The Key to Flying thru Turbulence | Getting Knocked Around in SoCal | Update Your Maneuvering Speed

[@BumbleBee55R]

Can the calculations used in this spreadsheet also be used in MPH by just substituting the speeds in KnoTS with MPH?

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

yes, the units don't matter. just change the text to MPH anywhere it says knots. The calculations are the same.

[@BumbleBee55R]

@@SoCalFlyingMonkey that's what figured. Thank you so much for doing this!

[@gnuclur8952]

Christopher froeschl what are about 4?

[@aaronposteraro1986]

I just discovered this channel and it’s criminally underrated. Subscribed.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Feel free to share it! :)

[@flyinwithbrian9753]

No doubt!

[@PistolPackingPilot]

Bob, you’re 100% correct. I subbed as well.

[@thefreediverjohn]

Criminally!

[@akamaverick6205]

Same

[@mikemather7366]

During this time that I am not flying in rentals, I have been looking for aviation channels and pilots that resonate most with me. This is it. Everything from the compelling video (to be expected, I have since discovered), to the inclusion of your family, to the real-world use of a private-pilot certificate, has me hooked. Really great content.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

wow thank you so much for this comment. This kind of feedback really keeps me wanting to make more. We are having fun doing it and knowing that others are enjoying it is very fulfilling as a creator.

[@PistolPackingPilot]

Factually, very good information. You did your homework. Only one minor criticism. “Extreme” turbulence can not only damage small airplanes, it can damage any airplane. In the A320 the turbulence penetration speed is 250 KIAS below 10,000 feet, and 275 above 10,000 until reaching Mach .76. In my 20 years of experience, up to this point I’ve only hit severe turbulence twice. Don’t ever be able to use the word “UNABLE” with ATC. It’s one of my favorite words actually. You’re in command of your aircraft, not them! You can never be violated for not complying with ATC instructions if you’re “UNABLE,” for whatever the reason may be. Just be prepared to articulate your actions later on if requested to do so. Fly safe......

[@TheVahaj]

@@LazloNQ Roma wins son

[@teacherzach8691]

I predict this channel will take off in the coming year (pun intended)

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Thanks for the support!

[@georgepeach5430]

I fly a Cessna Cardinal. Like you, I absolutely hate turbulence. My imagination sometimes gets the best of me and a picture a wing just folding at the fuselage. Your video is very instructive. I will definitely use a weight versus maneuvering speed formula for future bumpy flights. Thanks for a great video!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

I'm so glad you found it useful. Thank you for the feedback.

[@PilotBossify]

You shouldn’t hate turbulence, I find smooth flights boring.

[@brandonmurray9448]

About 20 years ago I was flying a Piper Lance near Paducah KY. We were in solid IMC and I was (ignorantly) relying on a storm scope to keep me out of imbedded T-storms. I also assumed that Indianapolis Center had weather radar to help keep me in the clear... They didn't. First the clouds turned dark green, then the lighting became intense, about that time the storm scope put up an error message. I have never encountered turbulence like that in my life. All I kept saying was VA wings level and I let the airplane go where the storm took it. At one point I had the throttle at idle and the VSI was pegged in the climb. We lost multiple screws and cam locks, the back of the cowling was displaced... We landed uneventfully. After landing I found out that one of the guys in the back came out of his seat, was body slammed on the ceiling and then on the floor before getting back to his seat.. huge mistakes on my part and it changed the way I flew when storms were part of the equation. Great videos by the way and great flying. Be safe!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Wow thanks so much for sharing that story. That sounds insane to me. It is so important to be able to look back and admit mistakes or judgment errors to learn from them and valuable for the rest of us when you share. I definitely try to stay far away from storms and only have ADSB so I go WAY around due to the delay.

[@falconwings3864]

Sounds scary as hell

[@Zackbrooks737]

Falcon Wings Nah. Hell is much scarier. And it lasts forever.

[@donc9751]

Very scary situation! I'm not a pilot, but anyone who has lived in the South knows dark green clouds are bad news on the ground and can only be worse in the air! Glad you landed safely!

[@brandonmurray9448]

@@donc9751 Thanks! Me too!

[@zgeekdiver]

Living vicariously through Flying Monkey...maybe one day I'll get into the sky.

[@kevinmeyer3056]

Excellent channel. It’s now my new favorite flying channel. I flew into Stevens Point, WI. (STE) in a 172 and the turbulence was so bad things were coming out of the map pockets. Along with slowing down, I found screaming and swearing helps. LOL

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Haha- we had one of those screaming in sheer terror experiences on the flight I talk about coming out of Palm Springs. But things coming out of the map pockets sounds really bad. Thanks for the kind words about the channel.

[@jeanchapman1301]

When I was learning to fly and building time for my commercial, I was flying around Mt. St Helens and got on the downwind side of a mountain wave. The plane was being thrown so violently that my head kept hitting the door and I was inputting full lock aileron left and right trying to stay upright, combined with big altitude changes. Was far too busy flying the plane to be scared at the time, but afterwards I was extremely grateful and relieved to still be alive. Always kept a suspicious eye on mountains after that and am mindful of wind direction when flying below an isolated peak.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Thanks for sharing that- the mountain wave can be super dangerous. I took a mountain flying course and learned a little about flying around peaks, etc. Windy.com is a good site for looking at and planning for winds aloft. Easy to visualize with that site and a cool interface.

