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How bumpy is too bumpy or too windy?

rockwoodrv9

Well Known Member
Patron
I am still a student pilot. I have about 40 hours solo and 15 or so instruction in my 9A. I am not a fan of bouncing around when I fly but here in Michigan calm days are rare.

I have limited my flying to less than 10 mph on the ground or a 5-7 knot cross wind. As it heats up here, the different types of land - trees, lakes, farm land, all cause thermals and some pretty bumpy rides.

It still freaks me out a bit when it starts getting bumpy. I have been trying to fly through it thinking I will get used to it. I am better but I do cut some of my flights short because I am not enjoying it.

Any suggestions on how to become more comfortable in the bumps or flying technique that will help?
 
When I was learning to fly hang gliders another student measured the days by puppy dogs. If it was smooth, it was a zero puppy dog day. The windier it got, the more it was like walking a gaggle of puppy dogs, and her personal limit was 3 puppy dogs pulling her around. Being yanked around by 4 puppy dogs just wasn't fun to her.

You will get used to it, but don't be in a big hurry. The limits you describe are what I used to give all my student pilots, are an excellent wind envelope for a student pilot, and it's even a good envelope for the first hundred hours or so. And just because you get the Private Pilot certificate does not mean you stop learning. I would strongly encourage my students to give me a holler every six months or so to go up and give them a little "personal envelope expansion" into stronger winds, or to make sure they had not grown into bad habits.

Remember, it's a lot easier to get INTO trouble than to get out of it, and the cheapest insurance you have is the credit card in your wallet. If you're on a cross country somewhere and the weather looks bad, a $100 hotel room is cheaper than a broken airplane.


Good luck!!!
 
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I've never gotten "used to it", but rather I'll tolerate it to fly.

Having said that, altitude is your friend. Generally, if you climb high enough you'll find smooth air. If there are scattered clouds they will mark the altitude. Above=smooth. If I remember my aviation weather right, that is the elevation where the rising air gets to the point where the heat and moisture come out of it and it can no longer rise. But even without that tell tale, there is usually a point where it gets smooth, which is where I always go if I can.
 
Get some glider instruction and you will come to love the bumps and seek them out.

That is an interesting idea. I never liked boating in Lake Tahoe pounding across the chop either! Im sure glider training is a real good tool to have in your toolbox.
 
I've never gotten "used to it", but rather I'll tolerate it to fly.

Having said that, altitude is your friend. Generally, if you climb high enough you'll find smooth air. If there are scattered clouds they will mark the altitude. Above=smooth. If I remember my aviation weather right, that is the elevation where the rising air gets to the point where the heat and moisture come out of it and it can no longer rise. But even without that tell tale, there is usually a point where it gets smooth, which is where I always go if I can.

Agreed. Altitude will usually get you out of the bumps, or at least in California. I'll often take trips from the SF Bay Area to Southern California. There are days that 5500 is a great altitude and others that 11.5K is great. Now that I have the RV, I usually fy 8500/9500 for comfort, speed and fuel economy.
 
Any suggestions

Fly more!
Seriously, try to fly as much as possible, it will not only hone your skills as a pilot, it will also get you accustomed to turbulence and less sensitive to them.
As when I started flying aeros many moons ago, I was getting nauseous after a short time. Training more often made it go away.
The low wing loading of the -9 does not help, so technically speaking you gotta load it up to the max, fly slower, or change to an RV with a higher wing loading :D
 
For me, it just depends on whether I'm actually "on a mission", or just flying around for fun especially with a passenger. Lot's of thermals/bumps takes the edge off of the fun I'm having because I have to work harder...everything in the cockpit is just a little bit harder. Whereas if I'm actually flying somewhere then I find rough air to be easier to ignore, although I will maybe work a bit harder to get to an altitude where it's smoother.
 
Airliners slow down in turbulence...

and so do I. I may slow to 90 KIAS in rough air in my 6, the equivalent in a 9 might be around 80. I slow for comfort, not because of apprehension of damage to the airplane.

