Proper Turbulence Response

[teamcoltra]

So the only issue I have really been battling when trying to fly is my fear of turbulence.

First, I know the mechanics of turbulence, I realize that very few planes actually fall apart because of it and realize that the very very mild "turbulence" that bothers me isn't even turbulence in it's scientific sense but rather thermals and wind gusts (though real turbulence bothers me to).

I am starting to get better with it but the one thing I would really like to figure out is the proper response? i was reading somewhere that the plane naturally will want to correct itself so even when going through turbulence if the plane gets knocked a bit to the right then it will naturally try to centre itself to the left and if you get knocked down it will come back up. Is this true? I am trying not to fight it currently, but it does feel like I am getting blown off course so I do use rudder to correct heading and sometimes fight a little on the yoke.

Any advice? I read here "just smile and remember this is flying" and when I do that it really helps... anything else?

 

[jesse]

It just takes practice. Some turbulence most certainly will require a correction on your part. Other times you'll end up making it worse. Practice makes perfect. I know you want a better answer but seriously this can't be learned in words. Just keep on flying and relax

You'll probably have a few people jump in here and say to slow to some ridiculously slow speed or below Va or something like that. It takes some serious turbulence to justify that and in real world flying if we flew around below Va every time we felt a bump nobody would get anywhere.

I've flown with many weekend warriors that yank the throttle back and fly at some crazy slow speed the moment they feel a bump. Drives me crazzzyyy.

 

[RoscoeT]

i was reading somewhere that the plane naturally will want to correct itself so even when going through turbulence if the plane gets knocked a bit to the right then it will naturally try to centre itself to the left and if you get knocked down it will come back up.

More so in yaw than roll, though each airplane is different. Most people tend to focus on recovering roll upsets. But if the airplane is really wallowing around in turbulence, your passengers will thank you if you focus on yaw correction as much as roll correction. Aileron and rudder may be used separately. You can instantly correct what would otherwise be a wallow back and forth in yaw by using decisive and quick rudder inputs. Yeah, I know trike drivers aren't accustomed to that. But it can really make a difference. Some airplanes yaw around more in turbulence than others.

 

[pcorman]

In all Turbulence: Slowing down makes the ride better.
If you have an Autopilot, disengage it.. They tend to over-correct.
In Light turbulence: Don't fight it... Gentle control movements...
In Moderate: lift a wing with the rudder, aileron only if necessary... Better not to fight minor altitude changes... Ride them and correct gradually...

Slowing down always makes the ride better

If you have speed brakes, deploy them... Drop gear if retractable...

Phil

 

[Ateaist]

The instructor who did my stage check before the XC solos decided to do a simulated engine out in pretty severe (in my limited experience) turbulence, with my wife in the back seat...she had no idea what was going on and was scared out of her mind. I wanted to throw him out of the plane...

I share the OPs discomfort with turbulence and have been known on occasion to pull the throttle back to crazy slow...I figure either a dose of genuinely bad turbulence, or some acro training, will cure me of that.

 

[frfly172]

Remember a lot of instructors like to display their skills,for light turbulence go with the flow slight inputs on the controls and cut back on the airspeed you will be fine

 

[Brad Z]

So the only issue I have really been battling when trying to fly is my fear of turbulence.

First, I know the mechanics of turbulence, I realize that very few planes actually fall apart because of it and realize that the very very mild "turbulence" that bothers me isn't even turbulence in it's scientific sense but rather thermals and wind gusts (though real turbulence bothers me to).

I am starting to get better with it but the one thing I would really like to figure out is the proper response? i was reading somewhere that the plane naturally will want to correct itself so even when going through turbulence if the plane gets knocked a bit to the right then it will naturally try to centre itself to the left and if you get knocked down it will come back up. Is this true? I am trying not to fight it currently, but it does feel like I am getting blown off course so I do use rudder to correct heading and sometimes fight a little on the yoke.

