Very bumpy flight

[Northern Highflyer]

I went for a trip last weekend with another pilot and we both commented on how bumpy it was. I have experienced this sort of turbulence quite a few times but I have to say this weekend had to be the worst I have encountered. So much so that I found myself hating (I am ashamed to use that word) the trip from start to finish.

The aircraft didn't seem to want to go where I wanted it to and every few seconds I seemed to be having one wing lifting and I felt like I was fighting it all the way just to keep it straight and level. The a/c seemed to be fishtailing and wallowing around the sky in quite an alrming fashion. At one point I couldn't even put my hand on the radio to tune it in it was so bumpy. Speaking to an instructor on my return he said it was probably one of the worst type of days you can get and that I shouldn't worry about it.

Have to say it knocked my confidence a bit for the first time in 2 years of flying. This has surprised me as I am as passionate about flying as anyone can get. I hope it is only a temporary blip. Is this normal and has anyone else had a similar situation ?

[hasell]

Hi,
Yep I think we've all had at least one of these flights.

Here is my tale...
The instructor and I flew a Nav flight from Waltham down to Thruxton and back last year. Winds I recall where >25 kts.

I hated the whole experience, Just like you, I too had a job controlling the plane, straight and level, holding course and speed etc.. The instructor would just sit there as if nothing was irregular. Leaving it all to me. Mind you I realise he was trying to show me lesson... And that was that -a/c are flyable on such days. The parts I recall were the turbulence and occasionly the headset working loose, such that the mic would be 1/2 way up my face. The worst part was trying to fly the circuit pattern into Thruxton for r/w 25.
BUT... I learned a lesson or two..
1. It was flyable
2. Although not a pleasant experience. Such conditions do add to your flying experience.

Regards.
Has.

[PilotOnline]

Have had a few flights on those kind of days, one recently was particularly bumpy, was hard to maintain headings and accurate heights for long periods, particularly in the vicinity of the Chiltern Hills. When I used the R/T I must have sounded a bit weird cos mid sentence the a/c would hit some turbulence and I'd sound like I'd just been punched in the chest! All in all, even though bumpy flying can be a little unpleasant it is good to experience this weather cos when you have those really smooth days, everything will feel even better!

[charlie-india-mike]

Northern Highflyer

I had a similar experience whilst flying yester lunchtime. where were you flying?

I flew from Elstree to the East and whilst below 3000' it was very strange with the aircraft all over the place. Once I was able to get to 3000' the air was as smooth as a babys a***.

I think that this has somthing to do with an inversion layer.

Can anyone comment.

C-I-M

[Northern Highflyer]

Thanks for the comments so far....and keep them coming.

Like I said in the original post I have experienced this sort of thing before just not so bad. I am not the hero type who never admits a weakness or hides behind bravado and I readily admit that on take off when at about 100' the left wing lifted sharply and for a split second I thought it would flip and send us earthbound. In hindsight I realise I was being a bit silly but it didn't feel like that at the time.

It felt like the a/c was flying me and made me doubt my ability. I guess it's all character building and I will hopefully look back one day and laugh at myself instead of the current feeling of embarassment I have. :(

C-I-M

Route was Sherburn-Gamston. (was originally to be Blackpool but that's for another thread) We were at 2300ft, maybe we should have gone higher from what you say. I very rarely get to 3000ft but would like to know if it does get smoother up there.

How do others deal with it ?

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

These sort of conditions can be quite unpleasent, but the best way to handle it is to relax. Don't fight the aeroplane to try to maintain accurate height and heading, just correct the worst of the upsets and put in just sufficient control inputs to keep it pointing approximately the right way. Most of the upsets will cancel each other out if you let them.

You generally find that at the point in the flight when you have to fly accurately - the landing - it realy isn't a problem since the turbulence is far less very close to the ground.

When I first started flying, very bumpy days really bothered me. Now, I find they not such a problem, but still not particularly enjoyable.

SSD

[bcfc]

Saturday around Dartmoor was very bumpy. An inversion layer from about 2000' to 3500' made it very uncomfortable for the wife & little one in the back. Up high it was very pleasant with the only downside is that we had to come back through it.

Thank gawd for Joyriders! :\

[White Shadow]

This is sailplane-pilots weather.
Wing bangs up - bang it down again, tuck it down into a turn, and feel the
thermal push you up like a rocket, ROC needle winding clockwise, fast.
A good way of saving fuel on a x-country, if you're not in a hurry!
WS

[Hampstead]

I know exactly what you mean. I flew from Blackbushe to Compton Abbas yesterday and it was really rough. I didn't get above 3500'; you could see the inversion layer clearly as a black smudge. Had a couple of interesting moments on the approach coming in over the trees too !

Looking back I'm really glad I went as it's all good experience but at the time I was wishing I was back on the ground !.. then I got the £300 bill just to top it off.

[big.al]

Flew Gamston to Guernsey on Saturday at FL40 and the reverse route yesterday at FL50 in a C172. Apart from about a minute of bumps just south-east of Leicester, it was smooooooooth all the way. A little hazy but 20+ km viz and beautiful views, especially over Alderney and The Solent. If only the weather was always so good.....

I guess a little higher up it made all the difference. Back at 1,000ft in the circuit at Gamston it was bumpy as hell. Staying down low may not have been the order of the day.....