At 80 KIAS, an RV-9 at full gross can experience approximately +2.3 and -2.0 g's, either from pilot maneuvering or turbulence. Notice that the negative g limit can be exceeded at this speed. These numbers were interpolated from a chart published by Van's https://www.vansaircraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/hp_limts.pdf

Rather than "How bumpy is too bumpy?", perhaps the question might be, "How fast when it's bumpy?"
 
Bumps no Bueno, but..

I never liked bumpy days, never will..however, there will be the day soon when you take off on a smooth calm day and it goes ugly bumpy. At some point, you will have to manage it, and land. The RV's can take a pounding and handle winds better than anything I have flown. I have flow my RV-4 on days I wouldn't take a kite out of the closet, not because I wanted too, but because the conditions became that way while I was away from home . I slow to the about 125 if its really bad, and tighten your belt! You want to be prepared , so just start flying in it until your comfort level is up. I have a friend CFI who loves to take his students up and teach high wind, bumpy skills. maybe you can find one where your at.
 
I am better but I do cut some of my flights short because I am not enjoying it.

I think you've answered your own question. If you're not enjoying it, don't do it.
RVs do just about everything well, except handle turbulence. So learn what a friendly sky looks like, and how high you might have to climb to get above it.
Eventually your tolerance (for turbulence and crosswinds) will increase, but...
If it ain't fun, it ain't fun.
 
1.) - You will gain tolerance with more time
2.) - You will climb higher for actual flying than you do for training
3.) - Slowing helps.
4.) - If 1,2, and 3 don't help, consider getting a 6 or 7 instead of the 9. They have higher wing loading, so will feel less of the bumping, and they are more capable of handling higher G's.

My wife does not like turbulance at all. I find 2 and 3 help enough to get her through it. I only get anoyed when it keeps me from being able to tune the radio, or work the touch screen or control the autopilot. That is usually only a coule of times a year.
 
Instrument training helps

Like the OP, I don't love bumps in my 9A. Yes, it comes with the territory and you can learn to tolerate it (most days). I've scrubbed flights and even trips due to excessive turbulence.

The best way to build comfort and tolerance for it, at least in my experience, has been to get my instrument rating (in my RV). You're so busy as an instrument student that you stop noticing the bumps and mostly just get used to them without even thinking about it.
 
$.02 — OP, I’m with you. I’m not all that fond of bumps either. But, you will grow accustomed to it. I’m in Indiana and I’m often surprised how bumpy it is. As others have said, altitude is generally your friend. The only technique I will throw out is don’t fight the bumps, kind of go with them. You will have some altitude variations, the key is you want minimal attitude variations. Keep it fun.
 
A combination of adding additional ratings and getting some time in rough air with an instructor helped me build the proficiency and confidence to handle more turbulence and/or greater surface winds. I did my instrument rating in New Mexico in March/April, which is typically our windy season. There were a few flights that were "lost" as far as IFR proficiency goes, but learning to fly on instruments in turbulence and getting to practice landings at or above the demonstrated crosswind component (again with an instructor) was a great experience and worth the time and money. We have a few approaches that start over some lower ridges where you can really get tossed around on a windy day. Even if your RV is not IFR, I highly recommend the instrument rating as a skills and confidence booster. Plus your RV will feel even faster after you put 40 hours in flying a typical IFR trainer.

If you're done with ratings, find a flight club with a good CFI (or just find a good CFI) who is willing to go up with you on a bumpy day or go find some wind with you.
 
I never have and probably never will like bumping around. If I am spending money on gas for pleasure I want to maximize by flying when I enjoy it most. I tolerate bumps when I need to on cross country flying but my solution for 90% of my flying is to fly early in the morning or evening at dusk. I enjoy just flying randomly around the area and by flying early, it is great fun as it is silky smooth. Being an early person, I even do most of my cross country flying between 6-10 am.
 
Thanks for the responses and info

I am really lucky because I have one of the best instructors anywhere. He is getting me ready for my check ride and hope to have it this summer. We try to fly on nice days and when it gets past fun, we come in.

