9 TURBULENCE TYPES explained by CAPTAIN JOE

Captain Joe should open a flight school! You guys can't deny that he explains everything so well...

From my experience as a passenger, the main cause for turbulence is the food/drink service starting in the cabin.

As a passenger, I think turbulence scares me because I’m not sure what’s going on. The pilots know when it’s coming, they know they’re in control, they know how to deal with it. But in the back, I have no way of knowing if it was truly “turbulence,” or if the plane is actually in a crisis, and I have no control of the situation. Fear of the unknown.

Thank u for explaining. I fly a lot but still get SUPER anxious even at the smallest amount of turbulence. You explained this really well but I cry inside every time

Anxious flier here - and this is exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks for explaining everything, Joe. It really helps!

More often than not, human anxiety makes the turbulence feel worse than it is. If I’m in a good mood and feeling upbeat, the turbulent experience doesn’t even bother me and even find it fun where as if I’m feeling anxious, the general movement of the aircraft bugs me.

I heard that PA when we were approaching Phoenix for a landing, and a dust storm kicked up. That was the craziest roller coaster ride I ever had...complete with lightning.

The 787 wing is a thing of beauty

I am an aviation geek and a frequent flyer. I have read many books and other materials on the subject. Intellectually, I know an aircraft can handle a ton of stresses during a flight, and that most turbulence will not bring down a plane. But all this knowledge didn't really help during a flight from DFW to SEA a few years ago. About an hour into the flight, the plane began to shake violently. The captain got on the intercom and told everyone to return to their seats and buckle up. The flight attendants stopped whatever they were doing and ran back to their seats. We bounced around for a good 20 minutes. People began to scream out, cry and pray out loud. I tried to drown out the noise with my headphones and music, but I was unsuccessful. After many years of flying and many turbulent flights, this particular flight has to be the worst. I just held onto the seat and waited for the all clear from the flight crew. When we landed, several passengers swore to never board another flight. I would never swear off flying forever because I am imbued with a need to travel and fly, but I did need a few extra minutes to collect my thoughts before boarding my connecting flight.

Two Captain Joe videos in one week?? Christmas sure is early this year!

For anxious flyers like me: If you experience turbulences, don't cling to your seat and try to sit straight. It will make the turbulences feel much worse. Try to relax as good as you can, and then just sway with the motion of the plane.

Great information. I wish i had no fear of flying. I’ve done it but it always is stressful for me ( and my bf or whoever gets stuck flying with me) I bring books and word find puzzles to keep me busy but if turbulence lasts more than a few little bumps I can’t focus on anything but that. Palms get sweaty, stomach in knots. It sucks. 😢

Been on several flights where the captain has instructed the flight attendants to take their seat. On a flight from LAX to Hawaii we encountered severe turbulence and one of the flight attendances took the empty seat next to me as we were mid-plane. During that flight we had several overhead compartments come open and experienced several hard jolts and what felt like a very long drop followed by a large bump.
While it didn't seem to bother the other pilot that was sitting a few rows in front of me, it was enough to shake up the crew a bit and some passengers were losing their minds.

As a private pilot, I had a pleasure to enter a turbulent area above the hills. The sudden air mass hit the ultra-light aircraft and I dropped by several feet, only to rise again. The whole cabin got messy from the items residing in the back container and I ended injured (minor cuts,which I have no clue how it happened). As a cabin crew which was my seasonal job, the captain announced for us to remain seated but I didn't make it to my seat in the aft galley. I ended on a first empty seat next to a passenger who was pleased a flight attendant joined him for a couple of minutes. I explained him what is happening and he was probably less nervous as well. :)

Love this channel! Sir you do a great job explaining things. I'm not a pilot but do fly occasionally and your teachings make my flights more enjoyable as I recall you videos. Thanks and keep them coming!

The absurdity of air pockets (as they're known to me) is to imagine swimming through the ocean and just finding a sudden void

Yes, I have experienced turbulence on many occasions. Some were bearable, whilst others were quite severe! I’m just grateful to all you amazing pilots, who are able to maintain the flight without any further interruptions.