[englishal]

Just a point, in very turbulent air rather than trying to chase altitude and heading, concentrate on holding ATTITUDE and let the A/C wander a bit if you have to. [just noticed SSD already said this:D]

I've had a few VERY bumpy flights in VFR and IMC, worst was when ATC vectored me into some rising cumulus while on an approach, it got wild and it was quite a job trying to follow their instructions. Another time was coming back through a mountain pass at 8500' into the LA basin. vis was crap, and it was bouncing all over the place for over 2 hrs. Still there was two of us pilots onboard so we shared the workload, one operating radio etc, the other flying. When the PF got tired we swapped roles, the RH seat guy would take the controls and the LH seat would take responsibility for the RT / Nav etc.

Cheers
EA:D

[bar shaker]

Northern Highflyer

When its this hot, evening and early morning are the smoothest times to fly. Its good that you flew through some decent thermals though. Very un-nerving when it first happens, but excellent experience.

The more you fly on thermic days, the more you learn what to avoid flying over/downwind of. Large towns are the worst, large woods and estuaries will also chuck you around. Low tide estuaries, with dark, hot mud flats and cold water can be very lairy.

The advice above is the best... don't fight it. Retain control, but accept that it will be a bit untidy and don't knacker yourself trying to counter every slight movement.

On Saturday, I flew over an estuary and the aircraft dropped like a stone, wiping 100ft straight off the altimeter. My 13 year old daughter has flown with me on quite a few thermal days and doesn't mind the bumps. When we dropped, she looked at me with eyes like golf balls. I raised my eyebrows.

That one had scared us both, but neither would publicly admit it.:uhoh:

[Wycombe]

I remember once, over the South Downs in a 172 (Sandown - Blackbushe) on a very hot, thermally day, getting in an updraft, and still going up on the VSI with throttle at idle :eek:

Still, as others have said, it's good to fly when it's a bit rough every so often, to make sure you can cope with it (wouldn't call it fun, though)

[Evo]

I've had that too (in a PA-28) - on a hot day there's an impressive updraft from the hills around Haslemere :)

[Number Cruncher]

Yep!

Flew out of Elstree from runway 08 for the first time yesterday thinking it was going to be a lovely smooth ride all the way round to Dartford and back. I too was in for a shock. I am quite comfortable with a few bumps, however, one of my (first time) passengers was too scared to open their eyes for most of the trip!!

On approach back into Elstree’s 08 I have never had to fight with the controls as much as I did yesterday. I struggled to maintain a good sped, which in turn led to a massive float and very late touch down, followed by heavy braking to clear the runway!

Not your usual flight but good fun and a great experience. Oh, and I could see for absolutely miles and miles to the North.

[redsnail]

Usually if you can get above the inversion layer it's much smoother. Unfortunately in the UK there's often level restrictions that keep you low. It's easy to spot, the air is much dirtier below it and if there's enough moisture you'lll see some little Cu clouds. Note, it's often quite bumpy just near the inversion layer. It may sound nuts but if you have the space, fly lower than it. eg 500' -1,000' below it.
Either fly early or late, midday is the worst time. Greatest thermal activity and windspeed.
How to cope? as stated, don't fight the aeroplane. Keep it rougly on track and on height. Also, keep yourself cool. Drink some water and wear comfortable/breathable clothes. Keep the air circulating too. This is very important for your pax. I'll feel crook as a pax long before I'll feel ordinary as the pilot.
After a while, you really do get used to it and it won't bother you much.
As an aside, I was flying a Shorts 360 around Coventry at lunchtime yesterday. I was doing an LPC. It was hard work keeping it on track/height too. We would have weighed about 8.5 tonne at that time. Still, been in a lot worse conditions.

[charlie-india-mike]

Number Cruncher

I think that I witnessed your approach and landing whilst at Elstree yesterday. (what time and aircraft) I was fortunate and did a cracker of a landing in an aircraft that I had not flown before. (good luck or good judgment?)

I don't really like Elstree 08 as on my first visit , I used all of the runway both the lenght and width to get down.

:ooh: :ooh:

C-I-M

[Northern Highflyer]

Nice to know I wasn't the only one. :O

A drink would have been a good idea but I think I would have probably finished up wearing more than I drunk. I was more concerned with keeping attitude rather than exact heights etc. and that was generally fine, but it was the way one wing kept lifting more than the other which was most disconcerting for me. Straightforward "bumps" I am used to, but the "kick" of one wing seemed more pronounced than I was used to.

Still it is good experience (or so I tell myself) and has been duly noted in the old log book. :ok:

[Timothy]

A couple of years ago my MEL and IR renewal flight were on a very rough day, very windy and wet, but we decided to go anyway as we are busy people and rearranging would have been a pain.

When we got back I shut down, ready for the debrief, and the IRE said "Well looking at my notes, I really don't have anything to say." "Oh! was I that good?" I asked. "Oh no, not a bit of it, but I never actually managed to get my pen anywhere near my kneeboard!"

W

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Another way to minimise being bumped around is to fly an aeroplane that has a high wing loading. The Yak 52, for instance, just cuts through it.

To paraphrase something I once heard said about the Handley Page Hastings:

"If the Yak 52 encounters severe turbulence, so much the worse for the turbulence!"


SSD

[DRJAD]

Well, Northern, most of my flights out of Sherburn this year seem to have had some degree of turbulence - often as you describe. (In fact my first [official] IMC lesson was just like that - a useful challenge keeping attitude by instr. and heading, VOR tracking, etc., when being thrown about!)

I eventually learned not to worry too much about it - just to coax the aeroplane and react to the major upsets, rather than every gust. Trying to transmit smooth RT, though, can be a challenge in heavy jolts - sounds as though one is hiccupping!

And, as you say, its all part of life's rich tapestry ...

[down&out]

All good advice & experience here.

I would add, if you want to really feal relaxed in this situation, then go and do some aerobatics! Not only are they great fun, but once you've recovered from a spin, a bumpy day won't worry you so much;)