  In a plane Couette cell a thin fluid layer consisting of water is sheared
between a transparent band at Reynolds numbers ranging from 300 to 1400. The
length of the cells flow channel is large compared to the film separation. To
extract the flow velocity in the experiments a correlation image velocimetry
(CIV) method is used on pictures recorded with a high speed camera. The flow is
recorded at a resolution that allows to analyze flow patterns similar in size
to the film separation. The fluid flow is then studied by calculating flow
velocity autocorrelation functions. The turbulent pattern that arise on this
scale above a critical Reynolds number of Re=360 display characteristic
patterns that are proven with the calculated velocity autocorrelation
functions. The patterns are metastable and reappear at different positions and
times throughout the experiments. Typically these patterns are turbulent rolls
which are elongated in the stream direction which is the direction the band is
moving. Although the flow states are metastable they possess similarities to
the steady Taylor vortices known to appear in circular Taylor Couette cells.
