Clarification about Penetration Speed on A320
Hello Everyone,
It seems to be a grey area concerning the penetration speed amongs the pilots in the company i'm working for. Is it a structural or aerodymnamic limitation speed? I beleive it's Aerodynamic since the penetration speed increases from 250kt to 275kt when passing Fl200.
Some says in turbulence you have to fly at penetration speed: not slower, not faster! (eg 250kt below fl 200), some others will say you can fly slower but not faster than that speed and others will say it's just an aerodynamic speed target to stay between VLS and VMO and you can reduce or increase accordingly. I tend to agree with the last statement but I'm not 100% sure and I found unclear information in the QRH and AFM. The QRH says it's a " recommended speed" and in the AFM it says " respect the max penetration speed". Does it means if I fly at 300kt in severe turbulence at FL 120 we might damage the aircraft? I never read anywhere that flying faster than penetration speed may damage the aiframe. So I'm not sure I undestand the exact meaning of penetration speed by Airbus.
Thank you for those who can help me. 😁