Smooth air and can you find it?

Dave Anderson

Dave Anderson

Line Up and Wait
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Newbie question here when flying a cross country.. specifically with your wife!

It gets light-moderate turbulence do you always find smooth air higher? Curious what everyone looks for? The winds aloft in FF are a start, I flew in the airmet for low turbulence this week and it was enough to worry me a bit, but found smooth air lower. I ended up back-tracking to land but I'm curious what some of you look for besides a close runway?
 
Sometimes, but the problem with the typical GA bug smasher is that we’re pretty limited with how high we can climb. You may be able to find smooth air within reach, but oftentimes it might not be.
 
In Florida it’s almost always better above the cloud layer even if it’s scattered. Not always, but typical summer pattern. Basically you’re getting out of the thermal action. In weather where thermals aren’t the driver it’s not so simple.
 
Salty said:
In Florida it’s almost always better above the cloud layer even if it’s scattered. Not always, but typical summer pattern. Basically you’re getting out of the thermal action. In weather where thermals aren’t the driver it’s not so simple.
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:yeahthat: Par for the course here as well.
 
The million dollar question. Smooth air is where you find it. Hard to predict. Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose. Usually above any clouds. Especially CU. But with waves, its often lower and under the moving air.
 
Too bad sport pilot limits VFR on Top. When i did PPL-G i did VFR on top and often above 10k Sport also limits that. And don't get me started on why i can fly at night as a PPL-G and not sport.
 
I always try climb a bit (eg.. 500ft to about 1000ft higher). For VFR that means leaving the east vs west altitude rules. But for those same flights I use flight following and tell them I'm looking for smoother air. Often (here in the northern plains) a climb of 1000ft will tell you if you are doing the right thing. Plus going higher means cooler air which doesn't hurt if its bumpy either way. As said above, if there is few or scattered and you can get about 1000ft above it will usually be smoother.
 
If there are cumulus clouds, it will usually be rough at and below their level. It will often be smooth above their level.

If there is a distant shroud of haze around the horizon, it will often be rough at or below the top of the haze line and smooth above it.

If you study Skew-T/Log-P soundings, you can interpret them to find altitudes where the air is stable, unstable, or conditionally stable. Stable air is smooth.
 
50+% of the radio transmissions in the flight levels is airliners (usually Delta) looking for smooth rides... Most GA types don't ask ATC too much down lower but it is always an option...
 
RudyP said:
50+% of the radio transmissions in the flight levels is airliners (usually Delta) looking for smooth rides... Most GA types don't ask ATC too much down lower but it is always an option...
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On a particularly busy day a couple years ago, I had to wait to check in with the next sector because there were so many airliners asking for ride reports. When I finally got my turn, it was, “Salt Lake center, bugsmasher 23 bravo, level 8,000 smooth.”

Nobody in the flight levels asked for lower. I guess they don’t really care about their passengers, after all. :)
 
If you're on the lee side of a mountain or ridge, that often produces rough air.
 
Palmpilot said:
If you're on the lee side of a mountain or ridge, that often produces rough air.
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Or flying low over rough terrain with surface winds deflecting upward. It doesn’t have to be real mountains. The Badlands here in ND do the trick.
 
Flying over any area where there is much concrete, pavement, and development seems to cause some rough and tumble because of the warm updrafts. Even a ploughed field can give you a big lift sometimes.

I agree with Dave ... as a Sport Pilot I can only do so much to get away from the bumps. Being in such a light aircraft just emphasizes the tossing about that goes on. o_O
 
Dave Anderson said:
What do you look for in winds aloft? A major change in direction/speed between altitude bands?
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yes, that’s one major sign, also a change in the rate of change. Winds aloft change direction, but if it’s going 010, 020, 030, etc, that won’t be as bad. Change in the intensity of the wind is also a clue. But this is only a rough indicator.

Stratus clouds are usually a very good sign. Get above then and it almost always silky smooth. .
 
If you’re In Montana today, expect no smooth air:

Winds at 10,000’, blue is 60 knots.
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The other thing to look for is if the wind changes direction as you change altitudes, it’s not always about the speed.
 
Over flat or bumpy terrain it's usually smooth on top of the clouds except the hottest most turbulent days. Getting on top of the clouds can be problematic for a VFR pilot though. In big terrain I think the air is smoothest in the early morning.
 
Palmpilot said:
If you're on the lee side of a mountain or ridge, that often produces rough air.
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Further on that subject, if the winds are 20 knots or greater at ridge-top level, and within about 30 degrees of perpendicular to the ridge, there is a good chance of mountain-wave conditions, with strong updrafts and downdrafts, and severe turbulence, on the downwind (lee) side of the ridge.
 
Down at 500 feet AGL the thermals aren't as organized and it can be a little better. (is the AGL redundant?)
 
iamtheari said:
Nobody in the flight levels asked for lower. I guess they don’t really care about their passengers, after all. :)
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Not true. I hear the airlines asking for ride reports and adjusting in altitude in cruise accordingly all the time.
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
If you’re In Montana today, expect no smooth air: Winds at 10,000’, blue is 60 knots.
The other thing to look for is if the wind changes direction as you change altitudes, it’s not always about the speed.
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Velocity alone doesn't predict turbulence. I had one of my smoothest flights in a 50kt tail wind @ about 10k over flat land. Generally, higher is better. Early AM and Later in the day usually better as well.
 
In my experience the only way you really know is to fly it. Lots of good advice here but for the most part the best we can do is say often these conditions are turbulent or usually these conditions aren't. I've flown with high winds aloft/high surface winds and it's been smooth as glass. I've been in light winds up high and been tossed around. You just never know.

That said, early morning with light winds with 12000' overcast is pretty darn likely to be smooth. 1pm on a bright summer day with high winds is likely to be rough. You just play the odds and be ready to deal with what you have to deal with.
 
Dave Anderson said:
Why I turned back this week heading to KHGR I only had 700-1000 ft between the mtn and clouds and moderate turbulence. Wasn't worth it
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If you're out playing in the Blue Ridge and it's a breezy day, you'll need some altitude; usually smooths out around 5k. Low ceilings and terrain isn't a good place to be, especially this time of year with the freezing level getting lower.
 
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