I enjoy working the plane to the airport in a cross wind - up to a wimpy 7 mph. I get more comfortable every flight and will go back up with my instructor before I try any higher x wind. We have a couple larger airports close with cross wind runways if it ever got too freaky and I am the king of go-arounds.

I started my training in a 172 but I never really enjoyed that plane. A 182 was great but I just didnt like the 172. I love my 9A. I find it much easier to land than the 172 - at least in low wind. I love being able to come over the fence at 65 and slow down to a 55-65 kt landing speed. I think it is the great visibility that makes it nice.

As for the bumps, as a student I cant venture too far away so I dont climb as high as I would like. I think I will try and stretch my circle of travel a bit to get up higher and it may open a few more days. With foreflight I get the winds at all heights so that is a big help.

Well, maybe Thursday is going to be a nice day here in Michigan for a smooth flight!!
 
I think it’s climate change:eek: seriously, I have about 700 hours logged in 5 different aircraft. It seems to be bothering me more or becoming more frequent then the first 600 hours experience. RV’ers I fly with suggest installing an AP. Probably due to the instantaneous response from the flight director instead of the human lag factor. Whatever the answer is I’m probably going the early or late flights that I can enjoy instead of doing something I don’t enjoy.
 
I will support those who have posted the notion that “altitude is your friend”. RV9s do their best flying above 8,000. They climb quickly also. So, get above the bumpy air quickly and enjoy.

As for wind, the 9 can handle winds much higher than your current personal limit. You will get there with more time flying. Keep flying.
 
Early morning (like EARLY!) and near sunset are great times to fly. The turbulence dies down, the temps are better, and the view is even prettier.
 
I am still a student pilot. I have about 40 hours solo and 15 or so instruction in my 9A. I am not a fan of bouncing around when I fly but here in Michigan calm days are rare.

I have limited my flying to less than 10 mph on the ground or a 5-7 knot cross wind. As it heats up here, the different types of land - trees, lakes, farm land, all cause thermals and some pretty bumpy rides.

It still freaks me out a bit when it starts getting bumpy. I have been trying to fly through it thinking I will get used to it. I am better but I do cut some of my flights short because I am not enjoying it.

Any suggestions on how to become more comfortable in the bumps or flying technique that will help?

I suspect that some of your anxiety about the bumps (and likely turbulence in general) comes from the unknown, such as "will this thing hold together?". If so, maybe seeing the affect the bumps have on the airplane will help. If you have access to a G meter, (the Garmin G3X will display one), you can watch the bumps happen, see the peak value and actually make a game of it.

Comfort in flying comes with experience, experience comes with knowledge, expanding your knowledge of the the airframe and the flight will give you eventually make you more comfortable, and maybe even make it more enjoyable. Bumps can be fun... :)

I've found bumps rarely exceed 1G (e.g. you're already at 1G in level flight, a heavy "bump" might pop the G meter to 1.8) and are well within any decent aircraft's capacity. Just pull the throttle back a little and keep it straight and level. No worries.
 
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One more thing to add, if it's bumpy turn off your autopilot, hand fly and don't fight the bumps. This makes for a slightly better flight.
 
No one likes bumps or crosswinds. We sorta just accept it and deal with both.

As one gains experience, both will be tolerated more.

As one gets older, both will get tolerated less.

I am speaking from 40-years flying experience. I tolerate crosswinds and bumps less now than I did 9-years ago as I was about to start retirement.

Early mornings are typically the smoothest and least crosswinds in my experience. Higher altitudes typically are also smoother.

I was not able to land my RV-6 in 49-states without turbulence or crosswinds. Had to tolerate some. At my age now, I am not sure I still have the tolerance to repeat everything I have done with my RV-6.
 
No one likes bumps or crosswinds. We sorta just accept it and deal with both.

As one gains experience, both will be tolerated more.

As one gets older, both will get tolerated less.