[@commercialpilot54]

Man! Great video… Yeah turbulence like that is the pits. I encountered that kind of ride flying “up the valley from the Knoxville area to Johnson City Tennessee… Constant speed adjustments, going with the flow, and even a little singing helped me get through it… Gotta remember that it’s not gonna knock you out of the sky…. But! It still gives you the willies!

[@markstevens6359]

From a guy that spent 30 years flying through hurricanes with the air force reserves Hurricane Hunters... its all about Va, maneuvering airspeed. Yes it is published in your POH for gross weight. It goes down as gross weight goes down. Lower than that speed is even better, to a point. Notice when your airline Captain announces the fasten seat belt sign has been turned on, you feel the throttles come back, the deck angle/pitch changes and the aircraft slows down. You want the speed to reduce, the pitch to change (increase), so that in the event of a severe vertical gust (turbulence), your wing is nearer stall angle of attack, so the wing stalls, well before the load would result in overstress, damage, or worse yet, structural failure. The reduction in airspeed results in needing a higher AOA in level flight, so your closer to the critical angle of attack if a sudden vertical gust occurs. The other key is to request a block altitude say 6,000 - 8000, while staying "around 7000". Then you can ride the up drafts up, and avoid putting the nose down to maintain a hard altitude during an updraft, or avoid a large change in pitch or power during a downdraft. The block altitude is key to softening the ride...

[@clarencerudy63]

Turbulence is all ways worse when your IMC. Be gentle with the control inputs. In the roll. Axis the first jolt will always knock you off your heading second jolt brings you halfway back. If you want to maintain your heading just slowly roll to the heading. The airframe can always take more than your nerves can. Pitch plus power equals performance set your power your airspeed will vary wildly don’t chase airspeed. Next Comfort your passengers by informing them that it’s just gonna be a little bumpy for a while and it always worked at the airlines ha ha. Then tell ATC about the level of turbulence and if you can try to inform other pilots in the area. Smile and make you feel better and enjoy the ride.

[@azcharlie2009]

I've never heard of requesting block altitudes. That's a great idea! That would have helped me quite a bit on a flight down the Rio Grande valley some years ago. I was trying to stay at 9,500 and the thermals would not let me, and ATC didn't like it. It wasn't rough really... Just huge updrafts where I was at idle power, and downdrafts where I need full throttle.

[@alialmutairi8387]

Can someome bank like 30 deg when it is turbulent?

[@azcharlie2009]

@@alialmutairi8387 I think so, but check your manual. As long as you stay below the maneuvering speed limits adjusted for weight, you should be ok.. Just remember, your stall speed increases with the angle of bank. In my Archer, it climbs from 54 knots to approx. 60 knots @ 30 degrees bank with no flaps. In turbulence, I only use standard rate turns. It just feels more comfortable. Also, at slow pattern speeds, I'd be very careful not to bank more than standard rate at all times.

[@alialmutairi8387]

@@azcharlie2009 what do you do in the pattern when you often need to be at 30 deg of bank?

[@merkster12]

First off, I hope you get back to work soon. Wishing the best for you and your family. Thanks for using the time for videos like this. Ton of information boiled down to an easily understandable format. The minutia like this is one of my favorite parts of flying. Figuring out all the V speeds, weight and balance, etc is a joy for me. #flyingnerd These are really awesome.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Thank you for the kind words. I'm right there with you on nerding out on the little details. I really love how in depth you can go...you don't NEED to but it can add a lot of extra enjoyment and refine your skills. The science part of aviation is very interesting to me and combining that with adventure is super fun. :)

[@rickkimball6125]

Here in the SE we get turbulence in the transition from winter to spring and the cold fronts pushing thru against the warm fronts...Those are days with 'perfect visibility' and brutal turbulence. I try to fly exactly as you said -- slower, with weight in consideration, do not panic/accept the circumstances. The part of those flights you didn't mention -- is the fun, and danger, of landing in gusty conditions. I've been guilty of congratulating myself after completing a couple hours in the washing machine and finally reaching the traffic pattern..and relaxing... and then forgetting about the nasty crosswinds in those conditions. As my CFI used to say, "fly it all the way to the tie downs". We are always learning, aren't we. Great video, great advice. I'm a subscriber now.

[@jimhefner]

Thanks for this valuable info! I generally fly solo with light loading, and hadn't thought about or calculated Va difference with loading... just stall and approach speeds. I added the Va formulas to my W&B spreadsheet and will be noting that in the future thanks to your video.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

I’m so glad you found the video useful. Thank you for the feedback! Fly safe!

[@tonysaunders9655]

turbulence is weird so there we were flying along with a 35 knot headwind not going anywhere very quickley. air was smooth as silk, not a bump in the sky. suddenly with five miles to run instantly the world went mad. and as we decended into the circuit it got worse. my mate was flying at the time, it made him sweat landing and me and i was only watching. moral of the story it can strike when you least expect it. but when it does it get's your attention😎

[@clarencerudy63]

I recently found your channel and truly enjoying the content. Retired Airline Pilot you got me interested in GA again. Thank you. Flying has always been me bliss.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Glad you found us and are enjoying. Hope you get back into GA. There are so many different types of flying to do, depending on what youre in to.

