unexpected won't have any consequence with respect to how the plane handles it. You certainly aren't going to die.

I agree with the first sentence, but take issue with the second. You should always keep your seat belt fastened when you are seated, even if the sign says you don't have to.

Those of us who are CH 9 junkies on UA know that pilots are always asking for ride reports if they suspect to encounter turbulence, but there have been many times where ATC has given a flight a clean forecast, and yet turbulence has been abruptly encountered later on in the flight.

Welcome to Flyertalk!

LHR-LAX was one of my regular journeys when I had family living 20 minutes up the A40 from Heathrow. Actually I find transpolar flights tend to be smoother than shorter ones, as they spend so much of their time at higher altitudes.

Irrational fears are not always soothed to hear rational answers, but if it helps to know:

� road traffic in London or Los Angeles is thousands of times riskier than nonstop flight between them
� it's the job of the pilot you chatted with to know all possible perils of what he does in order to avoid them, but he may go an entire career without ever encountering many (He might have spared you if he knew it was upsetting, but most likely finds it fascinating himself.)
� modern aircraft are among the most dependable vehicles ever made; they are overbuilt for what they do, and serviced by highly-qualified careerists

Keep your seatbelt on whenever seated; it need not be take-off snug for the entire flight. If looking out a window doesn't aggravate your worries, you may enjoy spectacular views of Greenland, Hudson Bay and the Canadian Rockies. On one flight we even got to see Comet McNaught, a sight denied to many on the ground who would have liked to.

Oh, and on-board duty-free items are often NOT a bargain!

Congratulations on the progress you've already made, with best wishes for continued success.

Remember that your journeies to and from the airport are statistically much more dangerous than your flights.

That said, and reinforcing what others have said, keep your seat belt fastened at all times when you are seated.

Of course you stay belted when seated. I'm saying if you get into your seat when the light comes on there's very little chance that you're going to be tossed around by turbulence.