Sometimes I get into turbulence on an airplane and think to myself, “OK, this is uncomfortable, but I know I’m safe.”
Airplanes are designed to withstand harsh weather conditions, which begs the question: Why do weather-related delays occur?
It turns out there is a lot going on behind the scenes of weather disruptions.
“Airplanes themselves are very capable,” Ken Byrnes, associate dean and chairman of flight education at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told me. “When you look at how these airplanes are designed, you can see that they can withstand tremendous stress.”
Because of their structure, airplanes can endure much more than Mother Nature would ever expect them to endure, but that is only one aspect of the decision whether or not to fly.
All airline passengers know that weather is often the number one enemy of a smooth travel day. Here’s why.
Airplanes can withstand the weather
Next time you’re flying through turbulence, look out the window at the wing. You’ll notice that it’s flexing. This is intentional. The flex actually helps the aircraft to remain more stable in rough air and means that the wing safely absorbs and dissipates the forces it’s subjected to.
As Byrnes said, airplanes are designed to withstand enormous forces during flight, and all parts of the aircraft structure are tested to ensure they remain intact even under difficult conditions.
“Risk mitigation comes largely from design skills,” he told me.
During tests, aircraft wings are bent far beyond their normal flight limits.
Likewise, aircraft engines are designed to withstand natural obstacles such as hail, heavy rain and bird strikes within certain limits.
Why bad weather can still make flying dangerous
However, flight safety does not only depend on the structural properties of aircraft.
“They may be physically able to handle the stresses, but the aerodynamic pressure that can occur in storms can make it very difficult to keep flying,” said Byrnes. “There are a few things to avoid, first and foremost wind shear, which is any change in the wind or wind direction.” Rapidly changing or shifting wind conditions can affect the aerodynamic properties of the aircraft and lead to a loss of lift.
“We want to avoid those more turbulent conditions. They can cause an aircraft to go into a spin,” Byrnes said. “At high altitude, it’s more forgivable. At low altitude, it’s very unforgivable. There’s no room for recovery.”
For this reason, bad weather places a particularly heavy burden on airport operations.
While incoming suboptimal weather conditions can often be avoided by changing the flight plan, it is virtually impossible for arriving and departing aircraft at an airfield to avoid a storm.
“In these circumstances, it’s more important to make sure you have enough lift to stay airborne,” Byrnes said. “The closer you are to the ground, the less altitude you have to regain.”
Everything revolves around security
As with pretty much everything in aviation, the decision to postpone or cancel a flight due to weather is ultimately a matter of safety.
“The airline’s goal is to provide the best customer service while ensuring the greatest safety possible,” Byrnes said. “To meet that demand, they’re not going to take unnecessary risks because it’s just not worth it.”
The ability of an aircraft to fly is not the only safety consideration. We have seen time and time again recently that passengers nowadays do not pay much attention to the fasten seatbelt sign. Although an aircraft is designed to withstand strong turbulence, the human body is not able to do so if it is not buckled up. Therefore, rough weather can pose a danger to the people in the cabin, even if the aircraft itself is perfectly safe from a technical point of view.
Laura Einsetler, a captain at a major U.S. airline and author of the blog Captain Laura, explained to me that flight crews never intentionally fly into severe weather, but sometimes have no choice but to fly through more moderate turbulence.
If that happens, she will do everything she can to prepare her passengers for the shocks, she said, but ultimately it is everyone’s job to make sure the cabin is safe for everyone.
“Unfortunately, we have flown so many times that we make the announcement, but no one listens,” she said. “It is important that passengers watch what the flight attendants are doing and saying in addition to our announcements to stay safe at all times.”
Cruising altitude for the last week: Now is a great and affordable time to fly, even if the airlines aren’t perfect.
The domino effect of the weather on flying
Delays due to bad weather often have a cumulative impact on flights. Even a single delayed flight throws the aircraft and its crew off the airline’s schedule and can cause headaches for air traffic control as flight plans need to be adjusted.
If something goes wrong with your travel plans, keep these two tips in mind from Byrnes:
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First, remember that your safety is the airline’s number one priority. As much as you want to fly, the airline wants to get you to your destination safely and comfortably. They’d probably leave a negative comment on social media if your next flight turned into an hours-long rollercoaster ride through a storm.
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Second, be patient and friendly with airline staff. As frustrating as delays can be, you all share the experience.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. Reach him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why weather affects your flights | Cruising altitude
