What is turbulence?

It's the bumps and shudders you feel in the cabin, not a fault with the aircraft itself. It has a few common causes: rising columns of warm air, or thermals, can jostle an aircraft on a clear, sunny day; the jet stream, a fast-moving ribbon of air high in the atmosphere, creates rough patches along its edges; and wake turbulence, the disturbed air left behind by another aircraft, is why air traffic control spaces flights apart on approach and departure.

None of these are unusual — they're simply part of flying through a moving atmosphere. Aircraft are engineered and tested to handle far rougher turbulence than passengers typically feel, which is why crews treat it as routine. It isn't a structural limit on the aircraft, and crews simply slow down or change altitude to find smoother air — see how high planes fly for the cruising picture above the worst of it.

If the sky itself is what draws you in, a calm, cruising aircraft print is a nice contrast to hang on the wall.

Written by Craig Fearn, Aviation Gift Co.