VNE Revisited Redux

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Monday, November 21, 2022 at 08:44 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The magazine issued a correction, clarifying that V_NE (never-exceed speed) is an indicated airspeed for most certified aircraft, not a true airspeed as previously stated.
While V_NE is an indicated airspeed and derived from the design dive speed (V_D), the critical flutter speed is true airspeed-dependent, meaning the safety margin between them decreases at higher altitudes.
The 4% increase in G100UL unleaded avgas weight has a negligible effect on an aircraft's empty weight because it only applies to the small, fixed amount of unusable fuel.

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In your September 2022 issue, in response to Scott Burkhart’s email, you unnecessarily scare him by stating that V_NE is a true airspeed (for his Mooney). In fact, for him, and the vast majority of people who fly certified planes, V_NE is an indicated airspeed that is safe to fly (flutter-wise) up to the aircraft’s ceiling.

You had to walk back the “V_NEis a true airspeed” claim once before, in May 2011. Why shoot yourselves in the foot and have to do it again?