“The wings might break” 😂. Great video as always

Great explanation! I certainly remember the wing going up and down frantically during a transatlantic flight in a 747. I was impressed how much it could flex!

Thank you, Captain Joe,
It's lack of knowledge that creates fear of flying and
you give us the information that alleviates these fears.
Well Done!
Cheers,
Rik Spector

Tomorrow My son will have a exam, but when Captain Joe Posted a Video, i called him Back to watch it. We both enjoyed your Informative Videos so much. Nice to Explain different types of turbulence. Beforehand I only knew about 3 types only.

I'm TERRIFIED of flying, especially when there's turbulence. I was on one flight where it was pretty rough & they did the call for the crew to sit down & buckle up. I think that's the most I've cried on a flight! I was convinced it was going to be really bad if they had to ask the crew to be seated & use the seat belts. One of the stewards did come to check on me after though, which was incredibly kind.
I really appreciate the explanation of the different types of turbulence. You guys are incredibly skilled!

Great explanation. I didn't know there were so many different kinds.
I've flown a lot, but have only been truly frightened by turbulence once. Because of your video I know know that it was Thunderstorm turbulence. It was many years ago on a 737 from Seattle to San Antonio, with a stop in Kansas City. It was night and we were, I think, about 30 minutes outside of KC when the captain announced we had a thunderstorm ahead of us and to expect a rough ride. Within a few minutes it felt like a roller coaster, and we did get hit by lightening at least once. The scary part came when there was a real violent "bump", followed by the plane "dropping" for several seconds and at the same time rolling hard to the right. It felt like the wings were perpendicular to the ground. They probably weren't, but it was a pretty severe roll for a big plane. And to make it even a little more frightening, the cabin lights went out and many of the overhead bins opened and luggage was flying everywhere! I was okay, but I know several people on that flight had minor injuries. The one thing I remember most about that incident though, is the lady sitting next to me, who I didn't know, had grabbed my arm so hard during this that her fingernails drew blood on my forearm.
I'd be happy to NEVER have another flying experience like that!

I absolutely love your commentary/videos.
Your voice is much more reassuring than others. I personally have experienced going through a thunderstorm and I pray it never happens again. Thanks Captain Joe 😊👍

In January of 2020, we hit a good amount of turbulence over the pacific northwest returning from Japan. It was a decent 45 minutes of just harsh turbulence, and the cabin crew had to return to their seats. While a bit jarring, I was absolutely impressed with the pilot's handling of it.

Another great video Joe - I had no idea there were so many types of turbulence! You explained each one clearly, and I liked that you addressed passenger concerns about wing integrity during turbulence. Finally, the reminder that we all have our part to play in aviation safety is so important - rules and guidance are there for a reason, trust in the knowledge of the experts!

I loved the technical reasons you gave for each example instead of just glossing over the different types. Great Channel!!

Thank you captain joe. I’ve been following you for quite some time. I fly often for work… international. I have heard several times for cabin crew to take their seats. Your video like all others was thorough. Keep doing what you are doing. Much appreciated

I saw you taking off today from Luxembourg from my bedroom window but only noticed that it was you inside the airplane like 5 minutes after so I didn’t take a picture D:

The guy can make a very good teacher. Well done Joe!

You are so gifted Captain Joe. You have a way of conveying complex aviation issues so simply…

Capt. Joe your a first class ticket and I'll always fly with your video's. Thanks for sharing.

You uploaded! THANK YOU! This notification made my day.

Great video, once more. The explanations by Captain Joe are always very easy to understand! He makes everything super clear. My worst turbulence was a night flight from Tokyo to Istambul. The plane shook a lot for about 20 minutes or so. When you see the cabin crew sitting down, you know it is bad turbulence. I kept looking at my seat display, which showed altitude and heading, just to make sure we were not falling from the sky hehe. Quite terrifying, I must say.