I am speaking from 40-years flying experience. I tolerate crosswinds and bumps less now than I did 9-years ago as I was about to start retirement.

Early mornings are typically the smoothest and least crosswinds in my experience. Higher altitudes typically are also smoother.

I was not able to land my RV-6 in 49-states without turbulence or crosswinds. Had to tolerate some. At my age now, I am not sure I still have the tolerance to repeat everything I have done with my RV-6.

I understand your sentiment, but I wouldn't say no one likes bumps or crosswinds. Maybe I'm just an outlier, but I just passed my 48th year of flying and still commute daily through the "bumps" at <4500' and enjoy the heck out of crosswind landings. It serves to keep me from getting bored.

BTW, Byron (C83), in the spring is a great cross-wind training opportunity. IMO, much like accelerated stalls, the more you do XW landings, the more comfortable you become with them - and the more fun they become.
 
Ron, I have a couple of the G3x panels in front of me and I will set the G meter so I can see it. I never thought of that. I dont worry about the plane holding together, i have never seen the wing or anything flex on the plane like you do on an airliner. It feels as stiff as can be. Knowing what the bumps are and maybe a lighter touch on the stick will help. Thanks


I suspect that some of your anxiety about the bumps (and likely turbulence in general) comes from the unknown, such as "will this thing hold together?". If so, maybe seeing the affect the bumps have on the airplane will help. If you have access to a G meter, (the Garmin G3X will display one), you can watch the bumps happen, see the peak value and actually make a game of it.

Comfort in flying comes with experience, experience comes with knowledge, expanding your knowledge of the the airframe and the flight will give you eventually make you more comfortable, and maybe even make it more enjoyable. Bumps can be fun... :)

I've found bumps rarely exceed 1G (e.g. you're already at 1G in level flight, a heavy "bump" might pop the G meter to 1.8) and are well within any decent aircraft's capacity. Just pull the throttle back a little and keep it straight and level. No worries.
 
Bumps are comfort issues. You can do things that can make your ride more smoother.

Crosswinds are a safety issue. Please go with an instructor and get comfortable with cross winds.
 
Altitude variations

You will have some altitude variations, the key is you want minimal attitude variations. Keep it fun.

Indeed. The -9A is the Nearly Perfect Airplane but it can be quite the ride in turbulence. Watch a butterfly flapping alog on a windy day and you get the idea.

In those situations when it's super bumpy but you really really need to hold a specific altitude, large throttle adjustments may be required as you deal with big updrafts and downdrafts.

Holding altitude while blowing through towering summer cumulus, etc., is a task best handled by an autopilot--and will still likely require a lot of throttle adjustments. I can fly it by hand, and I've done it before (for example, when my Garmin AP lost consciousness), but it's a high workload.

I sometimes asks for climbs or descents in turbulence. I do this to try to get out of the turbulence, of course (usually through climbing). But I also do this because big variations in climb or descent rates don't matter nearly as much as altitude excursions in level flight. :)

I've thought about asking for block altitudes in turbulence but I suspect they're hard to come by where I fly.
 
Turbulence is one of the two things I hate about flying. I've found that as I got older and flew less, my tolerance decreased. I expect that if I fly more it'll improve. Still, changing altitude for smoother air is often worth doing and I carry oxygen so that I can do it.

Loading the plane up does help, but only incrementally. Changing altitude is the main tool.

Dave
 
Wind and turbulence are endemic to flying in Oklahoma. If I waited for “friendly sky’s” I’d never fly. As others have said altitude is your friend to reduce air turbulence.

As far as crosswinds I strongly recommend you seek out opportunities to challenge your landing skills. At my home airport it’s not uncommon to see 20G30 knot winds - hopefully down the runway but often 60+ degrees off the wing. A tail dragger would be smart to avoid the high crosswinds but tricycle gear RVs usually handle the challenge easier.
 
Turbulence starts bothering me when I can’t drink my coffee, I get rather annoyed when I can’t even open the spill proof cup to sneak a drink between bumps. When it gets really bumpy I need to make sure my cup is strapped down just as tight as I am so it doesn’t break something bouncing around. The turbulence defensively wears on you.

