How To Manage Airspeed In Turbulence ?
The speed that matters in turbulence is the maneuvering speed, a.k.a. Va. Most pilots feel good with Vx, Vr, Vy, Vno, Vne, Vfo, Vfe, Vlo, Vle, but Va sometimes sounds mysterious.
To make it simple, Va is the maximal airspeed at which the pilot can move the controls at full deflection without damaging the airframe.
Va is not marked on the airspeed indicator, because it varies with weight - and this is where the things get fuzzy if you don’t like theory. Let’s try to make it easy…
For a given airspeed, the forces generated by controls at full deflection will be the same. But if the plane is heavy the reaction will be slower because of inertia - you know, pushing a heavy car is harder to push a light car. Heavier plane, less effect, so higher Va, lighter plane, more effect, lower Va.
When the flight gets turbulent, it is important to fly at a speed below Va, if full deflection is required to compensate in case of turbulence. We all agree on that, but when it comes to defining the best speed in turbulence, there are two schools…
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Category: Flying Tips
Tags: manoeuvering speed speed stall turbulence