My most memorable turbulence experience was on a flight from Las Vegas to San Francisco. The weather was perfectly clear and the first half of the flight was like gliding on ice. Shortly after passing over the south end of the Sierra Nevada mountains (just east of Bakersfield, CA) the plane suddenly dropped what seemed at least 50' and then cam to a sudden abrupt stop along with a very loud bang noise, as if the plane had been hit by a huge hammer. The plane suddenly then rose like a fast elevator for a similar distance and came to another abrupt halt with a loud bang. This repeated for probably 15 to 20 repetitions. The plane then suddenly went back to it's silky smooth ride for the remainder of the trip. This was one of those times as a passenger I just knew the wings were going totally break off. For years afterward, when a plane began to even shudder, I would tense. I have finally gotten over the experience and now take most turbulence as not a big deal.

In all the years that I've been flying, I've experienced, only once, a call out from the Captain who said: "flight attendants, take your seats." I knew what that meant. We were flying from KSTL to KMSP. I trust my flight crew, so no worries.

On a recent flight from MAD to JFK we went through severe, I mean it, turbulence for a couple of hours. When I checked my fitness band, my heart had been at 150 plus for over 45 minutes. That was my cardio for the day, thank you Iberia.

Thank you! I have always been scared shtless of turbulence but understanding how it all works gives me great confidence.

Enjoyed that one as always. Love watching your videos 💪

Hello Captain Joe. I was on a flight from Tokyo to Chicago, USA a few years ago (about 13 hour flight) and the captain told the cabin crew to sit down and buckle up at least 3 times during our flight. It scared the crap out of me and it felt pretty severe but I assume it was "moderate" turbulence. Either way, it was tough to deal with each new bout of turbulence. I kept asking myself, "When will this be over?!"

Turbulence...
Others: get panic 😬
Me (after this video): let me guess captain joe told me about this 🤔🤔

Thanks again Captain Joe.
You always "enlighten" me!
😘

The way u speak while explaining it- SPLENDID & AMAZING! I love you Capt. Joe❤️

I've been on a plane several times when the captain told the flight attendants to sit down too. Turbulence didn't used to bother me for a long time, including one time when we landed at Dallas/Fort Worth in what was quite clearly a thunderstorm. Looking back on it, I should have been nervous because we nearly hit one wing and then the other on the runway before touching down but the pilot did manage to float a little along the runway until that motion stopped and he nailed the landing. I think the only reason I didn't get nervous was because most other people were screaming and I thought that, if we did crash and I survived with some other people, it would be good to have someone like me who wasn't panicking because panic leads to stupid decisions.
Turbulence started to make me nervous on this one flight where I was flying back to North America from South America, We were right in that tropical zone that always tends to have at least a little turbulence. There was also a hurricane in the distance but it seemed pretty far away so I only noticed it because I thought the clouds were beautiful. I didn't see any clouds too terribly near us and we never flew through any but, all of the sudden, it felt like we were falling and everything that wasn't stuck down started floating. I did feel afraid then even though we were at out maximum cruising altitude and I knew it would take us quite a few minutes to hit the ground even if we fell directly down. That floating feeling lasted for entirely too long for my psyche and then there was some regular turbulence bumpiness at the end of that falling feeling. After that, turbulence always raises my heart rate no matter how much I know intellectually that it's fine.

Thank you so much for another awesome Vlog 👍

Excellent presentation on turbulence! Thank you for your thoughtful delivery and time to explain this to us out here. The next time I encounter turbulence, I will remember what I heard here and not be so concerned. Pilots are very used to this and know full well how to handle it. Job well done!

Thank you Captain Joe!! Being affiliated with the National Weather Service's Skywarn program (all volunteer), I am familiar with these issues for the most part. I also love aviation. I was familiar with most of these, and they logically make sense. This was a great, informative video! Thank you for taking the time to explain some of these facts to us! Well done, Captain!! Keep on flyin'!! 💕✈💕✈💕✈

We missed you so much welcome back

I’ve heard that’s PA announcements while coming back from Dubai on a A380 in business class. I quite like turbulence as it spices up and makes the flight more interesting

I have followed you for a very long time, years even. You still look as young now as then. A lot can be attributed to a healthy lifestyle but as important is loving what you do. Most go thru life never doing what they really want to do professionally. No doubt you have found your path. Don't change a thing!

Thank you so much . I’m honestly feeling better about flying after your explanations.

