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Technology

Avoiding waves that go bump in the flight

8 October 2008

91av. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

(Image: aprilbell, stock.xchng)

IT STRIKES without warning and can jangle the nerves of even seasoned air travellers – but maybe not for much longer. Clear air turbulence just got a lot easier to predict and avoid.

Two types of turbulence affect aircraft. The first, caused by storms, high winds or the flow of air over mountains, is fairly predictable. Clear air turbulence (CAT) is a different matter: “The skies are clear and blue, everything looks fine, but there is invisible turbulence there and pilots fly through it,” says at the University of Reading, UK. As a result, CAT…

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