Handling Turbulence

The hangar conversation followed lines one expects on a gusty, blustery, bombastic-air day—with turbulence the topic of the moment. “As soon as Flight Service passed on that Pirep about moderate-to-heavy turbulence ahead, I slowed to VB,” explained the ATP cooling off with some colleagues after his heavy day flying a FAR 23 business jet. “Told the boss she we needed to live with slower or risk not outliving the air.”

Key Takeaways:

• VA (design maneuvering speed) protects against structural damage from abrupt control inputs, while VB (design speed for maximum gust intensity) protects against damage from sudden gusts, and these distinct definitions are often confused.
• The published VA and VB values are calculated based on an aircraft's Maximum Gross Takeoff Weight (MGTOW), which is rarely the actual operating weight during flight.
• As an aircraft's weight decreases due to fuel burn, its stall speed (VS) also decreases, consequently lowering the effective VA and VB required for safe operation.
• Pilots must understand that the published VA might be too high for a lighter aircraft, and should mentally adjust their turbulence penetration speed downwards to avoid overstressing the airframe.

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