Did you know that at least one out of every six adults has a fear of flying, also known as aviophobia or aerophobia? It is estimated that 35 percent of all airline crews, flight attendants and pilots, also have either a fear of heights or flying. We do this for a living, so don’t worry if you do too.

Now, a newly published study, led by University of Helsinki (Finland) researchers, finds that planes flying above clouds during precipitation events can cause far more rain or snow to fall from those clouds – totaling up to 14 times more precipitation, under the right conditions.

These cloud-borne updrafts and downdrafts result in rapid and unpredictable changes to the lift force on the wings of an aircraft. More or less lift and the difference between these changes is what causes the aircraft to lurch and jump about during flight, or turbulence as it is called within the industry.

Moreover, the turbulence inside a cloud can become extreme and break apart an aircraft. Thus, it is extremely dangerous to fly inside such a system.

As you know clouds consist of tiny water droplets hence they tend to be cooler than the air around it. So whenever an aircraft passes through a cloud the air speed, density and air flow differ greatly than outside the cloud. This change interacts with the wing and creates the shaking effect.

No, normal turbulence that aircraft experience will typically not cause an aircraft to “crash” for two reasons. For moderate or extreme turbulence, pilots are trained to slow the aircraft down to the appropriate “maneuvering speed” for the aircraft’s current weight.

From a practical point, no, a modern airliner will not lose a wing due to turbulence. Modern airlines are very tough and designed to withstand extreme turbulence. In the 1960s, there was a Boeing 707 that encountered severe turbulence that resulted in the vertical fin separating from the aircraft.

An aircraft accident due to lightning is a rare event despite how many times one plane can be struck. Lightning usually strikes an aircraft on a sharp edge like the wing, nose or antennas. The electricity then flows through the wiring and exits the tail of the plane.

Since a tornado is essentially a supercell thunderstorm, pilots can fly around it. But due to the nature of the storm, cancellations and diversions are the safest bet. Hence no, most commercial planes wouldn’t fly through a tornado.

Since the outer skin of most airplanes is primarily aluminum, which is a very good conductor of electricity; the secret to safe lightning hits is to allow the current to flow through the skin from the point of impact to some other point without interruption or diversion to the interior of the aircraft.

Lightning strikes are not only dangerous; they can be deadly. Lightning doesn’t strike the ocean as much as land, but when it does,it spreads out over the water, which acts as a conductor. It can hit boats that are nearby, and electrocute fish that are near the surface.

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

A China Airlines 747 may have broken the sound barrier in an unplanned descent from 41,000 ft (12,500 m) to 9,500 ft (2,900 m) after an in-flight upset on 19 February 1985. It also reached over 5g.

Check out our world’s fastest car timeline below…

World’s Fastest Cars

• SSC Tuatara: 316 mph.
• Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+: 304 mph.
• Hennessey Venom F5: 301 mph*
• Koenigsegg Agera RS: 278 mph.
• Hennessey Venom GT: 270 mph.
• Bugatti Veyron Super Sport: 268 mph.

Top 10 coolest cars in the world

• Lancia Stratos.
• Land Rover Defender.
• Lamborghini Miura.
• Mini.
• Lotus Esprit.
• Porsche 911.
• Audi Quattro.
• McLaren F1.

It was the world’s quickest and fastest street legal car in the 1/4 mile as of June 2012, with a 6.59 @ 220 mph elapsed time. Jeff Lutz is now the fastest street legal in the world with a time of 5.85 @250 mph.

60 mph

The Tesla Roadster is the fastest offering from the electric car manufacturer, but is it faster than a Bugatti? The new Tesla Roadster has a lower top speed when compared to a Bugatti Chiron, but it accelerates much faster and boasts a considerably higher maximum range.

Elon Musk claims the new Tesla Roadster will go from 0 to 60 miles per hour (mph) in a mind-bending 1.1 seconds. This astonishing figure would shatter existing records for production vehicles, even among the highest tier of luxury sports cars.

The Model S P100D with Ludicrous mode is the third fastest accelerating production car ever produced, with a 0-60 mph time of 2.5* seconds. Model X P100D with Ludicrous mode accelerates to 60 mph in 2.9* seconds and travels up to 289 miles EPA estimated and 542 km on the NEDC cycle on a single charge.

• Base Specs.
• Acceleration 0-60 mph. 1.9 sec.
• Acceleration 0-100 mph. 4.2 sec.
• Acceleration 1/4 mile. 8.8 sec.
• Top Speed. Over 250 mph.
• Wheel Torque. 10,000 Nm.
• Mile Range. 620 miles.
• Seating.

Tesla Roadster acceleration: New model can do 0-100 km/h in 1.1 seconds.