Turbulence, a refresher!

derg

derg

Apparently a "terse" writer
Staff member
Help out your fellow pilot by reporting accurately.

Light:
Turbulence that momentarily causes slight, erratic changes in altitude and/or attitude (pitch, roll, yaw). Report as Light Turbulence;

or

Turbulence that causes slight, rapid and somewhat rhythmic bumpiness without appreciable changes in altitude or attitude. Report as Light Chop.

Occupants may feel a slight strain against seat belts or shoulder straps. Unsecured objects may be displaced slightly. Food service may be conducted and little or no difficulty is encountered in walking.
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Moderate
Turbulence that is similar to Light Turbulence but of greater intensity. Changes in altitude and/or attitude occur but the aircraft remains in positive control at all times. It usually causes variations in indicated airspeed. Report as Moderate Turbulence

or

Turbulence that is similar to Light Chop but of greater intensity. It causes rapid bumps or jolts without appreciable changes in aircraft altitude or attitude. Report as Moderate Chop.

Occupants feel definite strains against seat belts or shoulder straps. Unsecured objects are dislodged. Food service and walking are difficult.
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Severe
Turbulence that causes large, abrupt changes in altitude and/or attitude. It usually causes large variations in indicated airspeed. Aircraft may be momentarily out of control. Report as Severe Turbulence.

Occupants are forced violently against seat belts or shoulder straps. Unsecured objects are tossed about. Food Service and walking are impossible.
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Extreme

Turbulence in which the aircraft is violently tossed about and is practically impossible to control. It may cause structural damage. Report as Extreme Turbulence.
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Oddly enough, it's normally Delta (even pre-merger) that I heard "We're getting moderate turbulence" when it was pretty much light chop. :)
 
Stop-to-stop = "Okay, yeah, it's severe."

Alternative memory aid:
turbulence-reporting.jpg


Don't spill the airplane.
 
kellwolf said:
Oddly enough, it's normally Delta (even pre-merger) that I heard "We're getting moderate turbulence" when it was pretty much light chop. :)
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Well, they do have a lot of airplanes zipping around the skies, but yes.

Too many pilots are far too anxious to report moderate when it's light.
 
ctab5060X said:
Same here.

I can't tell you the times that I have heard other flights ahead of me on the arrival report "moderate chop", only to get there and look at the captain and say "They reported this as moderate?"
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All the time. There'll be another heavy aircraft reporting moderate on the tracks and, if the skipper is on break, I might start thinking about sitting the FA's down and have them secure the cabin.

Then when it's barely light, I feel like a tool for trusting the report out in front of us.

So now you have to wonder if the similarly-sized aircraft ahead of you is being a drama queen or they're actually making a valid report on the ride conditions, but if we were all speaking the same language, it would be much easier.

Yes, I know turbulence affects different aircraft in different ways.
 
Instead of having subjective reports (reminds me of braking action reports, ha, pilots can't report that for dookie)... why not have an accelerometer in aircraft that serves as a "turbulence meter"... that way they ask you how bad the turbulence is, and you can look at the device and just give them the answer it says.... now obviously, the effects of the turbulence will vary with speed, but the device can be calibrated as such...
 
cencal83406 said:
Instead of having subjective reports (reminds me of braking action reports, ha, pilots can't report that for dookie)... why not have an accelerometer in aircraft that serves as a "turbulence meter"... that way they ask you how bad the turbulence is, and you can look at the device and just give them the answer it says.... now obviously, the effects of the turbulence will vary with speed, but the device can be calibrated as such...
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People would still get it wrong the other day 3 aircraft, including a UAL plane, reported mod ice with a temp of +8, yes they were looking at the TAT. All 3 of them reported the same temp. I actually asked ATC to verify the temp...no one got it. You can't make this stuff up.
 
wheelsup said:
People would still get it wrong the other day 3 aircraft, including a UAL plane, reported mod ice with a temp of +8, yes they were looking at the TAT. All 3 of them reported the same temp. I actually asked ATC to verify the temp...no one got it. You can't make this stuff up.
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Hell, some planes ya gotta go digging around to find something other than TAT. :)
 
Anybody know what "Strong light moderate turbulence" is? I heard that one a few weeks ago, and the captain and I were scratching our heads.

Good reminder. Stay sharp out there.
 
I think a lot of pilots out there consider 'light' turbulence or chop something that doesn't really bother them. Something they can ride out. Anything beyond whatever doesn't bother them becomes 'moderate'. Anything that scares them becomes 'Severe'.

Yeah.. I've noticed that in myself, too. It helps to refer back to the actual definitions. Same goes for icing, really.
 
kellwolf said:
Oddly enough, it's normally Delta (even pre-merger) that I heard "We're getting moderate turbulence" when it was pretty much light chop. :)
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I don't think it's just DL, to me it seems that the major boys/gals seem to report moderate chop way too much. And what's with the wind check on final?
 
Let's not even get started on breaking action reports. Seems to be the opposite problem... Reported "fair" when it is in fact "poor to nil." Or my favorite, "very poor." You're doing nobody a favor...
 
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