"Request deviation left/right 20 degrees for build ups" - words every IFR pilot should get familiar with. My first experience in true IMC was similar to this and I've had a few since. What I liked about this video is how he reacted. He didn't attempt to over-control. He kept his hand loose on the stick, let the plane negotiate the bumps on its own and trusted in it's inherent stability. I realize he was on AP but still, a lot of pilots will grab hold the minute the plane rocks.
The LOW FUEL CAS warning is common in the Diamond during turbulence or even in a high speed taxi turn. At least on the models with the extend range tanks like I have. The wings are long -- almost 40' and the tanks are long and slim so the fuel sloshes laterally. The sensors are also fairly sensitive.
I completely understand what he’s doing and why. The fact that as an instructor you are learning from your students makes you the best type of teacher. Blue skies.
Clouds like this are often the result of warm, moist air being lifted and cooled until the water vapor (gaseous water that is invisible to the human eye) condenses out into the liquid state. In the case of clouds, that liquid state is very fine water droplets. When that phase change (from gaseous to liquid) happens, a LOT of energy is released. This will result in very large amounts of energy in a cloud. I would call this moderate turbulence at most. In severe turbulence it is really hard to grab anything. You will see stuff flying around the cockpit, and his headset would be moving on his head. I will say this for the guy in the video. As a new IFR pilot, it appears he was flying in IMC with a lot of VMC between the cloud bases and the ground. That part is very good decision making on his part. In the Pilatus's I fly, the autopilot will usually kick off in moderate to heavy turbulence. When that happens it can be startling and hard to get the plane back under control quickly, if you are not ready for it. There was an accident last year where a PC-12 crashed. I think they were flying at FL260 in hard IMC. It was single pilot. He got into turbulence and the autopilot kicked off. If you think about this scenario for a minute, you can see that it is really bad for any pilots except for the most proficient. When that autopilot kicks off in heavy turbulence, there is a good chance that the trim will be way off. Also, there will be audible alarms that can be distracting. I have hand-flown a PC-12 up to FL210 and it feels very mushy like it is in a very slow flight situation. At FL260 that is going to be even worse. If you add all this up, IMC, turbulence, out of trim, mushy controls, distracting alarms, it takes a really good pilot to sort that out in a timely fashion. I remember hearing a great analogy at one point. I think it went something like this: If you were holding a cup of coffee while flying and hit turbulence; Light - You might spill a little coffee, but there is a good chance you won't spill any Moderate - You will spill about 1/3 of the coffee from the cup Heavy - You will spill 2/3 of the coffee from the cup Severe - The cup will be empty
Very glad I found your channel. You have a calm relaxed tone when you do these reviews. Look forward to many more. This was a good one, thanks to that pilot for posting this. I always wondered what it was like to fly through those. Do birds get freaked out I wonder.
ATCer here - love your reaction videos. Another thing to consider is that with these cumulous clouds, ATC has no idea those are out there. Unless they're really juicey or producing precip, the ATC radar won't depict anything so a deviation request would be helpful for everyone. Please do not feel the need to fly through these just because they're on your cleared route.
Loved the analogy re: convective changes in clouds “taking a big breath in” - this is the sort of gold that I can use to help explain some of those in flight bumps to nervous passengers. Meanwhile as much as I joke with our pilots about how those clouds look so soft and fluffy…..? I got very nervous watching that in such a small aircraft and solo. Gotta hand it to him for having the nuts to post it and admit it but I hope he doesn’t get too keen to do it again! Awesome thought on the FL range as well from ATC if picking a level is a problem. Thank you for going through this - it helps so much!
It's a good idea to get some time in moderate turbulence (that's what this was) in IMC (and VMC for that matter). I went the first couple of years after my private terrified of a few bumps in the pattern such that I wouldn't go up if the wind was over 10kts. It wasn't safe to be that apprehensive/inexperienced. You never know when things will pick up unexpectedly and you're stuck. The comment about vertical development is important, the taller the cloud, the more bumpy. Pick smallish, puffy clouds, keep the speed well below Va and keep the wings level. Tighten your seat belt! 6 days after the IR, it would be better to go with an instructor, especially if you didn't get much actual IMC in training - it has a much different feel than simulated.
Even in an a321, we would ask for deviations or at the very least make sure flight attendants were seated and the seatbelt sign was on. But it’s not going to feel good… Also without airborne weather radar, you don’t really know how bad the bumps are going to be, or what’s on the other side of them. Weather builds extremely quickly, and ForeFlight with xm weather has caused accidents due to the slight delay. I remember wanting to log actual and challenge myself when I first got my instrument. But honestly that is a phase, and now I want make sure I’m extremely proficient and in a solid IFR platform, ideally with another qualified pilot beside me. Flying in a light single in actual IFR is no joke. P.s you don’t need to specify how much of a deviation you want- just say left or right, or left and right deviations. Let ATC come back with a cap on deviation degrees if they have traffic constraints.
Flew through some clouds like that with an instructor in a 172 while getting my IR. Hit a massive downdraft just as we were transferring aircraft control back to me. Airplane banked about 30 degrees left and pitched down about 20 degrees and within a second or two (or so it seemed) we were in the yellow arc. At first I thought my instructor was trying some unusual attitude recovery trick.