It might be beneficial to go with an instructor and experience 30+ knot surface winds and LLWS days, it’ll make the lesser wind/bumpy days more tolerable.
 
Been flying for 50+ years. Still hate turbulence and have just learned to deal with it most of the time.

Sometimes I just cancel the flight and RTB early.

Seems age is not much of a factor in my case. For others it is.

We are all individuals and our perceptions vary as do our tolerance levels.

Find your own limits and be content with them.
 
F=ma

So sounds like you are on track with your personal limits. Dito to the flight instructor comments.
- Some Weather physics if I remember correctly:
The fair weather clouds, (cumulus) are usually located at the dew point spread of 2 deg C/1000'. So if the ATIS is calling 20/14 that's a 6 deg dew point spread which equates to 3000' AGL. That's where the base of the puffies will be and the thermals will be up to approx 3000. If you can get to 5000 +- (in this case) you will find smother air +-. Lot's of dynamics guessing the weather but it's a start.

- Stick with your gut and comfort level. Yoda Van created an amazing aircraft design that is provin to be solid.

- Now remember some more physics, Newtons's 2nd law, F=ma. Slow you acceleration and you will have less bumps; until Bernoulli's principle runs out of lift. Leave yourself 1.3Vs and you will be safe. That being said, most aircraft designs have an "Optimum turbulent penetration airspeed", which is usually a bit more than 1.3Vs.

a little fun with the physics....
Dave
 
Body motion

One thing I have done that seems to help on occasion when the plane is pitching and rolling annoyingly is to loosen my shoulder straps just a bit, lean ever so slightly forward to take pressure off of my back rest and let my lower body pitch and roll with the aircraft and keep my upper body mostly upright. I guess sort of like riding a mechanical bull and keeping your head from whipping around. Sometimes seems to improve the ride for a bit. YMMV.
 
>As it heats up here, the different types of land - trees, lakes, farm land, all cause thermals

One tiny correction: lakes don't cause thermals. Glider pilots avoid lakes and the areas around them for this very reason. If you have any glider pilots nearby, you might want to ask them about areas they avoid due to lack of lift.
 
Ah, turbulence...

I used to hate it, now I tolerate it. The easiest way to get used to it is go looking for it, fly in it. Even though it feels like it might happen at any moment you won't fall out of the sky, unless you're on final.

I live in the mountain southwest. turbulence at some level is always with us. What I used to experience back in the mid-west is nothing compared to out here. It was a, not so pleasant, surprise. I struggled with it.

I've been on airliners coming in for a landing in El Paseo or Albq and thought we were all going to die with the dancing back and forth, up and down. A small plane doesn't stand a chance landing in that kind of stuff.

My personal limits are:

1) be on the ground before 10 am
2) see #1
.

Sitting on the ramp, the density altitude easily reaches over 10 K in a summer day, so climbing isn't always an option.


Don't fight the air. By the time you react to one thing you're already into the third one. Mostly use your feet for corrections, not the stick.


If you're a low lander get real mountain training before flying in the mountains. Sure, there are a lot of people that do it without issue and there's a lot of folks that could pound rivets with their toes in the old days.

Remember, it's not just about bouncing around the sky and revisiting breakfast. Sooner or later you gotta' put that thing on the ground. Getting closer to the ground doesn't slow up the turbulence. On final, a 50 foot deviation can stop you real quick, to a dead stop.

Be on the ground by xx AM, whatever your limits are. Be ready to adjust for weather, terrain and your proficiency.
 
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When I was a student pilot, I did my long cross-country Oakland to Las Vegas in a 152 (I wanted to build hours). The forecast was moderate turbulence. Like most students, I hated the bumps and fought any deviation, but after hours of fighting moderate turbulence, I was weary enough to just let the bumps happen and just keep the aircraft mainly on course and altitude. That was a very long day, but I got over most of my angst. Learning that I didn't need to fight it so hard helped.

