Latest news with #JacksonHoleAirport
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Worried about turbulence? The hack for discovering how bumpy your next flight will be
Turbulence is undoubtedly the scariest aspect of a flight for nervous fliers — with their fears compounded by not knowing how long it'll last or how severe it's going to get. But fortunately there's a hack to help with this, a tool that gives passengers-in-waiting almost as much information about turbulence levels for their upcoming flight as pilots receive. The feature is by website which monitors and predicts turbulence using the same sources pilots and airlines use to plan their flights — the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the MetOffice. Fliers who believe in a "better the devil you know" approach to life simply input their upcoming departure and arrival airports, and flight numbers, into forecasting tool to see hour-by-hour turbulence levels for their trip, presented as a graph. This indicates whether turbulence will be light, moderate or strong along the expected route, along with a one-line summation of how bumpy things will get. The website describes "light" turbulence as "smooth flight conditions"; "moderate" as leading to "difficulty with walking and food services"; and "strong" as "passengers straining against seat belts". Further down the page, and viewers can see predicted tailwinds and headwinds, crosswinds at the expected take-off and landing runways, plus thunderstorm forecasts. The website also produces insightful interactive turbulence maps, with passengers able to plot their upcoming flight route and see any patches of turbulence their plane might pass through. In addition, produces lists of the airports and flight routes that are the worst for turbulence. In North America, the most turbulent airport for approaches and descents — take-offs and landings are affected by crosswinds, not turbulence — is Denver, Colorado, followed by Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. Salt Lake City, Jackson Hole Airport and Las Vegas also make the top 10, with Albuquerque to Denver ranked as the route with the highest average turbulence. Las Vegas to Reno and Las Vegas to Salt Lake City also make the top 10 most turbulent route table. Turbulence is caused by warm air rising through cooler air; mountains or manmade structures disrupting air flow, and pockets of air moving in different directions. It's completely normal and modern aircraft are designed to withstand more turbulence than you'll ever experience on a flight. According to data from America's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there have been only 184 serious turbulence injuries between 2009 and 2023, with 37 of those people passengers, the rest crew members. Denver (17.29 EDR — eddy dissipation rate) Bozeman (17) Albuquerque (16.44) Salt Lake City (16.43) Jackson Hole Airport (16.14) Las Vegas (15.74) Vancouver (15.68) Reno (15.67) Seattle (15.49) Boise (15.40) Albuquerque — Denver (17.75 EDR) Denver — Jackson (17.45) Jackson — Salt Lake City (17.41) Denver — Salt Lake City (16.94) Bozeman — Denver (16.68) Ontario — San Diego (16.43) Boise — Salt Lake City (16.30) Bozeman — Salt Lake City (16.25) Las Vegas — Reno (16.06) Las Vegas — Salt Lake City (15.87)
USA Today
13-05-2025
- USA Today
Stargaze on landing: This US airport was just Dark Sky certified
Stargaze on landing: This US airport was just Dark Sky certified Show Caption Hide Caption Astronomy events to mark on your May calendar One of the most exciting stargazing events for the month of May include the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which will peak on May 5-6. Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) is the first airport to be named an International Dark Sky Place. The airport replaced over 250 light fixtures to reduce light pollution, benefiting both stargazing and wildlife. The change supports Grand Teton National Park's efforts to preserve its naturally dark skies. The next time you fly into or out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, you might want to book a window seat. The Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) became a certified International Dark Sky Place earlier this month, the first airport to receive the designation, according to a news release. The facility's staff created a lighting management plan, upgrading and replacing exterior lighting – more than 250 fixtures so far – and working to reduce light spill from its terminal building. Along with enhanced stargazing in the surrounding Grand Teton National Park, the efforts will benefit wildlife that 'rely on the nocturnal environment to thrive,' per the release. JAC is the only commercial airport located in a U.S. national park. 'Grand Teton National Park is a place where people can still see planets, stars and be mesmerized by the Milky Way just by stepping outside,' Chip Jenkins, the national park's superintendent, said in the release. 'A night sky is a resource as valuable and awe-inspiring as seeing a grizzly bear or catching a fish in the Snake River. Protecting the night sky requires effort from all of us and we appreciate how the Jackson Hole Airport has embraced this work.' What is astrotourism? Why travelers are exploring dark skies While exterior landside and airside lighting is covered in the plan, lights on the airfield and ramp must comply with Federal Aviation Administration rules and are exempt from DarkSky requirements. In addition to establishing lighting guidelines for the airport, the plan complies with the International Energy Conservation Code and local ordinances. 'The (lighting management plan) also embraces DarkSky's five principles for responsible outdoor lighting: useful; targeted; low level; controlled; and warm-colored,' the release said. The International Dark Sky Places Program is voluntary and non-regulatory. The news comes after Teton County became the first county certified as an International Dark Sky Community in April. Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@
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Travel + Leisure
12-05-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Is the First U.S. County to Be Fully Dark Sky Certified—and It Just Added the World's First Dark Sky Airport
The night skies over Wyoming have seen some major milestones in recent weeks. In late April, Teton County—home to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Grand Teton National Park, and part of Yellowstone National Park—made history as the first county in the world to be certified as an International Dark Sky Community by DarkSky International. Just 10 days later, Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) followed suit, becoming the first airport ever to earn the designation as an International Dark Sky Place, a recognition typically reserved for parks, preserves, and remote communities. But these "world's first" designations come as little surprise when you consider the data. Light pollution is the enemy of dark skies, and Teton County's small, low light-impact communities help keep night skies pristine. The town of Jackson, the county's largest population center, has just over 10,000 residents, while the tiny community of Kelly is home to only 254. Add to that the vast stretches of protected open space—including all of Grand Teton National Park, 40 percent of Yellowstone, parts of three U.S. National Forests, and the 24,700-acre National Elk Refuge—and it's clear why Teton County is leading the way in night sky conservation. Similarly, the Jackson Hole Airport is the only commercial airport located within a national park, which incentivizes the airport to take care of the area's natural resources—dark skies included. 'JAC staff dedicated hundreds of hours to updating lighting fixtures and programming to adhere to responsible lighting practices," DarkSky International said in a release. "These measures will not only improve the stargazing experience, but they will also help protect the wildlife in Grand Teton National Park as well as surrounding areas that rely on the natural nocturnal environment to thrive.' The state's journey towards these dark sky designations started in 2013 when Wyoming Stargazing began hosting weekly public stargazing programs. 'The stars are literally etched into our DNA,' said Samuel Singer, the executive director of Wyoming Stargazing, in a press release. 'If dark night skies ever disappear, we will have lost a part of what it means to be human.' Teton County and Jackson Hole Airport's efforts to improve lighting policies not only improve the experience of every visitor that will come to its two national parks, but every creature living within them as well. 'This community commitment to ensuring future generations of park visitors and county residents all have access to the beauty Wyoming skies offer in the night is something we are all proud to be a part of,' said Chip Jenkins, a Grand Teton National Park superintendent, in a statement.
