What section of an airplane offers the smoothest ride?
I know in a bus, for instance, (well, at least on a school bus, when I traveled to out-of-town basketball games in high school) the farther back you are, the bumpier your ride tends to be. Is there a similar situation when a vehicle is airborne?
For the quietest ride, you clearly want to sit away from the engines. But I'm curious if there is a part of the airplane that offers the smoothest ride. That is, most free from vibrations during flight, or during take-off and landing.
I imagine the answer may be different for aircraft that have their engines mounted on the tail versus those with the engines mounted on the wings. And maybe other factors play into the equation as well.
Best Answer
In all my time of flying the best place to sit in an airplane is just beyond the start of the wing root. Normally this is where the beams providing rigidity for the wings are so when there is turbulence or take off or landing the deformation of the fuselage where you are sitting would be minimal and hence provide a smoother ride.
This is slightly different if the wing is mounted over the fuselage but still provides the safer and smoother place than any other on the aircraft.
EDIT
Just found something on Outbrain regarding smoothest ride.
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What is the smoothest part of a plane?
A bumpy ride can range from uncomfortable to downright unsettling, and different parts of the plane feel turbulence more intensely than others. \u201cThe smoothest place to sit is over the wings,\u201d says commercial pilot Patrick Smith, host of AskThePilot.com. These seats are close to the plane's center of lift and gravity.Where on an airplane will a person obtain the smoothest ride?
Sitting at the point where both the plane's lift and center of gravity meet\u2014and forces are pushing both up and down equally on the plane \u2014usually ensures the smoothest ride. Another rule to fly by: Anything over or a bit forward from the wing will be more stable than anything after the wing.Is the front of the plane a smoother ride?
The best seat on the plane to avoid turbulence is either over the wings or towards the front of the aircraft. The wings of the plane keep it balanced and smooth, whereas the tail of the aircraft can bounce up and down more. The closer a passenger is to the front of the plane the less turbulence they would usually feel.The Better Boarding Method Airlines Won't Use
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Answer 2
This is somewhat a subjective question and somewhat not. Seats towards the back of the plane will make you feel queasier due to slightly greater g-force during take-off and landing, for example. As Doc has pointed out in his answer, sections close to the wings are more 'stable'. The other way to look at this would be that not all seats even with the same cabin class have the same amount of recline or seat spacing - for this, check your flight on SeatGuru.com which gives you a helpful colour-coded guide according to your aircraft type for a particular airline on what the best seats are.
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