[@beardedaviator3880]

Socal Student pilot who attempted my solo cross country this week. Ran into moderate turbulence, turned the plane around and landed. Kinda spooked me so now I'm looking for videos to get through this issue. Great video btw and just subscribed.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Glad the video was helpful. Flying in turbulence definitely takes some getting used to. I recommend looking at the Airmets and Turbulence products in Foreflight (or on gov't website)- The turbulence weather product shows eddy dissipation rates in a color coded way at altitude increments and can show you where the turbulence is forecast. You will also start to develop an idea of where it will be based on wind direction, speed, and geography. Do a bit of searching for mountain flying and you will come across some articles about predicting lift and sink. Use the turbulence products to find a day that will have some turbulence and go up with a CFI to get some experience and build your comfort level. I finally started to get comfortable with it when I was doing IFR training under the hood in moderate turbulence.

[@BruceClark]

Great video - thanks! Turbulence is the most disconcerting thing I faced while taking flying lessons. Sometimes we have less control than we think!

[@SkyNdiveProductions]

Appreciate the video. As a new private pilot I tend to get a bit nervous when I get into some wind.. Glad it's not just me.

[@samrutkowski1]

Not just you for sure. I like a nice "boring" smooth day and "sweat" the bumps every time. My CFI who was a young guy (20 years my junior) but with 1000's of hours never seemed to mind getting tossed around and I used to act as if I felt the same. On one particular training flight, visibility was 10+ and surface winds were well within my minimums. I did however notice an odd looking cloud layer during pre-flight that was well above the altitude I intended to fly so I gave it no thought. Once aloft I was white knuckling the yoke and sweating through my shirt as it felt like the Cherokee was a sneaker in a clothes dryer. Climbing at 80 knots I hit a wall of air that felt like we stopped dead as the stall horn sounded. It was a trying hour and a half, at the end of which I landed, parked and sighed deeply. As i put the mixture to full lean and the engine sputtered to a stop my CFI turned to me and remarked that it was a rare occasion when he'd rather be on the ground. I was glad he did because it was the first time I had felt the same and felt good to know I was not alone.

[@SkyNdiveProductions]

@@samrutkowski1 lol I can imagine Sam.. Thanks for the input! We just got to keep at it I guess.

[@thenerv37]

I have never even heard of weight adjusted speeds. Thank you

[@michaelfletcher1224]

Great video! Worst turbulence I ever flew in was during my flight training (which I did at Van Nuys airport.) We were over Simi Valley (where this video is being filmed) and Santa Ana winds were so strong at one point while practicing minimum controllable airspeed my instructor took control of the plane and told me to look below us.... we were pretty much standing still over the ground. We were getting tossed around so badly that we cut the lesson short. I was fighting to not throw up and my instructor landed the plane at Van Nuys because it was well beyond my skills at the time. It gave a very healthy respect for turbulence... particularly in small planes.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

It can get pretty bad in that area with the right conditions. It’s good experience to do it with an experienced CFI.

[@Db--jt7bt]

Simi valley seems like a bad place for a flight lesson… unless it’s a lesson about turbulence. The mountains on 3 sides almost guarantees a bumpy ride. You can fly over it but it probably won’t be fun.

[@just4stringsnme]

Dude, killer video content. Especially loved the Mario sound effect. I have a feeling that either this year or next, you’ll be signing autographs at Oshkosh.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Finally someone appreciates the Mario sound effect!!! Thank you for that. It's like my favorite part and gave me a solid 5 minutes of delirious laughter when I cut it in there at like 1 am while editing. :)

[@bellofello1]

SoCal Flying Monkey I rather enjoyed it too ☺️

[@clydeperrine2959]

Got here after viewing your video that KZbin suggested for me. It was your clever video about how you and the fixer upper you bought for your empty hanger after you sold your four seat airplane. I have subscribed to see what comes next. The sky is not only the limit, it is the adventure as well. Good luck.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@mafp22w]

I love that you made the spreadsheet. It is so good to know the precise speed as it helps for consistency in flying and landings.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Glad it was helpful!

[@GlenGGonsalves]

I got nervous just watching from my couch.😆 I would be “white knuckled” the whole way. You are the man!

[@SergioSilva-zc6id]

Last night I subscribed to your channel - I wish I had discovered it 4 months ago, after watching other channels like CitationMax, Premier1 and Jesse Flies, I decided not to wait any longer for this and began my pilot instruction (ground school 1st, of course). Your videos are right on with the Math and some of your tips I also had figured them out myself. It's awesome to find someone who puts it altogether like you did. Needless to say, their production is excellent! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your learning, adventures, and passion for flying the way you do.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Sergio, thanks so much for the feedback. I'm so glad the videos are useful for you. I hope you enjoy your flight training to the fullest. I found it to be so fun and rewarding. I've got a decent back catalogue of videos and I hope you enjoy them and find some of them useful!

[@SergioSilva-zc6id]

@@SoCalFlyingMonkey Oh, I've seen several already! Very nice production. My nephew is also watching them from Chile, he's starting flying school next month at 25.

[@natevanness]

Rule of Thumb: Reduce Va by 10% for each 20% weight reduction. Works for other v-speeds, too. Your table is great, but your hands might be otherwise occupied in severe turbulence. Your concept of rough air penetration speed is valid (we use it in the Hawker all the time), however bear in mind the manufacturer probably never demonstrated that speed in a Part 23 aircraft, so you are going out on a limb a bit perhaps using it. Great stuff, glad I found your channel.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

good tips. Thanks for watching. Glad you found the channel!

