QF5 turbulence forecast
Qantas · Sydney (SYD) to Perth (PER)
Tue 6 Oct · departs 15:05 Sydney time
Mostly smooth. About 15 minutes of light bumps after takeoff. Barely moves your drink.
- Bumpiest stretch
- Light
- Flight time
- 4h 55m
- Distance
- 3,277 km
- Cruise altitude
- 37,000 ft
- Weather models
- 3 blended
- Model agreement
- High
- Aircraft
- Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Bumpiness along the flight
Takeoff on the left, landing on the right. The higher the line, the bumpier the air the forecast expects at that moment.
Where, and why
The flight split into stretches: how bumpy each is forecast to be, and what causes it.
SYD · Take off0m – 18mLight
Daytime thermals
Sun-warmed ground sends bubbles of warm air upwards, and flying through them feels like a car on a gently rutted road. They live in the lowest few thousand feet, so this is a few minutes after takeoff or before landing and nothing more. The rest of the flight sits far above them.
The first minutes are flown through the lowest, liveliest air. Sun-warmed ground sends up thermals and wind bends around hills, so a bump or two while climbing is normal. It fades as the aircraft climbs into the smoother air above.
Cruise18m – 4h 55mSmooth
Nothing significant forecast here.
At cruise the air is thin and cold, and most of it is calm. The bumps up here come from the jet stream, a river of fast wind whose edges stir the air, or from waves set off by mountains far below. This forecast maps exactly where those edges sit.
Thunderstorms near the route
Around 4h 55m into the flight the forecast has thunderstorms about 120 km from the planned line.
Storms and a calm ride line are not a contradiction. The line follows the planned track at cruise height, above most storm tops, and pilots never fly through a storm: the weather radar in the nose paints every one, and the rule is to give it at least 20 nautical miles (about 37 km) of room. What a storm usually costs you is a few minutes of detour, not bumps.
The ride line stays calm here because the route as planned keeps its distance from them.
This forecast changes. FlyBud tells you when.
A new weather model run lands every few hours. Add QF5 in FlyBud and you get the full turbulence map along your route, a push when the forecast for your flight changes, live tracking and your flight on the lock screen.
The aircraft
What QF5 is flown with, and how it handles bumpy air.
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Bigger and heavier aircraft are moved less by the same patch of air, but every airliner is built for far more than turbulence produces.
The airline
Qantas
- Flying since
- 1920
- Alliance
- Oneworld
- Hubs
- Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth
- Country
- Australia
The route
Sydney (SYD) → Perth (PER)
- Distance
- 3,277 km
- Flight time
- 4h 55m
- Usual departure
- 15:05 local
- Usual arrival
- 17:00 local
What each level feels like
- Smooth
- Calm air. Nothing to notice beyond the hum of the engines.
- Light
- Gentle ripples and the odd dip. Drinks stay put, and walking to the toilet is fine.
- Moderate
- Distinct bumps. A drink might slosh and the belt sign comes on. Uncomfortable, and the aircraft is in full control throughout.
- Severe
- Strong jolts, and loose items can move. Rare, and the reason the belt sign exists: crews slow down and change altitude to get out of it.
How this forecast is made
The planned route is sampled from gate to gate at the altitude the aircraft flies, through 3 independent global weather models, and corrected with turbulence reports radioed in by pilots in the last few hours. Each new model run replaces the forecast; nothing here is a guess from the airline's history.
The independent weather models behind this forecast agree on this ride.
Planned route · timing and conditions may change.
Why the bumps are only bumps
Built for it.
Airliners are tested to loads far beyond anything turbulence produces; the wing flexing you can see is by design.
Seen in advance.
Your crew flies with forecasts like this one, live reports from other pilots and their own weather radar, and they change altitude to stay out of the bumpy air.
The belt is the whole story.
Turbulence injuries almost always involve someone standing or unbuckled. Seated with the belt on, it is a bumpy road and nothing more.
Questions about QF5
Will QF5 be bumpy?
For the flight on Tue 6 Oct: Mostly smooth. About 15 minutes of light bumps after takeoff. Barely moves your drink. The forecast is replaced with every new weather model run, so check back closer to departure.
How long is QF5?
About 4h 55m gate to gate from Sydney to Perth, a distance of about 3,277 km.
What time does QF5 leave?
QF5 usually departs Sydney at 15:05 local time and arrives in Perth at 17:00 local time. Times change; the app tracks the live schedule.
Is turbulence dangerous on QF5?
Turbulence is uncomfortable, not dangerous to the aircraft. Airliners are certified for loads far beyond anything turbulence produces, and crews plan around the bumpy patches with the same kind of forecast as this one. Injuries are almost always to people who were standing or unbuckled, so keep your seatbelt fastened whenever you're seated.
How accurate is this turbulence forecast?
It is a forecast, so it is best within a day or so of departure and improves with every model run. The bumpy patches it finds are usually in the right place, but their timing can shift by a few minutes and the crew may change altitude to avoid them, so the ride you get is often smoother than the forecast.
Fly QF5 knowing what's ahead
The turbulence forecast for your exact flight, live tracking, delay alerts and arrival weather. Built for people who'd rather know.