Thanks for this video. It helps me lot as a passenger

Another very interesting and informative video, Thank you captain Joe. As an aside the plural of vortex in English is 'vortices' - pronounced vort-is-sees.

Captain your videos are so much informative for us aspiring pilots ❤️

I knew most of this but it is always reassuring to hear it from Captain Joe! Great video and explanation! Thank you and danke schoen!

yeeyy. I was waiting for this 🤗🤗

THANK YOU for this post! My son has been nervous about a flight for MONTHS because of turbulence. Your explanation, illustrations, and plainly stating "turbulence is not dangerous" was very reassuring.
He's not entirely to blame: I should stop listening to the "Black Box Down" podcast when he's nearby. 😬

Thank you Capt Joe. Good information. Flying from Pittsburgh to Montreal, Embraer 145, beautiful night, we hit clear air turbulence. The attendant was serving snacks. She hit the ceiling & the trolley came off the deck. My drink spilled faster than you could flip it over by hand. The turbulence lasted about 5 minutes then smooth as glass.

My job involved flying quite a lot (over 1 million miles in 10 years until covid). I was pretty anxious at the beginning and started getting a better understanding of issues on flights from pilots. And every time something bad happened, it raised the bar on when I should get more nervous. Most turbulences feel pretty much like when driving on a very bumpy road, except that you are in a piece of metal in the sky, which increases anxiety. At this point I almost enjoy the mild ones. My worst flight was some months ago, when landing in Houston with quite a storm. Captain had to abort landing twice. The marks of my fingers might still be in my seat :)

I once was on a flight from atlanta to California and we flew through a thunderstorm. We could see lightning outside the plane flashing. I was only 20 at the time and I was so panicked. Luckily my grandpa was there to reassure me. He was a frequent flyer and told me it'd be ok, and he'd been through worse. He said "you don't need to worry unless the flight attendants seem worried" and it helped me a lot. I am still terrified of flying, especially with my kids.

I experienced this kind of announcement a few months ago on my way back to SFO from Amsterdam aboard a 777-200 of KLM. Somewhere above Canada we were suddenly hit by what it felt to me as severe turbulence, but after watching your video I will probably estimate it as just moderate turbulence. Nevertheless the plane was bouncing up and down enough to induce the announcement from the captain to the flight crew to take their seat immediately.
Funny fact is that the turbulence hit just in the middle of the beverage service and I ended up covered in Coca-Cola when the flight attended spilled a full glass of it right on my head on his way to the passenger that requested the drink 😅.
Anyway the turbulence lasted about 5 minutes, on a otherwise smooth 11 hours and 30 minutes flight.
Wishing you all the best. Joe

The visualization of how cold fronts interact with warm fronts and how cumulonimbus clouds form and the showery precipitation helped me understand it for my exam. Thanks alot!

EXCELLENT explanation. Thank you!

Our announcements are: “Flight attendants take your jumpseats.” And “Flight attendants be seated immediately” which means sit wherever you can and hold on!
Only been off my feet a few times in my career. No injuries so I suppose I can say it was fun.

Sadly I can’t book a video call.I will be in school in the time range you gave.

So very helpful. Thank you so much for explaining the 9 differences.

Thanks captain for educating me about turbulence!! This sure helps me🙏🏼🙏🏼 Good bless you and keep you safe 🙏🏼👍🏼

Great video Captain Joe, just wondering when we can get an update video on your OFP explanation. Great insight into aviation. Thanks

Funnily enough, when I was flying the plane (during lessons) turbulence never bothered me. While a passenger however, it was rough.... Once I finally trained my mind to think of it like any paved surface in New England here in the northeast of the USA, I started to actually have fun with it, and the fear went away almost entirely in most circumstances. Idk it was like riding a horse (something I've never done myself lol).

Captain Joe you are very vulnerable and good motivational speaker. Thank you for your time

Awesome, blossom, Captain Joe! By accident, I started to view your video. It was built with immense knowledge that will help students pursuing courses about aero engineering or pilot as well as the commoners. I just loved every bit of the video. Warm hugs!
Your crystal clear explanation made me to subscribe to your channel.😁

experienced the call for cabin crew to be seated three times in 26 years of flying: once above the North Sea near Amsterdam, once when coming in to land at Budapest, and once in a flight from Seoul to Taipei.