[@1macca]

Funny how you said you wanted to learn more about flying in turbulence after the Palm Springs incident. I literally watched this video after flying through the Banning Pass last night and had crazy mountain waves hitting me just after departing KPSP. Good thing I realized after watching the video was that I didn't really miss out anything knowledge-wise and that's what I think I'm still alive right now lol.

[@santiagoecarbajal]

Dude! This video was the best I saw today online. Short and sweet as I like but with so much great information cram packed in an easily digestible format. No waste, pure good content. I loved it. You just got a 1+ subscriber.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for subscribing and for the kind words.

[@philbrammer3632]

Yep 100% slow down, tighten belt and go with the flow. Good vid mate

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Thanks 👍

[@carlhopkinson]

the key is: slow down...just like a car on a bumpy road.

[@jacobboudreaux1117]

Carl Hopkinson idk, I’ve driven through unpaved roads in New Mexico and the faster you go. The smoother it is

[@Handotr]

Just like the bumpy road will tear up your cars suspension if you drive hard, blasting through turbulence subjects your airframe to unnecessary abuse.

[@shadowsrwolf]

@@jacobboudreaux1117 This works great on wash boarded roads

[@pdutube]

Yup, you can break it sooner or later :)

[@captkerosene]

Slow waaaaaay down is the secret - not just a little. The jolts turn into mush and you don't worry about breaking something. Only accelerate up to maneuvering speed if you are worried about losing control of the plane (which isn't going to happen). Took me 30 years to figure this out.

[@jhardisty72]

I fly out of Van Nuys so I go through that pass all the time. I experienced servers turbulence right around the same area. I made it home safe thankfully. But ever since that day I’ve been looking for ways to deal with turbulence. So thank you for this video!! This is exactly what I needed!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

So glad it was useful!

[@terryjkent]

I now fly a sub 600kg Pipersport and pretty much every flight on all but the calmest days tend to be like your video flight. It's good because it teaches you to not be intimidated by turbulence and to not over control the aircraft which is usually the cause of even more discomfort. Great video and very informative, thank you.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Oh yeah you must get bounced around pretty good in a very light airplane. I used to have a PA28 and this heavier PA32 I am flying handles the bumps a little better. Good point about not overcontrolling.

[@stealhty1]

Great video , im not a big fan of Turbulent flying either as my Glider pilots friends does,I also reduce speed ,take deep breath and try to accept the conditions

[@bhtvids2822]

thank you for the video! yesterday i tried to fly home on the lee side and it was pretty much the same. i flew well below maneuvering speed and good amount above stall. it took me about 3-5 min to give up and divert to the closest airport that was luckily 10 nm and away from the mountain!! i did know i'm going to encounter some turbulence but did not imagine i'll work that hard to "just fly the plane".

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Good call diverting!

[@jcposada]

I am loving your videos. The Mario sound when you bumped your head has me ROFL.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

I was delirious at 1 am editing and when I cut that in I laughed for awhile too. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@joecarpenter4522]

I think you’ll find that as you gain more experience flying in turbulence, the less it’ll bother you and perhaps even your family. You have a solid understanding of the phenomenon and more importantly, how to stay on the safer operating zone by remaining at or below Va. Tango can definitely be a challenge and is annoying but it’s one more element of flight that we often have to deal with. -Joe (Check Instructor, CFI, CFI-I)

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

We almost always have an Airmet for Mod Turb below 18k in SoCal so yeah better get used to it right!

[@Lincolnpark2735]

Very helpful. I just downloaded and modified for my PA 28 for my ATP checkride. Thanks !!!

[@palou1989]

A quick note for anybody trying to figure out new airspeeds: If your POH has a table for converting IAS to CAS, the appropriate way to calculate weight adjusted speeds is by applying the correction to the CAS airspeed that corresponds to the IAS given by the POH. The final step would be converting the "new CAS" back to IAS. This is would be most significant at low airspeeds where CAS and IAS tend to diverge the most (so stall speed, Vx, Best glide). Not really that important for higher airspeeds. Great video once again!

[@brennanwolfe1814]

I’m a student pilot and I had first 150 nautical mile solo cross country yesterday. On the 70 mile leg back the whole way I experience turbulence almost identical to the turbulence you experienced in this video. Extremely stressful and definitely hard to multitask as we often do as pilots. Because of this, I am more interested to learn on how to deal with turbulence as a newer pilot

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

that DOES sound stressful. I'm not a flight instructor but I find that slowing down and flying the airplane as the number one priority really helps. The most important thing is to stay calm and keep control and keep the airspeed where it needs to be. All the other stuff like navigating and communicating can wait.

[@allenustianowski9757]

I can relate with what you went through. I did my solo XC today and the entire time had extreme turbulence. I did not enjoy it at all and it was terrifying since I never experienced it with my instructor. There was no good altitude and a perfectly clear day. Kept it slow and steady and pushed through it since I had no choice. Very demoralizing.

[@Food.Dog.Car.]

I went on my Discovery flight yesterday and it was pretty much equal to these conditons. I never stopped moving the yoke and the crosswinds were at 20 kts. The landing was quite interesting to say the least. Its just an unatural feeling to fall, twist, and lean all at once without notice. I was in a cessna 152.

[@facebook2k7]

I have also learned never wear a ball cap with a button on top. Hurts a lot. Thank you for posting such easy to understand and quick pointers.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Glad it was helpful! And thats a great point about the hat!