Any advice? I read here "just smile and remember this is flying" and when I do that it really helps... anything else?

Getting over turbulence simply comes with experience. I never particularly enjoyed it when I was new, but over time its just a nucince.

Imaging turbulence as running a motor boat on a day with choppy seas and whitecaps. It doesn't hurt the boat, but it's annoying, compared to glassy water. Just relax your grip on the yoke and provide a measured response to the bounces. If it gets real bad just keep the wings level and ride on through.

The difference is we can't usually see turbulence in the air so it's a bit of a surprise if we weren't expecting it. You'll get used to it.

The instructor who did my stage check before the XC solos decided to do a simulated engine out in pretty severe (in my limited experience) turbulence, with my wife in the back seat...she had no idea what was going on and was scared out of her mind. I wanted to throw him out of the plane...

Bringing passengers on training flights is generally not a good idea, particularly if it's bouncy. There's plenty of opportunities after you get your ticket.

 

[G-Man]

Sounds like you're talking more about the 'normal bumps' of flight versus actual turbulence. Is that correct?

We get a fair amount of bumpiness here on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. I react by getting angry at the bumping, though that's diminishing with more flight time.

A wise instructor explained: "Flying a light piston single is rarely like driving on a highway. It's not like a dirt road, even." His advice was to "think of it like being in a smallish boat on open ocean - as you move forward, you're moving off target in roll, pitch, and yaw all the time." Most of the time, you don't even need to fight it, though as the nose comes right back on course.

I've also been told about correcting with rudder instead of ailerons, especially for rear passenger comfort. This is counter-intuitive after so much time driving cars with no rudders!

 

[txflyer]

Pull that black knob out and sloooooow down.

 

[Henning]

So the only issue I have really been battling when trying to fly is my fear of turbulence.

First, I know the mechanics of turbulence, I realize that very few planes actually fall apart because of it and realize that the very very mild "turbulence" that bothers me isn't even turbulence in it's scientific sense but rather thermals and wind gusts (though real turbulence bothers me to).

I am starting to get better with it but the one thing I would really like to figure out is the proper response? i was reading somewhere that the plane naturally will want to correct itself so even when going through turbulence if the plane gets knocked a bit to the right then it will naturally try to centre itself to the left and if you get knocked down it will come back up. Is this true? I am trying not to fight it currently, but it does feel like I am getting blown off course so I do use rudder to correct heading and sometimes fight a little on the yoke.

Any advice? I read here "just smile and remember this is flying" and when I do that it really helps... anything else?

Keep your feet on the rudders and use it to pick up the wings for the little excursions and as primary for the major ones, this helps reduce the projectile vomiting from the back seat. When it gets really rough, slow down to below Va. Outside of that just cinch down your belt and relax yourself for the ride.

 

[Clark1961]

If you have an Autopilot, disengage it.. They tend to over-correct.

Depends entirely on the autopilot. If it is a STEC then disengage. If it is a Century then at worst disengage altitude hold. As a rule the rate based autopilots have a bad time with turbulence, the attitude based ones don't.

 

[Henning]

Depends entirely on the autopilot. If it is a STEC then disengage. If it is a Century then at worst disengage altitude hold. As a rule the rate based autopilots have a bad time with turbulence, the attitude based ones don't.

If they are equipped with a yaw damper they work ok, but otherwise it's ailerons only and you end up with a bunch of adverse yawing around.

 

[asechrest]

I felt much less uneasy about bumps in the air when I started paying attention to how much more bumpy a typical ride in my car is. Try it sometime. I think you'll be surprised. It just seems worse in the air because we're ground based animals out of our element.

I've had flights so smooth that I could not even tell I was moving if I closed my eyes. Try that with any other mode of transportation.

Now, as far as real turbulence, I have no experience with it.

 

[Henning]

I felt much less uneasy about bumps in the air when I started paying attention to how much more bumpy a typical ride in my car is. Try it sometime. I think you'll be surprised. It just seems worse in the air because we're ground based animals out of our element.

