Turbulence, explained

This composite image was created at London Heathrow Airport's runway 09L between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. Mornings at Heathrow are typically some of the busiest times for arriving aircraft, as waves of widebody jets from Asia and North America complete their long haul flights to London.

Aircraft await maintenance in Victorville, California.

A day of departures from Munich Airport's runway 8R shows the striking variety of aircraft types and liveries.

A day of arrivals to JFK's runway 31R makes up this composite image.

Boeing 737s, operated by Southwest, wait at Terminal 1 at LAX.

This composite image shows the early morning departures from Dubai Airport's runway 12R.

Morning arrivals to Munich reach decision height, the point at which the pilot must decide if the runway is visible enough to proceed, or if a missed approach must be initiated.

Aircraft align in storage in Victorville, California.

Retired aircrafts and parts are stored in Mojave, California.

Aircraft are scrapped and shredded by heavy machinery in Victorville, California.