How turbulence in aircraft is caused during flight

Airplanes are one of the most incredible feats of engineering, what surprises me about these machines Is their ability to fly despite their size and weight.

If you always travel by air, You might have noticed the occurrence of turbulence, whereby the aircraft will pass through a period of vibration. Have you ever wondered the cause of this vibration?

Well, in this article, I will be bringing to your knowledge the causes of air turbulence.

Turbulent is the movement of air masses that occurs in the absence of any visual cues, such as clouds, and is caused when bodies of air moving at vastly different speeds collide.

There are many causes of turbulence some include,

1. Mechanical Turbulence: This kind of turbulence happens in unstable air, it is caused by friction between the air and the ground and it occurs most frequently at lower levels.

2. Thermal Turbulence: it is caused by the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface by the sun, it occurs in regions which rainy clouds and this is why light aircraft are discouraged from flying in rainy clouds.

3. Frontal Turbulence: as the name implies, It occurs between opposing winds, this happens during heavy rain.

4. Wind Shear: It’s very uncommon and happens when there is a change in wind speed and direction.

5. Clean Air Turbulence: This is very common turbulence, it can happen at even 15000feet where flight seems to be calm. Hence passengers are always advised to fasten their seat belts.

Turbulence is an unpleasant situation and for years now, engineers have been working on various turbulence detecting systems. Modern aircraft now have a system for detecting it and by so doing, pilots can avoid them.