Last week an Air Canada jetliner made an emergency landing in Calgary after nine people aboard were injured when the plane hit turbulence during a cross-country flight. None of the injuries were life threatening, but still, it made me think about my family’s upcoming flight to Hawaii.
We’ve made the trip multiple times before, but only recently has my 3-year-old daughter started showing signs of anxiety when our plane hits bumpy air. I have flown more than 350,000 miles in my lifetime (at least according to my frequent flyer statements) and have never been concerned about air turbulence (at least not concerned enough to stop flying). But I have to admit when I saw the news footage of the ambulances surrounding the Air Canada jet and paramedics tending to the injured it made me pause for a while.
Passengers who were not injured in the incident told news reporters that “it happened very fast.” One woman said the plane tilted sideways before plummeting down unexpectedly. Another passenger recounted how his friend flew up, hit the ceiling of the plane and fell back down again.
It sounds terrible, though as I mentioned earlier I’m not canceling our trip because of it. I will, however, make sure we keep our seatbelts on during the entire flight. After all, anyone who’s flown a few times has almost surely experienced at least one bumpy ride.
When turbulence strikes I tell my daughter to pretend we are in a car driving down a rocky road, except that instead of just moving from side to side our vehicle is bouncing up and down as well.
Scientists define “turbulence” as “a state of fluid flow in which the instantaneous velocities exhibit irregular and apparently random fluctuations.” Basically, “irregular fluctuations” in the air create the bumps you feel. Contrary to popular belief winds disturbed by thunderstorms or mountains are just one of the many (not the main) causes of turbulence. The good news is only “extreme” turbulence is likely to damage an aircraft. And fortunately, extreme turbulence is rare and commercial airline pilots are schooled on what causes turbulence so they can avoid it.
However, for anyone who doesn’t understand what’s going on, especially young children, turbulence can be very frightening. A child sitting in a plane that experiences turbulence might fear that it will crash or sustain damage.
As with most fears, knowledge is key. It’s a good idea to explain to children that while turbulence can shake any airplane, no matter how large, it isn’t going to bring down the plane.
You’ve read the analogy I gave my daughter regarding turbulence. What are some of the things you do to help your child relax during a bumpy trip?
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