It’s certainly one of the issues with air travel.
Turbulence.
You never know when it’s going to hit, and it can be downright scary and cause injury as well at times because of its unpredictability.
Now one company thinks it has a new technological solution and can reduce turbulence by 80 percent.
Turbulence Solutions is an aptly named Austrian company that is looking to use sensors on a plane to figure out the weather patterns that might cause turbulence.
"The air pressure gets measured differentially and by that, we can read the direction of the airflow, basically, and from the direction of the airflow, we can predict what direction the turbulence will be as well as the magnitude of the turbulence," Turbulence Solutions project manager Yves Remmler said.
Sensors are mounted on a plane’s wings and can detect variation in air pressure.
Using counteractive measures, the firm claims it can significantly reduce the amount of turbulence on a flight. The technology adjusts the airplane’s wings appropriately.
It is for use mostly in midair flights and less on takeoffs and landings.
The company insists that the pilots will still have full control and can override the system to maintain full control at all times. If it works, it can be a game-changer in the industry and another selling point for the airlines.
One caveat, however, is climate change. Research over a 41-year period beginning in 1979 shows that turbulence over one particular route in the North Atlantic rose almost 55 percent. To counteract that, the company said, airlines must plan for and prepare for higher turbulence.
"Right now, it's just a nice add-on for light sport aircraft, but in the long term, we want to make it feel safer and more resilient (for commercial jets) so that you can actually try and fly through heavier turbulences without having to worry," Remmler said.
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