You didn’t mention that mountain waves can extend well up into the flight levels, or the rotor (depicted in the graphic) which can be the worst turbulence in wave.

I very much appreciate the multiple glider references and especially the inclusion of a video from Bruno Vassel! It would be awesome to see a collaboration video of you and Bruno for a dedicated video on gliders. Maybe discuss glider basics and how gliders fly VFR and avoid other air traffic and collisions. I'm very interested in flying gliders someday.

your explaining is so unbelievably clear, bravo. thank u.

Can you make more videos on the OFP

I was never really afraid of flying as a kid, I think I've been on about 50-60 flights overall. but one time we flew through a storm going over hungary me and the lads were very hungover and that was the worst experience of my life. It was just a one off though and I've never experienced anything like that since but it still scares me that's why I come onto these videos although every other flight has been so smooth, one bad flight can really ruin it for me. Thomas cook btw

You are so eloquent, its pleasure to listen to you! Thank you 🤗

being an aviation entusiast, your videos are always fun to watch 😄

A close friend puts on his seat belt before taking off and only takes it off after landing, after a very bad experience with turbulence. Although I have never experienced severe turbulence, I follow his advice, as he made me promise.

A few years ago flying from Abu Dhabi to Trivandrum in India over the ocean. 45 minutes into the flight crew took their seat. Was 3 hrs into the flight before the crew could continue service. Was very bumby indeed

Thank you for this video. My kids and I are flying from OKC-HOU in May. They are so scared of turbulence and this video helped them feel better.

The clearest and most vivid explanations of the various turbulence phenomena!!

Hi captain ☺️
You are my inspiration 😘
Love from India ❤️

Another top video ❤️❤️❤️

Outstanding explanation for everyone to understand. Well done Capt. Joe.

Great video, thanks captain joe! I heard the pa a couple of times - one time the cabin crew did a high speed dash to stow the trolly an buckle up. Got a bit bumpy afterwards :-).

Yes, been in 747 over the Atlantic when a 'Cabin crew take your seats' call came out. Some severe horizontal shear from the jet stream slamming into the tail fin. Didn't help that I was trying to get some kip lying across the back four seats of the aircraft! Note to self - get a seat over the wings next time!

I feel like I can become a pilot just by watching these videos! They are really informative and now I know soooo much about planes
Thanks captain Joe!

Thank you for sharing all that information! It is so interesting and you explained it very well 😀

I once flew from El Calafate airport into Ushuaia. There were all kinds of turbulence, being so close to the mountains. The captain said “cabin crew, please take your seats” about 20 minutes into the flight, and they never got up at all after that. Then, the pilots made the greatest cross wind landing crabbing that I’ve ever seen.
All in a 35 year old Aerolíneas Argentinas MD-80. My respects to those guys/ladies who fly that route regularly!!

This was v. interesting. I enjoyed it 👋🏼😜

This was great. I’m not actually bothered by turbulence but I learned a lot. Great video.

Thank you 100% for making this turbulence types video. Something I have always wanted to know. One would have to watch ALL the air crash investigation shows to understand the different types. Thank you so much Captain Joe

Dear Captain Joe.. Good day wishes from India 🇮🇳🙏

Some pilots/flights are able to handle turbulence better. They seem to slow down the plane and somehow deal with it, almost like how slowing down a car before hitting the pothole can reduce the impact -- sort of. It feels like a controlled movement rather than an uncontrolled one. It would be good to hear from you about that, Captain Joe.

We love you, Captain Joe. Thanks for the nice explanation.

A good example of ground heating/convection, is flying over the Sahara Desert in the late afternoon. Our 747 was tossed around like a plaything, in clear air. Usually, I found that 747s were so big that I felt isolated from things more than in a smaller aircraft, but not this time. We were flying over the SW Sahara, near the coast, where hurricanes are born, so a lot of moisture to complicate matters, with some ts cells developing below us, which illustrated the process.

Hi Joe can I ask do you have to do certain subjects to be a pilot

"Air holes" 😂😂