.......yip, I'd have to agree with the 1 in 10,000hours opinion.
Eastbound, abeam Halifax, Nova Scotia, severe was forecast on all tracks.
Had a level lower than original flight plan in order to increase our G margin.
Was I glad I had that "extra bit"!
Had abrupt changes in vertical speed from+2500' per minute, to -2500', or even +-3,000fpm.Altitude changed by up to 350 to 400'. Airspeed + - 20 or so knots...workit out for your self what the change in Mach No. was, and the obvious benefit in the extra margin!
It lasted for 10 minutes, and for about 8 of that it was severe, and reported by us as such.
The aircraft coped with it surprisingly well, though. Autopilot did'nt disconnect, but autothrust performance was poor, and this was manually handled.
Anybody got an idea what the A320 is like in severe?