British Airways pilot reveals the sign that will tell you the plane’s about to be hit by really bad turbulence
A BA pilot has revealed how passengers can tell if turbulence is going to be bad during a flight.
Dave Wallsworth, who goes by Captain Dave on Twitter, has worked for British Airways for more than 30 years.
Now a pilot, he did a recent Q&A on the social media platform, where lots of people asked him about turbulence on a flight.
One person asked how to know when turbulence is going to be bad.
He responded: “Bad to me is when we have to get passengers to sit down and fasten their belts.
“Really bad is when we have to get the crew to do the same.
“We will always do our best to minimise time in bad turbulence and yes, we get reports from other aircraft around us.”
However, he also reassured nervous flyers, saying that he is never scared when it is turbulent.
He explained: “I prefer to be honest with people and say if I think it’s going to be a little bumpy at times so people aren’t surprised and also know we are expecting it.
“Turbulence really isn’t a problem…”
The pilot added: “I’m always more concerned about the well-being of the passengers and crew rather than being worried about the aircraft. It will be fine.”
Pilot Eser Aksan E told Sun Online Travel what it’s like to be in the cockpit during a bumpy flight.
She said: “With severe turbulence, we don’t control the plane.
“That doesn’t mean it’s going to flip upside down or anything, it’s just not in our control at that moment, but it’s still flying.
“It obviously ends at a certain time and then we’re in control again, and we need to gain or lose the altitude or, whatever state the plane’s in, we have to correct that.”
Flights could also have more turbulence in the future – research published in Science Advances discovered that as the planet heats up, the atmosphere closest to Earth has been rising.
That means that pilots will need to fly higher to avoid turbulence and it is likely that passengers will have a much bumpier ride in the future.
And a former flight attendant revealed the area around the UK where you will always get turbulence.
Simon Marton, 49, was a flight attendant for four and a half years, and said that flights over the coast of Ireland will nearly always be hit with a bumpy ride.
Simon, author of Journey of a Reluctant Air Steward, told Sun Online Travel: “If you’re coming from the States and you are going to London, you will nearly always hit turbulence over the coast of Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean.
“This happens about two to three hours before landing, but it is completely normal.
“Passengers shouldn’t worry about it, as it is due to the jet streams over the Atlantic that this happens, as it can cause high winds.”