This was published 6 years ago
Boeing to trial new remote-sensing technology that could reduce turbulence on flights
Turbulence mess on an American Airlines flight over the Atlantic Ocean.Credit: Twitter/@efnov6
If you've ever taken a flight, it's pretty much guaranteed you've experienced the odd bout of turbulence.
It can be a mild jolt, or maybe stronger meaning the pilot switches on the seat-belt sign, while the most extreme kind can cause serious damage and even deaths.
In the US 44 people were severely injured by turbulence in 2016. Take, for example, a recent incident aboard an American Airlines flight travelling from Athens to Philadelphia.
Aircraft maker Boeing is to start trialling remote-sensing technology in 2018. This linar involves a laser installed in the front of the plane which will shoot out and map any incoming turbulence.
To understand how this works, a little background on turbulence itself.
Types of turbulence
Convective turbulence, is caused by thunderstorms formed as the sun heats the land and warm, moist air rises and cools into clouds. When the clouds can't hold any more water, it rains, causing a downdraft of cold air and wind.
Mechanical turbulence, which happens when wind encounters tall obstructions, such as mountains, trees or buildings that disrupt its smooth flow.
Wake turbulence, when one aircraft flies through the "wake" of another aircraft, much like the wake of a boat on the water. This is usually only a problem near airports.
Clear-air turbulence, which typically occurs in the high atmosphere with variations of wind in jet streams — currents of air in the Earth's atmosphere caused by the planet's rotation and heating by the sun. This type of turbulence cannot be detected visually.
To manage turbulence, pilots consult multiple sources of information. They receive weather forecasts and reports before liftoff and real-time intel from other pilots and air traffic controllers midflight. Using this data, they can determine which patches of sky and altitudes to avoid. In addition, new aircraft can automatically sense the turbulence at the moment of impact and report the details back to the ground.
But the new technology will work by emitting pulses of laser light from the plane's nose, scattering small dust and other particulates.
Observing the reflected light in segments, the pulse provides measurement of the wind speed at increments all along the direction of the laser.
"We expect to be able to spot clear-air turbulence more than 60 seconds ahead of the aircraft, or about 17.5 kilometres, giving the crew enough time to secure the cabin and minimise the risk of injuries," says Stefan Bieniawski, the Boeing program's lead investigator told Wired.
The lidar is being developed in association with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and FedEx Express.
See also: Goodbye Boeing 747: Why it's the end for this jumbo jet
See also: Airport lounges - a giant waste of money or a genius travel hack?
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