Another anecdote: now that I live in Flagstaff, I've gotten used to mountain flying. I had visited my niece's family in Temecula, CA, and had an alternator problem (before switching to B&C). Due to obligations, I ended up driving home and a week later a friend offered to fly me to Aircraft Spruce to pick up a new alternator and then to Temecula. Typical winter day, no Santa Ana winds, so we anticipated a nice flight.

As we approached the gap in the coastal range, we started hearing pireps of turbulence in the pass. We're about to descend close to the terrain to get ready to land and would usually descend at speed but decide it might be a good idea to reduce speed just in case. After getting through the pass, we realized that the 'turbulence' was just normal bumps for our home area, hardly worth comment. Had we known, we would have kept our speed up.

My point is, you become comfortable with what you are familiar with, over time. And, by corollary, what is unfamiliar is uncomfortable. As you gain experience, you will be bothered less by the wind and turbulence and your comfort level will increase.
 
I am still a student pilot. I have about 40 hours solo and 15 or so instruction in my 9A. I am not a fan of bouncing around when I fly but here in Michigan calm days are rare.

I have limited my flying to less than 10 mph on the ground or a 5-7 knot cross wind. As it heats up here, the different types of land - trees, lakes, farm land, all cause thermals and some pretty bumpy rides.

It still freaks me out a bit when it starts getting bumpy. I have been trying to fly through it thinking I will get used to it. I am better but I do cut some of my flights short because I am not enjoying it.

Any suggestions on how to become more comfortable in the bumps or flying technique that will help?

I fly for fun! Today and many days recently it has been too windy (Gusting to 25KTS) for me to have fun, so I don't. Do what makes you happy and you are prepared and trained to deal with. Of course you have to consider what your airplane is capable of too.
 

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Like so many other things in life, handling turbulence and wind boils down to your own experience, comfort level, safety margin, etc.

I live in Colorado and I regularly ski the hike-in steep stuff that scares most people off. But put me on my mountain bike and anything more than a jeep trail worries me. My flying is somewhere in between. As I've built hours, I've become more experienced and tolerant of rough air, but I still have personal limits that I live with. My crosswind limit has increased, for example, but is still in a range that most people on this site would consider very, very reasonable.

Fly what you are comfortable with. Some day you will find yourself a little over your head. When you get back on the ground, will you say "wow, I'm never doing that again" or "okay, I know I can handle that new limit". That will tell you a lot about your comfort zone.

And there is NO shame in having a lower limit. Just like I will get off my bike and hike when the trail gets too rough for me while others fly by me still pedaling, there is no problem if you don't want to fly on a day that others consider to be no big deal. After all, there are those of us on this site with IFR ratings to fly in bad weather, and others on this site that never got an IFR rating because they don't want to ever be in that situation in the first place. Turbulence is no different.
 
Suggestions

Most of this is touched on in various degrees by other posters, but my contributions are:

Cruise flight - slow down -softens the impact and wear and tear on the body over time. maneuvering speed is your friend and varies with weight, so adjust it accordingly. Try different power settings/airspeeds to experience the change in the way that the airplane behaves and how it impacts you.

Go up with an instructor as suggested, preferably under a variety of different X-wind and turbulent conditions. Work you way up being proficient in handling 10-12 knot steady cross wind component, and keep working until you can proficiently handle a 15 knot cross wind component. You will need to determine your own gust factor or variable wind direction change limits, but keeping those on the lower side (5-7 knot gusts and 10-15 degrees max variation) is a good starting point. Work with your instructor to help define those limits. Experience builds confidence and enhances the body's relative ability to deal with the bumps and cross wind conditions.

I don't necessarily agree with a former poster's comment about turning ON the autopilot when the bumps are increasing. If altitude hold is engaged this could potentially lead to over-stressing the airplane in very bad turbulence. Definitely DO use it to help reduce work load and avoid fighting the nuisance bumps, but also realize that there is a point where you should disengage it.

