flight turbulence forecast

VZ830 turbulence forecast

Thai Vietjet · Bangkok (BKK) to Narita (NRT)

Next departure at its usual time · Tue 6 Oct, 23:35 Bangkok time

This date's schedule isn't confirmed yet. This is the air VZ830 flies through if it leaves at its usual time.

Bumpiest stretchLight

Mostly smooth. About 15 minutes of light bumps on descent. Barely moves your drink.

BKK23:35Bangkok
6h 20m
NRT07:55Narita
Model run 6 Oct, 00:00 UTC · checked just now
BKKNRT
SmoothLightModerateSevere The line is the planned route of VZ830, coloured by its own forecast. The shading is the bumpy air and storms forecast at cruise height around the middle of the flight.
Bumpiest stretch
Light
Flight time
6h 20m
Cruise altitude
35,000 ft
Weather models
3 blended
Model agreement
High

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.

SmoothLightModerateSevere 1h2h3h4h5h Take off Landing

Where, and why

The flight split into stretches: how bumpy each is forecast to be, and what causes it.

Cruise0m – 5h 57mSmooth

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.

Descent into Narita5h 57m – 6h 20mLight

Jet-stream wind shear

Where fast air slides over slower air, usually at the edge of the jet stream, the boundary ripples like a flag. It is the most common kind of turbulence and it never comes as a surprise: it is on the crew's charts, and they slow to a set turbulence speed and let the aircraft ride it out.

Coming down means flying back through the low, lively air near the ground: afternoon thermals, gusts around the airport. It is the busiest part of the flight for the crew, and the part they train for most.

Thunderstorms near the route

Around 0m into the flight the forecast has thunderstorms about 30 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 closest of these sits inside the 20 nm the crew has to leave, so what it costs is a small turn around it — the line you are looking at is the plan, not the track they will fly.

in the app

This forecast changes. FlyBud tells you when.

A new weather model run lands every few hours. Add VZ830 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.

Flight status

The latest VZ830 flight on our records, as the airline last reported it.

VZ830 · Thu 8 OctScheduled
Departs · BKK
23:35
Bangkok
Arrives · NRT
07:55
Narita

Last update 4 h ago

Gate changes, delays and the baggage belt, pushed to your phone as they happen.

The aircraft

What VZ830 is flown with, and how it handles bumpy air.

The aircraft for the next VZ830 is assigned closer to departure.

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

Thai Vietjet

Thai Vietjet operates VZ830.

on your lock screen

VZ830 without unlocking your phone

Gate, delay, time to landing and the next bumpy stretch, on the lock screen from boarding to the baggage belt.

The route

Bangkok (BKK) → Narita (NRT)

Flight time
6h 20m
Usual departure
23:35 local
Usual arrival
07:55 local

Forecast any other route →

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.

the live map

Watch the air along the route move

The app draws the route of VZ830 over the moving forecast: bumpy air, storms and the winds at cruise height. Scrub through the flight hour by hour.

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.

Is turbulence dangerous? The long answer →

Questions about VZ830

Will VZ830 be bumpy?

For the flight on Tue 6 Oct: Mostly smooth. About 15 minutes of light bumps on descent. Barely moves your drink. The forecast is replaced with every new weather model run, so check back closer to departure.

How long is VZ830?

About 6h 20m gate to gate from Bangkok to Narita.

What time does VZ830 leave?

VZ830 usually departs Bangkok at 23:35 local time and arrives in Narita at 07:55 local time. Times change; the app tracks the live schedule.

Is turbulence dangerous on VZ830?

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.

flybud

Fly VZ830 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.

VZ830Light