I've had flights so smooth that I could not even tell I was moving if I closed my eyes. Try that with any other mode of transportation.

Now, as far as real turbulence, I have no experience with it.

You will.

 

[asechrest]

You will.

Heh. Yeah. I kind of wished I could experience it with my instructor. But I'm out of time. I'd also like to fly in actual with someone. Even though I'll be VFR only for the foreseeable future, I'd to know what it feels like just so I don't freak out if, God forbid, I get in a bad situation.

 

[Henning]

Heh. Yeah. I kind of wished I could experience it with my instructor. But I'm out of time. I'd also like to fly in actual with someone. Even though I'll be VFR only for the foreseeable future, I'd to know what it feels like just so I don't freak out if, God forbid, I get in a bad situation.

You're on the west coast IIRC right?

 

[asechrest]

You're on the west coast IIRC right?

Yeah. But I split time. My significant other is in Boca, so I'm there most weekends. In fact I'm in Boca this weekend. Weekdays I'm in Clearwater. Would love to fly sometime. My checkride is next Saturday @ KPIE.

 

[Henning]

Yeah. But I split time. My significant other is in Boca, so I'm there most weekends. In fact I'm in Boca this weekend. Weekdays I'm in Clearwater. Would love to fly sometime. My checkride is next Saturday @ KPIE.

I live down the road from FXE, drop a line if you want to fly sometime. Good luck on the ride.

 

[Clark1961]

If they are equipped with a yaw damper they work ok, but otherwise it's ailerons only and you end up with a bunch of adverse yawing around.

LOL - depends entirely on the aircraft

 

[asechrest]

I live down the road from FXE, drop a line if you want to fly sometime. Good luck on the ride.

Thanks. I'll send you a PM one of these weekends. I want to take the SO and kids up in the Boca area so would love to go up sometime to learn the area before then. Split costs of course.

Sorry OP for the slight hijack.

[Edit] - Clarity

 

[poadeleted20]

With a yoke, keeping two hands on the yoke helps. With only one hand, each bump pulls the yoke hand down rolling the plane in that direction. With two hands, the effect is balanced.

 

[RV10flyer]

I'm not so sure a bonanza would correct itself in roll, so I guess that depends on the plane. I also keep some rudder pressure in or she starts yawing. Took me a while to not sweat the small bumps. I almost (not really) knocked myself out once when my seatbelt worked itself loose and I hit the ceiling....hard. Not fun.

Same happened to my family last winter. I was the only one to hit my head being the tallest. I saw stars and glad the AP was engaged. No turbulence forecasted, light winds, no fronts or inversions and no clouds. The only bump while going up and back(1.2 each way). From then on, all seatbelts stay extra tight.

 

[silver-eagle]

Yeah. But I split time. My significant other is in Boca, so I'm there most weekends. In fact I'm in Boca this weekend. Weekdays I'm in Clearwater. Would love to fly sometime. My checkride is next Saturday @ KPIE.

Remember, just because you've passed your checkride, doesn't mean you cannot take the CFII out for a burger or two. Wait for a gusty day, or an IMC day, and (since all his student have canceled) take off for a local restaurant with him.

 

[Dr. O]

Learn to use your feet.
Oh, and don't take up boating because waves are just another form of turbulence.

 

[asechrest]

Remember, just because you've passed your checkride, doesn't mean you cannot take the CFII out for a burger or two. Wait for a gusty day, or an IMC day, and (since all his student have canceled) take off for a local restaurant with him.

That's a very good point. Thanks.

 

[tmyers]

I always try to take people up early in the AM or latter in the PM to avoid the Turbulence. Those that enjoy the ride get invited back afternoon flights in mild bumps. I just explain that is is really no different than riding on a rough and bumpy country road except that we have the added dimension of yaw to contend with. Sometimes they grap that concept and are fine with it.