I think this could’ve been a great time for him to think about his personal minimum. I think this was definitely pushing the envelope a little bit. Now I’m not wanting to talk, because I am just starting my IFR training in 2025. But personal minimums have saved my bacon many occasions! I was glad that he shared this video though, because it’s definitely a cautionary tale. You can get over your skis really quickly!
I remember flying back into Kpdk hours after getting my instrument ticket at night time I was doing an ILS and had never encountered actual. I learned instantly that I wasn't necessarily out of my ability but was edging close to getting behind the airplane. Guess as long as it's not unsafe everyone has to make mistakes.
I have an instrument rating and am current and proficient. I also have two well functioning eyeballs. I do not fly through clouds like that. I much prefer that my wings remain attached to the fuselage. I land much better that way. Also, I prefer to hand fly through turbulence. I pull back to lower than VA, to turbulence penetration speed, disengage the autopilot and hand fly the sucker. By the way, the reflex in your toddler when falling backwards is called the Moro reflex.
No, definitely not severe. There was no loss of control. What he should of learned is that ATC will give you deviations and there was plenty of blue sky.
One minor bit of feedback: Your audio is usually significantly softer than other videos. I always have to turn up the volume (and then the next video is too loud). Otherwise I enjoy your videos however.
What I always wondered.. do PPLs and CFIs also study glider content? How much overlap is there even between (motorized) private pilots and/or CFIs and glider pilots in your are? Thinking of a Venn-Diagram here. This video by the Pure Glide channel here from a few days ago was quite interesting and insightful: th-cam.com/video/V3Pchi3wAT8/w-d-xo.html
A lot of pilots think light chop is light turbulence, light is moderate and the low end of moderate is severe. Severe turbulence is being thrown upside down and not being able to do anything about it. 2000 fpm updrafts/downdrafts and being thrown into your seat belt is the beginning of medium turbulence.
This video started some good debate, everyone should know not to fly through a CB or even near one but one is not ready for weather flying from reading comments on TH-cam, caution is a good thing in aviation.
"Request deviation left/right 20 degrees for build ups" - words every IFR pilot should get familiar with. My first experience in true IMC was similar to this and I've had a few since. What I liked about this video is how he reacted. He didn't attempt to over-control. He kept his hand loose on the stick, let the plane negotiate the bumps on its own and trusted in it's inherent stability. I realize he was on AP but still, a lot of pilots will grab hold the minute the plane rocks.
The LOW FUEL CAS warning is common in the Diamond during turbulence or even in a high speed taxi turn. At least on the models with the extend range tanks like I have. The wings are long -- almost 40' and the tanks are long and slim so the fuel sloshes laterally. The sensors are also fairly sensitive.
I completely understand what he’s doing and why.
The fact that as an instructor you are learning from your students makes you the best type of teacher.
Blue skies.
Clouds like this are often the result of warm, moist air being lifted and cooled until the water vapor (gaseous water that is invisible to the human eye) condenses out into the liquid state. In the case of clouds, that liquid state is very fine water droplets. When that phase change (from gaseous to liquid) happens, a LOT of energy is released. This will result in very large amounts of energy in a cloud.
I would call this moderate turbulence at most. In severe turbulence it is really hard to grab anything. You will see stuff flying around the cockpit, and his headset would be moving on his head. I will say this for the guy in the video. As a new IFR pilot, it appears he was flying in IMC with a lot of VMC between the cloud bases and the ground. That part is very good decision making on his part.
In the Pilatus's I fly, the autopilot will usually kick off in moderate to heavy turbulence. When that happens it can be startling and hard to get the plane back under control quickly, if you are not ready for it. There was an accident last year where a PC-12 crashed. I think they were flying at FL260 in hard IMC. It was single pilot. He got into turbulence and the autopilot kicked off. If you think about this scenario for a minute, you can see that it is really bad for any pilots except for the most proficient. When that autopilot kicks off in heavy turbulence, there is a good chance that the trim will be way off. Also, there will be audible alarms that can be distracting. I have hand-flown a PC-12 up to FL210 and it feels very mushy like it is in a very slow flight situation. At FL260 that is going to be even worse. If you add all this up, IMC, turbulence, out of trim, mushy controls, distracting alarms, it takes a really good pilot to sort that out in a timely fashion.
I remember hearing a great analogy at one point. I think it went something like this:
If you were holding a cup of coffee while flying and hit turbulence;
Light - You might spill a little coffee, but there is a good chance you won't spill any
Moderate - You will spill about 1/3 of the coffee from the cup
Heavy - You will spill 2/3 of the coffee from the cup
Severe - The cup will be empty
Very glad I found your channel. You have a calm relaxed tone when you do these reviews. Look forward to many more. This was a good one, thanks to that pilot for posting this. I always wondered what it was like to fly through those. Do birds get freaked out I wonder.
@@CyberSystemOverload thank you so much. I’m super glad to have you here.