[@sebastiangrimm5671]

Thanks so much for the spreadsheet idea and for providing it! Keep up the great videos, real fun to watch! Greetings from Germany

[@markstevens6359]

Heres a great video of penetrating the eye of Hurricane Felix in a WC130J. Note the red light in the gear handle. It illuminates when power is near flight idle and the gear is up, there is a horn as well. This plane weighs about 130,000 pounds at this point in the mission. At idle power, red light on, idle power pitch to remain at or below about 175 knots, they are going up about 5000 ft/min!! We fly a big block altitude, or just at/below 18,000. Usually trying to maintain 10,000 ft pressure altitude for data integrity, but deviating up/down in our block during big turb. Enjoy....

[@in2flying]

One of the better videos I've come across lately. Good stuff.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

[@jamimohlenkamp8636]

Great video, and really appreciate you making the cheat sheet downloadable. Keep the videos coming! Thank you!!!

[@dsinha99]

Very glad I found your channel! You rock. I got my PPL about 10 years ago on a 181 in the SF Bay Area, and I've been on the hunt for a decent piper 6 to fly around a 500 nm radius. Love your stories!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Thanks for watching and commenting. I hope you enjoy the back catalogue. More fun stuff to come soon!

[@airman329]

Good video. Haaaa, love seeing these. Over 30 years of freight flying and airline flying I can tell you turbulence is scary but not deadly until you slow down too much and stall, or overstress the aircraft from over controlling it. Just fly Vma and chill out, and this to will pass. Promise.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Thanks for watching!

[@mattolmstead6150]

Thanks for the advice! I am a student pilot currently flying a 1960 cessna 150 and I can tell you turbulence certainly isnt my favorite. Its nice to get a professional's feedback on something to give me peace of mind

[@jphutube]

Thank you for the spreadsheet, very helpful!

[@m-starre-r8671]

that was so helpful i am still an aviation student and i panic with turbulence i can’t even fly but i am going to go in much more confident now thank you

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

have a good discussion about turbulence with your CFI and maybe try to fly with your CFI on some bumpy days...?

[@timmay676]

👍. I am appreciate your " transparency " that come with the close to be " A real experience of being in flight " with you and yours To me , those multi camera position and the " instrumental glass cockpit" Are the icing on the cake. Looking forward to learn and experience more from you HAPPY FLYING 😊👏👏👏👍

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Thank you!

[@clarencerudy63]

I watched your video again, and would like you to consider this. The design maneuvering speed (Va)is the speed at which the airplane will stall before exceeding its design limit-load factor in turbulent conditions or when the flight controls are suddenly and fully deflected in flight. The key point is "when flight controls are SUDDENLY and FULLY deflected in flight". Make your corrections slowly to maintain the desired attitude.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Good point!!!

[@flyinwithbrian9753]

More great content! Turbulence is a fact of life if you fly a lot. I'm an 8000 hr 767 captain, but I don't like it in my Bonanza. Great job pointing out that Va (and the other V speeds) are weight related. I hadn't thought of making a spreadsheet and putting it in Foreflight. I'm gonna add that to my bag of tricks!

[@travisliebenberg9545]

I am training on cherokees in South Africa. Being very hot and at high elevation makes turbulence extremely common in summer. I was on my first lesson and the turbulence was so bad it undid my entire flight bag midflight. Love the video, will try out the methods you've got

[@stephensmith9793]

My first solo cross country was KSBA back to KWHP. I had a roller coaster ride in about the same spot. Better than the old 'E' ticket! Learned about turbulence penetration the next day! Thanks for your great videos and great to see Whiteman.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Thanks for watching!

[@tiffanyr.1344]

I can't thank you enough for this video! I have never flown in a light aircraft before and I just had a "discovery flight lesson" at my local small airport, I was in the air in a Cessna 172 for 1 hr and the instructor had me controlling the yoke and throttle almost the entire time (but not the rudder). We hit some turbulence a few times and it scared me half to death! I wanted to try for my private pilot but the turbulence had me second guessing, concerned about "dropping out of the sky". Now I think I may go for it!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

So glad the video was helpful for you. You will get used to the turbulence and learn how to manage tasks when getting bounced around.

[@AeroRamer]

Awesome! Great content. I was looking for Va info and got a lot more from the video. File downloaded. Thanks for the tip about uploading to FF. I was not aware of that functionality.

[@johncarol2]

Love the weight adjusted v speed spreadsheet. it is going in my foreflight documents.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Glad it is useful for you!

[@zacharynorman397]

Ok, so stumbled across your channel, and between the content, links and style, this is easily now one of my new favorite aviation channels.Also, thanks for the V speed template!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Wow thank you so much for the kind words- I really appreciate the support.

[@dispop8977]

While ferrying a Cessna 150 across the country for a new owner, I hit a thermal so strong over central MO that my head hit the ceiling and my door popped open. Not a great feeling! Great video!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

That would be pretty scary to have both happen at the same time! Glad you didn't get too distracted by it.

[@schoneschone]

Maybe I am misreading it or not understanding it thoroughly, but i believe the formula of Vnew=Vold*Sqrt(CurrWt/MaxGross) is only applicable (and even then with heavy conservatism) for maneuvering speed, not all V speeds. I believe one of the articles linked in the about section even mentions it at the end? While it's true that all V speeds change with weight, you'd have to test in flight how each of them is affected for a different given weight. There's no blanket one delta for all weights rule Absolutely love your channel and your videos!

