How to find the smooth air

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flying over clouds

Over the course of your flight training, you’ll spend a lot of time learning how to fly safely and competently. That’s important, but it shouldn’t be your sole focus as you grow and mature as a pilot. Learning to fly “comfortably” should be up there on the list as well as one of your top priorities, especially as you graduate to flying passengers.

When you take passengers up for a flight, especially if they’ve never been in a small airplane before, comfort is a major determinant of how much they will enjoy the experience. They expect you to be safe, but minimizing the bumps so they can enjoy the sights will keep them coming back. It is also much less fatiguing when you’re coasting along in smooth air.

If you’ve ever talked to a professional pilot or heard them on the radio, you know how much effort they put into finding a smooth ride. They’re routinely reviewing pilot reports and asking Air Traffic Control (ATC) for reports of turbulence, and they’ll go so far as to change their route of flight or altitude fairly dramatically to find smooth air.

In general aviation (GA) airplanes, we don’t worry much about the jet stream or mountain waves at 37,000 feet. Instead, we need to look for visual cues as to the smoothness of the air. As a first clue, consider the height of haze layer. This concept is incredibly important for light GA airplanes, but it’s rarely taught as a part of primary training even though it’s present almost every day of the year.

If you climb out on a typical summer day, you’ll bump along for the first 5,000 feet in hazy air. Then, if you’re paying attention, you’ll notice there’s almost a line in the sky, above which is clear blue sky and below is murky. That’s the top of the haze layer, and below it you’ll almost always find a few bumps and restricted visibility. Above it will most likely be smooth air and a nice ride.

GoPro wingtip

Below the haze layer, you’ll almost always find a few bumps and restricted visibility

In the cooler seasons, you may find the top of the haze layer as low as 1,500 feet. But in Texas in the summer, it might be 9,000 feet, and it rises as the day heats up. Make it a habit to find this layer and plan to cruise above it (if possible) when you’re flying cross-country.

Secondly, pay attention to the strength of the surface winds. Strong winds by themselves don’t necessarily mean turbulence, but gusty winds almost always do. This is usually the worst within a few thousand feet of the surface, so again, higher is better.

In particular, watch for those gusty days following the passage of a cold front. The combination of cooler air overrunning warm ground and a wind shift often make for a bumpy takeoff and landing.

The combination of cooler air overrunning warm ground and a wind shift often make for a bumpy takeoff and landing

If you fly in Kansas, you may not worry much about hills and mountains, but if you fly in Colorado, it should be very high on your list. The combination of strong winds or full sun over uneven terrain can create some memorable turbulence, so be alert if your departure or destination airport takes you over rugged terrain.

The next weather phenomenon to consider is thermals. Ever flown over a large, paved parking lot? Then you’ve experienced thermals–the rising columns of air that are created by the sun’s heating of the earth and then the release of that heat back into the atmosphere. Large, flat, dark spaces like parking lots and freshly plowed fields are the best thermal creators. Conversely, wooded areas don’t absorb as much heat.

Finally, you should pay attention to the shapes of clouds.  If you’re a VFR pilot, you shouldn’t be flying through any clouds, so why should you care what they look like? The type of clouds, particularly whether they’re cumulus or stratus, is a good indicator of the stability of the air aloft. And stability is what we’re really talking about with most turbulence.

Big, billowing cumulus clouds usually mean there’s some lifting action in the atmosphere, while flat stratus clouds often indicate more stable air. If you’re an instrument rated pilot, consider the cloud type before you go busting through them. Remember, just because you’re legal to fly through clouds doesn’t mean you have to.

None of these factors are necessarily dangerous, so just because there’s a breeze doesn’t mean you need to cancel your flight. But consider your route of flight, your altitude and your passengers. A few adjustments, or even just a good pre-takeoff briefing to set expectations can make a difference.

If you do encounter turbulence, be careful not to fight the bumps. While you want to maintain positive control of the airplane at all times, don’t make it worse by over-controlling. Fly a basic attitude and let the natural waves in the air do what they will.

One other thing you can change is the time of day you fly. A constant throughout this list is that morning flights are usually smoother; the thermals haven’t built up yet, the wind usually isn’t as strong, and the haze layer may be lower.

Eric Radtke
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