ATCer here - love your reaction videos. Another thing to consider is that with these cumulous clouds, ATC has no idea those are out there. Unless they're really juicey or producing precip, the ATC radar won't depict anything so a deviation request would be helpful for everyone. Please do not feel the need to fly through these just because they're on your cleared route.
Loved the analogy re: convective changes in clouds “taking a big breath in” - this is the sort of gold that I can use to help explain some of those in flight bumps to nervous passengers.
Meanwhile as much as I joke with our pilots about how those clouds look so soft and fluffy…..? I got very nervous watching that in such a small aircraft and solo. Gotta hand it to him for having the nuts to post it and admit it but I hope he doesn’t get too keen to do it again!
Awesome thought on the FL range as well from ATC if picking a level is a problem.
Thank you for going through this - it helps so much!
It's a good idea to get some time in moderate turbulence (that's what this was) in IMC (and VMC for that matter). I went the first couple of years after my private terrified of a few bumps in the pattern such that I wouldn't go up if the wind was over 10kts. It wasn't safe to be that apprehensive/inexperienced. You never know when things will pick up unexpectedly and you're stuck.
The comment about vertical development is important, the taller the cloud, the more bumpy. Pick smallish, puffy clouds, keep the speed well below Va and keep the wings level. Tighten your seat belt! 6 days after the IR, it would be better to go with an instructor, especially if you didn't get much actual IMC in training - it has a much different feel than simulated.
Even in an a321, we would ask for deviations or at the very least make sure flight attendants were seated and the seatbelt sign was on. But it’s not going to feel good…
Also without airborne weather radar, you don’t really know how bad the bumps are going to be, or what’s on the other side of them. Weather builds extremely quickly, and ForeFlight with xm weather has caused accidents due to the slight delay.
I remember wanting to log actual and challenge myself when I first got my instrument. But honestly that is a phase, and now I want make sure I’m extremely proficient and in a solid IFR platform, ideally with another qualified pilot beside me. Flying in a light single in actual IFR is no joke.
P.s you don’t need to specify how much of a deviation you want- just say left or right, or left and right deviations. Let ATC come back with a cap on deviation degrees if they have traffic constraints.
Flew through some clouds like that with an instructor in a 172 while getting my IR. Hit a massive downdraft just as we were transferring aircraft control back to me. Airplane banked about 30 degrees left and pitched down about 20 degrees and within a second or two (or so it seemed) we were in the yellow arc. At first I thought my instructor was trying some unusual attitude recovery trick.
I think this could’ve been a great time for him to think about his personal minimum. I think this was definitely pushing the envelope a little bit. Now I’m not wanting to talk, because I am just starting my IFR training in 2025. But personal minimums have saved my bacon many occasions! I was glad that he shared this video though, because it’s definitely a cautionary tale. You can get over your skis really quickly!
Not severe, only one significant bump. When you can no longer maintain pitch or directional control, then it is severe.
I remember flying back into Kpdk hours after getting my instrument ticket at night time I was doing an ILS and had never encountered actual. I learned instantly that I wasn't necessarily out of my ability but was edging close to getting behind the airplane. Guess as long as it's not unsafe everyone has to make mistakes.
I have an instrument rating and am current and proficient. I also have two well functioning eyeballs. I do not fly through clouds like that. I much prefer that my wings remain attached to the fuselage. I land much better that way. Also, I prefer to hand fly through turbulence. I pull back to lower than VA, to turbulence penetration speed, disengage the autopilot and hand fly the sucker. By the way, the reflex in your toddler when falling backwards is called the Moro reflex.
The clouds look like Towering CUs rather than CBs. I would have considered that Moderate turbulence rather than Severe turbulence..
Mark is going to be highlighted on this channel again, for the wrong reasons, with that “I’m invincible” attitude.
No, definitely not severe. There was no loss of control. What he should of learned is that ATC will give you deviations and there was plenty of blue sky.
One minor bit of feedback: Your audio is usually significantly softer than other videos. I always have to turn up the volume (and then the next video is too loud). Otherwise I enjoy your videos however.
ATC really has no problem with you deviating around those things. Just tell them you need to!
What I always wondered.. do PPLs and CFIs also study glider content? How much overlap is there even between (motorized) private pilots and/or CFIs and glider pilots in your are? Thinking of a Venn-Diagram here. This video by the Pure Glide channel here from a few days ago was quite interesting and insightful: th-cam.com/video/V3Pchi3wAT8/w-d-xo.html
A lot of pilots think light chop is light turbulence, light is moderate and the low end of moderate is severe.
Severe turbulence is being thrown upside down and not being able to do anything about it. 2000 fpm updrafts/downdrafts and being thrown into your seat belt is the beginning of medium turbulence.
Oh is that clouds this gonna be a breeze I got my ifr ticket not even the lord himself can stop me. Im jk ofcourse 😂
Looks like moderate to me
Attitude Indicator*
Day 3 of asking for “Munden Aviation” shirts
Personal Minimums and a sound ADM are a must!!!
This video started some good debate, everyone should know not to fly through a CB or even near one but one is not ready for weather flying from reading comments on TH-cam, caution is a good thing in aviation.