[@jeffreykent6203]

You mention both the Santa Susana Pass and what I can only assume is the Banning Pass near KPSP. I did my long solo XC there KVNY-KPSP and dealt with nasty turbulence in a C152. Not fun. Definitely humbling, and all in all, a learning experience. I'm also not a fan of turbulence. To me, it takes the fun out of flying, but it is something that I want to build my confidence with because we can't always have absolutely perfect flying days. This video is helpful and appreciated. See you around out there!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the positive comment!!

[@bvdb]

Nice video, as a professional pilot they learn us the following. When encountering turbulence it's difficult to concentrate. What helps is leaning a bit forward in your chair. Don't keep your back resting against the backrest. Take care.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

great tip thank you

[@jmitterii2]

Was stormy winter day with my CFI a night x country dual instruction. The irony was it was calm at the destination airport and back to returning airport where I was able to do several touch and goes. And it was only really bumping on arrival at both airports 20 nm to 8ish nm distance from the airports. But that 20nm to 8 nm were really bumpy... snow was screaming down, my instructor thought it funny to show me how much snow was screaming down by shining his flash light out the window. Ceilings were still VFR but on returning became MVFR and last touch and really started to become IFR. Was so bumpy on that 20nm to 8 nm from the returning airport, approach handed me off to tower, I couldn't switch radios... and my instructor tried, and he couldn't either... so we remained on approach frequency longer... to which approach asked us if we could see a life-flight helicopter near the mountains about 10 miles North of the airport... we could... the helicopter wasn't responding for a while... I advised traffic insight, but they're probably being pumped around like we are. Few moments later the helicopter did respond, sounded like shouting to get words to come out of their mouth... it was bad for us, and them... 8 miles though it smoothed out... switched to tower... and we did touch and goes... several of them until clouds started rolling in at 1,000 ft AGL. I was actually having lots of fun on the flight... giggling and all around loving every moment. But I told my instructor (who earlier prior to this flight would have agreed this would be a no go VFR flight with just my VFR license... but he was IFR and felt comfortable enough on wx reports, that if need be he could turn it into a IFR flight... and takeover)... I told him if he wasn't there sitting next to me.. I'd pooping my pants. But he and I were having lots of fun. Going bumpity bump all over the place. Again, only for short period of the flight, but it got intense. So far, still the most intense sustained turbulence I've experienced. I don't think I did that bad at managing the flight controls and all. I dislike going up with friends and family in any turbulence though. Just makes the flight experience awful for everyone. Only pilots (might) enjoy. Means nobody will enjoy it onboard LOL!

[@jrwarner579]

I was up the other day and ascending out of Lancaster airport going to doylestown airport in Pa ...we got bounced just like that backend thrust you mentioned and it was sobering, thats for sure!!!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

yeah that was a weird sensation. Havent had it happen before or since. Interesting that you go the same thing.

[@evanrobinson8546]

GA can always learn from pt 91 and commercial ops - will never forget the first time I did a gross weight landing in turbulence. I'd practice....a lot. Light. It was a whole new ballgame. After that, weight adjusted speeds - like every private biz jet, or large commercial jet rely on - were all I'd use until getting comfortable enough to base on sight picture having gotten to know my particular aircraft. And, as you know, 30 at WHP is always a rodeo - fun head hitting times!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

If you're landing rwy 30 at whiteman you can pretty much but it's bumpy out there. :)

[@lucilahaase5369]

My heart raced d at coyote and then it just got more interesting! So impressed by all that you learn and share.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Glad you liked it!

[@themark4u]

Love watching your aviation journey through these videos. Thanks for taking the time to produce and share them with us. Would you be open to making a video on how you record your in cockpit videos, ATC/ICS audio, and editing videos for uplaod? Looking forward to more videos.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Stay tuned! :)

[@NETBotic]

I flew a SIGMET tango once, same area. If I wasn't dual I would have turned around and flew home!

[@josephdunbar2105]

NC Skylane pilot here. Funny to see the hole in your ceiling. I took a 100 hamburger flight once and the winds aloft were pretty stiff, and rolling over the mountains 40 mikes to my west. It was like a washing machine and I hit one pocket we’re my head slammed into the ceiling HARD. All I could do is keep it level and get home.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

I learned on that one to tighten the lap belt really tight....

[@-covid-20]

Wow..impressive..fantastic....u sure explained it so clear and concise ...and the graphic is so easy to understand...thank u for this gem of a video...stay safe..take care..

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you!

[@douglascloud4484]

this is a great channel full of understandable info. thanks for sharing

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Thanks for watching!

