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Help! Bad turbulence forecast!!

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RAGeneral	Help! Bad turbulence forecast!!	Lead	[-]
Posts: 6 (10/31/09 05:08:28) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Tags : None When I looked at the turbulence forecast for my trip tomorrow, there is a huge red band all around my aiport, and for a good part of the trip. This means moderate to severe turbulence. I feel like I am going to throw up. I have never cancelled a trip, but I am very close to cancelling this one. Has anyone had experience with a forecast like this? What does it mean?
Capt Tom Bunn MSW LCSW		#1	[-]
Posts: 2747 (10/31/09 08:49:50) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	First, turbulence is not a problem for the plane. Second, no matter how many times I say that, people still have a problem with turbulence. Why? I believe it is because when there is turbulence, the person can't maintain the pretense that they are not on the plane, or can't focus on something other than the flight. And, when they are forced by the intrusiveness of turbulence to face the fact, the fact that there is no absolute guarantee of safety is impossible for them to deal with. They can't deal with less than 100% certainty unless they have hold of the steering wheel, and somehow, having control gives them the illusion of safety - though it is truly an illusion, not a reality of safety. Third, since you already know you can't feel safe unless there is no turbulence, you are thinking of canceling. Again, remember it is for emotion safety, not physical safety. Fourth, the question is, can you see that? Can you see that turbulence only opens the door to fear you already have, a door you can keep closed when the flight is smooth. Wouldn't it make sense to face the fact that you need to learn to regulate feelings without illusion on one hand (illusion of control) and without pretending you are not flying on the other hand? Aside from all that, you need to consider the altitude where the turbulence forecast is. If you see red at the airport, I would be expecting it to mean altitudes ABOVE the altitude are turbulent - not the airport itself. And as to cruise, again, you need to see if the turbulence is at cruise altitude. And one more thing. Turbulence forecasts are not reliable. My advice, forget about the turbulence forecast and fix the problem inside yourself.

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Note from Capt. Tom

I know everyone worries about weather, but pilots really do not worry about it. We simply - instead of worrying about it - completely prepare for it. Before going to the plane, we review the weather at the destination. If it is not 100% sure to be within legal limits when we arrive at the destination, we must specify an alternate airport in our planning documents, and load on plenty of fuel for going to the destination airport, and then if need be, diverting to the alternate airport.

The legal limits are conservative. Even when weather is slightly outside the legal limits, any airline pilot could still land safely. You can rely on the captain never to land when the weather is not legal, and legality limits are reached prior to safety limits.

If you are still anxious, call me and we can talk it over. I'm at 877 332-7359 from 10 AM until 7 PM Eastern time.

For effective help, even if you are flying in a day or two, sign up now at www.fearofflying.com/fasttrack and call me when you finish Clip 9 so I can make sure you are all set.

Using Weather Information

If you enter your ZIP Code or City at the top of the weather presentation, it will give you weather for your area. Or, you can enter your destination ZIP Code or City.

Click on the "LOCAL RADAR" button to see whether or not there are thunder-
storms. Keep in mind, however, that we can either fly above the storms when cruising or fly through gaps between storms. During landing, we cannot fly above them, but fly through gaps, or through the area of the storms where the turbulence is least.

Turbulence, though it may cause anxiety, does not mean anything is wrong. Turbulence does not mean danger. The plane can handle far more turbulence than Mother Nature can dish out.

Though flying in turbulence is safe, it doesn't feel safe. And here is where the SOAR programs come in. We can help you feel as safe when you fly as you actually are.

You can see these programs at www.fearofflying.com/store.

For questions on aviation or the psychology of aerophobia, click here to e-mail Capt. Tom Bunn, MSW, LCSW.

To contact the SOAR business office (media contacts, brochures, replacement tapes, billing, shipping), click here to e-mail Lisa Hauptner, MS.