As a former search and rescue pilot in the Colorado Rockies, turbulence was always there, and you got used to it with experience. So if you really want to gain more experience with it, become a CAP aircrew member. Eventually we got to the point where our personal limits for "bugging out" were having your head slammed into the cockpit ceiling!


Identify the bump-levels you are currently comfortable with, and the ones that you are not. Then note what those actual and forecast wind and weather conditions were, and that will give you a range of weather conditions to help you with your "go/no-go" or deviate/land decisions.
 
I agree, I need more time with my instructor in the bumps and especially cross winds. Lucky I have a great instructor - one everyone would know but Im not sure he wants more students after me! Ha! My latest solo endorsement comes up at the end of the month so I will be back in the air with him soon.

Our airport KTEW has a cross wind much of the time and I am pretty good up to about 7-10 x wind factor. I fly for fun, but dont want to be freaked out if it gets too windy when Im up so I dont have to go to another airport with better wind. I enjoy the limited x wind landings I have done at the upper limit I have set for myself. I may end up past where I wanted to land, but the 9 is so responsive to controls and power, you can recover a couple times before you do the go around - and I have no ego about doing a go around or any part of flying. Im still learning!!

Thanks for all the suggestions. Most I knew but there are some that I will try out and see how it goes.
 
I vomited as a student on a few occasions. I never really liked bumps and a really bumpy day will mean I will try to find smoother air...for my passengers...not always possible. the answer is....tolerate it and be comfortable that most aircraft will take more than you can imagine...know the maximum turbulent air penetration speed and remember this is normally set for severe turbulence...which is truly revolting to be in. extreme turbulence is loss of control stuff....in 21000 hours flying c152 to 747 I have not had extreme. a few severe experiences but mostly a bad day was normally moderate. you think you know what severe is until you get into it. The day the 767 I was flying hit CAT and the autopilot dropped out several times...idle thrust...going up at VMO with the speed brake fully deployed and bouts of being hard to grab things in the cockpit...that was severe...or the time i ended up at 13000 feet in a non pressurised bandeirante that required an abnormal flight load check afterwards and replacement of both cowlings several screws. probably the worst two in 40 years of flying. certainly not meant to scare you but more encourage you that these machines can handle a lot and those really awful flights are few and far between...Point is....you will get more used to it but may not necessarily like it and will try to find ways to mitigate it. try to relax and dont over control...best of luck...I dont really enjoy turbulence but i have to deal with it so i do....Im sure you will learn to relax a bit with more exposure.
 
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...most aircraft will take more than you can imagine
...know the maximum turbulent air penetration speed and remember this is normally set for severe turbulence
...these machines can handle a lot and those really awful flights are few and far between

A good place to interject that is why aircraft have some designed in margin. If you build/fly into the margins by cutting holes in bad places, flying over gross weight or outside CG limits you are closer to a bad day when encountering these few and far between flights.

Build and fly safe within the aircraft and your own personal limits.
 
A good place to interject that is why aircraft have some designed in margin. If you build/fly into the margins by cutting holes in bad places, flying over gross weight or outside CG limits you are closer to a bad day when encountering these few and far between flights.

Build and fly safe within the aircraft and your own personal limits.

All three of those things are stupid to do at any time...:confused:
 
If your an early riser, fly early. If not fly an hour before sunset. in my first build - a Sonex - I was back on the ground by 10am in the summer.

Fly high. I get in my 14 and climb till it's smooth. Your 9 should get you up there pretty quick. As a student, be sure and work with your instructor on flying high (8000' or so). You want to make sure your learn to use the mixture control while climbing to smooth air and coming back down.
 
Turbulence

I don't think there is any place in the US that has greater turbulence than the deserts and mountains of AZ, especially between April and October. I've had measured 4G turbulence. When we travel eastbound the return is always exciting because the last two hour are always in the afternoon in the mountains and desert.

To lessen the impact we fly as high as possible and slow down. We make sure our seatbelts are extra tight and of course don't wear any hats with the little knob on the top.
 
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