[@campclifford2471]

Recently encountered extreme turbulence on a flight from KTLH (Tallahassee, FL) to KOCF (Ocala, FL). Had 4 occupants in my 182T and accidentally flew into a towering cumulus that was hidden behind a layer of fairly tall, but not too intimidating cumulus clouds. Had already slowed down to maneuvering speed, had a 400 foot drop in altitude and everyone’s heads hit the ceiling and knocked every headset off.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Ooof that sounds rough. I've never had that bad turbulence in IMC...yet. :)

[@chenjunalex]

Nice video, and thanks for the spreadsheet👍

[@blanbec14]

In my youth I used to be shot by turbulences during my initial training. I don’t known in the states but here we must go for 2 solo nav of minimum 100 nautical miles. It was November in north of France. I was flying a Morane 120hp. All you can call vintage. VOR and no glass at all. With of course a little fear I prepared my estimate and radials and so on. At one time, I faced these nice cumulus convection. Flying 1500QNH I was hammered until a point the sliding canopy unlocked. Is it because I did not locked correctly ? Or to some deformations ? Whatever it came to BANG suddenly during a bump when I was looking at milestones outside. What a shock for my inexperienced sens of the air ! These Morane are well made and it can not open even unlock but man it was intense. By the way during this flight I was passed left right by 2 fighters same altitude about 200 m from each other. Woosh woosh that was closed too. I bet they did not see me at all at this speed with this angle. At 17, you remember these.

[@PILOTVIDS]

A couple of years a go I was following a strong cold front on my way to Sun N Fun. I caught up to the back side of it and it was like a brick wall. I just slowed way down. I knew that Va decreased as weight decreased, so I slowed way down. It never helped with the turbulence but A LOT of cussing didn't help either but I tried it the whole 3 hours!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Haha. 3 hours is a long time to get bounced around. I think the back side of a cold front is almost always turbulent right? Sometimes you just can’t avoid it.

[@TAOM5963]

You have to use all the curse words in the correct order. One slip up and you have to @$#!&*% start over.

[@PILOTVIDS]

The Pit I have a checklist, At onset of Moderate, “$%^+” repeat as necessary or until turbulence subsides. Report to ATC light chop If Severe turbulence is detected then it’s, “Oh £#?%” what did I run over? Then ask ATC for a better altitude and make pirep in your best captain’s voice that it got a little bumpy back there.

[@stevemyers2092]

I fly in BC - low time commercially rated 430 hrs. once I was flying East in a valley that was going to "T" into the Fraser River valley where I would turn left/North. A little bumpy but minor deflection of the ailerons corrected - nothing concerning. When I came into the left turn and nosed into the N/S valley all of a sudden my left wing felt like it went vertical - which it didn't but it sure felt like it - full aileron and it stayed up would not come down (this all happened in 3 seconds) i held full aileron right and finally the wing came down...when it wanted to. I had zero control while it was up, however the nose pretty much stayed on course and no major attitude change. That was freaky and surprising. Lesson: when coming into a canyon from another valley approach from the the middle of the valley, not the closest to the corner/direction you are turning. This will give you room to move left or right if turbulence continues. We never stop learning.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Yes never stop learning. Thank for sharing that story!

[@keithmaxon9510]

So familiar. My first GA flight was out of Camarillo, and we had a coyote run across the runway during landing. During my Cross Country Solo "test" we flew from KTOA to Mojave and the turbulence up in the valley was TERRIBLE. Looking to finish my flight training at Whiteman, hopefully someday when all this crud is over we can meet and hanger chat :)

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Hope you are able to finish your flight training. Stop by Whiteman anytime to chat. The turbulence around Mojave can be pretty bad especially in the summer!

[@euge963]

Great content, just subbed! I'm getting really into aviation and will be doing a discovery flight next week. A common question my friends and family asked was about turbulence in a small plane and this was a perfect video to help explain it. Thanks!

[@flynomo]

Still gets interesting flying over the Pacific or Atlantic at night when it gets really bumpy. Not much you can do other than slow down and find another altitude.

[@trizvanov]

Or flying over Indonesia and India at night.... ooof!!!

[@newdistrictmedia6034]

Solo XC yesterday 140 hr PPL, hit moderate turbulence for the first time alone. Adjusted to Va and could hear the fuel slapping the wings (through my Bose headset). Not pleasant, but was a confidence builder. PA28R-201

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

sounds like good experience for sure. build that confidence slowly and safely... :)

[@newdistrictmedia6034]

@@SoCalFlyingMonkey Indeed. Great content, BTW! I'm a video producer, DC-based. Cheers!

[@giulioantonini8275]

Really nice video, most lighter planes usually have turbolence penetration speeds in the manual as you said. A personal advice is to always strap and secure everything in the cockpit like your kneeboard. I remember a Yak-9 based in my airport in Milan who landed with full rudder deflection luckily in calm wind, the pedals got jammed by a 2cents euro coin who made its way down there...!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

good tip. and that's a crazy story!

[@cheewurz]

Back in 1979 when I was a Student Pilot doing my Three Leg Cross Country out of Grass Valley California I experienced Unimaginable Clear Air Turbulence on a Perfect Summer Day while Flying over Very Rough Canyon Like Terrain in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I was Petrified with Fear and was Certain the Wings were going to Fold Up and Fall Off on the Cessna 152, thus I would Fall to the Earth Like A Rock and Die! I remember all I could do was Pull Back on the Throttle and Hand Fly the the Airplane in an effort to Smooth Out the Violent Drafts as best I could...it was Exhausting Mentally and Physically. I guess it worked...I'm here Writing about it with Pilot License in hand!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

I can't even imagine how that must have felt as a student pilot in such a small, light aircraft. That's horrible. Good on you for sticking with it after that!

[@majordomo9415]

I've just always used the "Ride 'em cowboy" method. I've hit the ceiling before but never hard enough to damage the airplane. Another reason to wear caps without the button on top. That had to hurt.

[@MikoMuru]

Just flew up for my first flight today thinking a little bit of a breezy flight was not going to be an issue but holy crap im scared shatless now. I now have complete respect for those pilots who can fly in turbulence.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

stick with it - you'll get used to it! :)

[@GoodLifeInSpain]

Thanks for the video and spreadsheet! Retired Editor and current Mooney flyer out of KHND...where we get our fair share of bumps!

[@daver.4191]

Very nice video. Departing Palm Springs with CAT turbulence is a real workout and convinced me to take some Aerobatics instruction. Modern aircraft are designed to the point that they want to fly even in severe turbulence. Great discussion on maneuvering speed.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Thank you! Palm Springs can definitely get crazy with turbulence...when you see those big fans turning you know it's gonna be a ride.. :)

[@pierre6940]

Thank's for the inspiration, really enjoy your work.

[@flightmonkeyuk6944]

Awesome video dude. You were getting proper knocked around.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Appreciate it!

[@jakedajuggernaught]

Hey, I fly diamond 20s and 40s (just about to wrap up my PPL) and if you know about those planes, they’re light and not that fast. In fact max baggage weight in the DA20 is only 44lbs so I don’t really get much opportunity to do weight adjusted v speeds but I definitely know what it is like to get bounced around up there and it is still unnerving after 50 hours. Good luck, I really enjoy the content I’ve seen from you so far!

[@maxvideodrome4215]

I own one and yeah, head smashing on ceiling not great. As far as slow, I agree - but still faster than 172’s - 500+ hours in the DA40

[@manuelsandez6443]

Great video short and descriptive and to the point, loved it.! Great work !

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Much appreciated!

[@Edgeoworld]

I fly in the Montana Rockies and I have winds aloft minimums tailored to my specific comfort level with turbulence. I found that winds aloft over 25kts can be pretty uncomfortable. It's also worth noting to approach mountain ridges at a 45 degree angle. This can save you from a stall or worse, a spin. Great video!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Great tips. I took a mountain flying course and both those ideas were reinforced. Must be a beautiful area to fly up there!

[@jamesjobe4307]

Last I flew, Diamond DA40 business commute with an associate, we got bounced around terribly. Our flight was going to be about 3 hours and it was bad enough that we reversed course back to home. I got the worst motion sickness EVER. Haven't been in the air since. Stopped my flight training then as well. Hmmm...I've got the itch lately though.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Get back on it! :) i find that I don’t get sick or bothered when I’m on the controls but if I’m just a passenger it’s no good at all!

[@ihab6984]

That's Crazy ! I just had some crazy turbulence the other day flying from Chino to Camarillo just before my decent above those mountains I got bounced around pretty good. it was my 3rd Solo Cross country. I just got back from a night flight Chino to Palm springs and that's the first time I feel this worried. speed near the mountains were 16 gusting 32 and it almost flipped my plane over with full opposite Ailerons in the opposite direction. Not sure If I'll ever fly back to KPSP again !

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

That’s why the Banning Pass is called the washing machine!

[@suzukitlr01]

I fly out of French Valley. Any time I fly east, I fly to Thermal vs going through the Banning pass to Palm Springs because of the turbulence.

[@Lauren-vd4qe]

that mountain that has hwy 74 descending into palm springs must give u concerns its a very abrupt rise of what 4000 ft from a hot flat valley floor; we call that hwy Divorce Drive; lots of divorce lawyers offices right at the bottom of that mountain i see.....

[@warriv1208]

I had a bad turbulence experience coming back from Santa Maria to Chino. I crossed the mountains just north of Santa Barbara and got it hard with 2 huge down drafts. I looked at my airspeed and i was at 165kts in my Cherokee 151. Safe to say I reduced throttle and just "rode the wave" but it did lead to some of the plastic pieces breaking in the cabin from bouncing around.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

holy crap that is a high indicated airspeed for a Cherokee 151! I bet the winds were coming out of the north there. Every time there are strong winds from the north when I get to Santa Barbara it gets bumpy.

[@AdA-rl4eo]

I was doing my commercial licence when I was 21, had my private licence and ended up deciding against chasing commercial licence… I haven’t flown in 15 years and recently came across your videos… I think I’ll have to dust off the old gear and get back up there

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

do it!!!!

[@paduag1782]

Great video, I learned something new today that I haven't seen in any other aviation channel. I hate torbulance! So tiresome.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Glad you found it useful!

[@paduag1782]

@@SoCalFlyingMonkey Good morning =) I had a question of topic from aviation. I was wondering how did you started your career in cinematography? Where do you start, learning wise? By the way that was another good idea to right down the calculation/chart thingy.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

There are dozens of ways to approach it. I recommend some sort of film school to start. Getting to work on small productions in any capacity is a good start as well.

[@paduag1782]

@@SoCalFlyingMonkey what are some good schools here in LA?

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

@@paduag1782 My instructor is no longer teaching so I am a little out of the loop on flight schools in the L.A. area. But I think some of the pilot groups like Facebook Student Pilot group or Pilots of America forum may be helpful resources.

[@Chris73619]

I just want to say these are great videos, subscribed and will recommend! Thanks.

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

Awesome, thank you for the supportive comment!

[@normandcormier7827]

great content bud , i just finished a ground school class in san jose a few months ago , cant wait to get some flight time in . ill be following along in your adventures with the fam , subscribed!

[@SoCalFlyingMonkey]

nice! Enjoy the flight training. It is super fun.