Can turbulence fear be overcome with more flying?

[RUNNINHORN]

I absolutely love to fly, its something I day dream about all day, and love it when I finally get up there. But ive got one fear that I formed when I first started training in a 152 last year with my old instructor. He tried to "scare" me my 2nd time up. He basically tried to show off one day when we had some serious turbulence, lost control for a few secs, then he regained control. Basically scared the hell out of me, and ever since, I get the jitters when we hit some significant turbulence in these small planes.

Do you think that can be overcome the more I fly? Or is that something that cant be overcome?

 

[Medicryan]

Of course you will get over it the more you fly. There is always a chance that something could happen up there, but the more you fly the more you realize that the likely-hood of something significant happening is not going to come from turbulance. After a while, it becomes fun until you get into IMC and actually have to work. Then it just sucks.

 

[Junkflyer]

Keep flying you'll get over it. Sounds like a real idiot you had for an instructor. Don't ever settle for a stupid flight instructor.

 

[Resocha]

Also, a strong education of understanding the reasons why turbulence happens, and when it happens, can also help ease fears.

 

[ePilot22]

Do you think that can be overcome the more I fly?

In one word...YES! Stick with it. TX sucks, but eventually you'll get use to it. You might not even notice the light stuff anymore, and moderate may just become annoying to you. Stay away from the severe! There's no cure for that in a GA airplane.

Keep flying you'll get over it. Sounds like a real idiot you had for an instructor. Don't ever settle for a stupid flight instructor.

Yep, I'd have to agree too.

Just remember to slow to Va and maybe even a few knots slower. It's kind of like a washboard road, the faster you drive over it, the worse it gets. The slower you go, the smoother the ride. I know it's hard to believe and when you're in turbulence you just want to get through it quickly, but slow down and it becomes less violent.

EDIT: Resocha and I were posting at the same time, but an understanding of turbulence makes a world of difference.

Keep on flying...


eP.

 

[RUNNINHORN]

Also, a strong education of understanding the reasons why turbulence happens, and when it happens, can also help ease fears.

if you dont mind me asking, why does it happen? I flew back on Southwest last night, taking off we had some serious turbulence out of dallas, felt like the plane was moving sideways, plane was all over the place as we were climbing......

 

[RichardRambone]

I used to be a little freaked out by turbulence and I would hold the panel with my right hand to steady myself when I hit the bumps. Now after some more experience dealing with moderate to worse turbulence and such I can just sit there, cross my arms and ride em out with no worries. The more you fly the less you worry about it and eventually it can be fun, if it isn't beating the hell outta ya.

 

[USMCmech]

Iwhen I first started training in a 152 last year with my old instructor. He tried to "scare" me my 2nd time up. He basically tried to show off one day when we had some serious turbulence, lost control for a few secs, then he regained control. Basically scared the hell out of me, and ever since, I get the jitters when we hit some significant turbulence in these small planes.

First off, FIND A NEW CFI!!!!

Any CFI who tries to show off and "scare" a student isn't worth a dime. If you are scared you can not learn anything. Nor should you ever tolerate a CFI yelling at you, it's not acceptable.

Find a new CFI who will be patient with you and allow you to relax in the plane. Turbulence is a fact of life, you just have to learn to "go with the flow". Once you learn to smoothly controll the plane you will get much more comfortable. This is a perfectly normal concern. Flying in Texas summers I have seen more than my share of turbulance, it makes every student nervous for the first few flights.

 

[GravityHater]

if you dont mind me asking, why does it happen?

To learn about the most common cause of turbulence in a Tx summer, go boil a pot of water on the stove. Watch how areas start to produce a line of bubbles on the bottom of the pot, bubbles which rise rapidly to the surface.
That is a lot like the atmosphere next to the sun-heated Texas hardpan in August. Boil boil boil, anywhere below 10,000' you are gonna get a butt-kicking.
Now the cause you experienced in the SW airplane might have been the recent passage of some weak cold fronts they have experienced. And there are other reasons for turbulence.

I used to puke in light airplanes when I was learning. I know an F15 pilot who used to puke into his shirt and lie about it in order to continue his training and not get disqualified. We both got over it with a lot of hours, especially hours in the left seat, with cold air blowing on us. So fear not, you can overcome this!

 

[Resocha]

if you dont mind me asking, why does it happen? I flew back on Southwest last night, taking off we had some serious turbulence out of dallas, felt like the plane was moving sideways, plane was all over the place as we were climbing......

Turbulence is simply caused by air masses moving in relatively different directions or different speeds. Imagine moving along in a "current" of air and encountering another "current" moving at a 90 degree angle from below. The boiling water example above is a good example. Also, have you ever been on a very fast boat? When the water is smooth, the boat just zooms along, but when the water is choppy, the ride is very rough. It's nearly the same for airplanes, but you often can't see the bumps coming.

Though turbulence is a simple concept to understand, its causes can require a doctoral dissertation, and includes everything from thunderstorms to wake behind larger aircraft.

Keep on flying, my friend. Turbulence is just bumps in the highway.

 

[JimG]

Yep.

With knowledge of what it is (as has been explained very well here), time and experience in it, you'll get over your fear.

Several years ago, I got CO poisoning (from a cracked manifold) while in IMC and somehow made it to my destination. It was the longest 45 min. of my life.

For well over 2 years after that, I'd still have mild panic attacks almost everytime I flew, especially when I went over 12,000', which is common around here. I'd put a hose up my nose before ever turning the prop on the ground, but that didn't really stop it.

I kept it well hidden, but I could feel my heart racing in my chest. I almost gave up flying.

Now, the tube up my nose is gone (I fly pressurized now) and I'm complaining when controllers won't let me climb high, or keep me below FL200 for traffic, etc.

It just takes time/experience.

 

[AA717driver]

Yep. I almost quit because of it. I was more afraid of not making it in aviation that I was of turbulence.

Lose the instructor. Better yet, someone needs to give him a blanket party in the parking lot!

I was told that turbulence is just like pot holes in the road or burbles in a stream. The problem with that analogy is that you can see the burbles or pot holes. Turbulence just sneaks up on you.

I came to realize that, unless you fly through a level 5 thunderstorm, planes just don't get ripped apart in turbulence. It'll take some time but you will get over it and go on in your career. Good luck.TC

 

[Goose Egg]

Simply put, anyone can do anything they want.

-Goose

 

[rfresh]

There are only two things that can overcome fear:

Knowledge or a lack of it.

Choose wisely.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

You may find it very uncomfortable now but later on it will be just plain ass annoying while you try and finish the crossword at cruise.

 

[great cornholio]

Turbulence can be caused by all kinds of things. You can sum it up into cliff notes of about 4 main causes. The first main cause would be the wind and how it reacts with other stuff around it (IE wind blowing in different directions and speeds this is usually found near fronts. Or the wind reacting with the ground. If wind hits a building or hill or something like that then the path of the wind chagnes and you can get waves and burbles and stuff like that. This usually happens in the first few thousand feet above the ground and my guess is thats what happend on your SW flight) The 2nd main cause would be thunderstorms (lots of air moving in all kinds of directions so thats just a whole bunch of nastyness). The 3rd main cause would be wake turbulence (planes moving through the air stir up the air behind it cause burlbes and turbulence). The last main reason is Thermals (this is usually in the summer time and the boiling water is a great example. Usually only get this in the first 5 or so thousand feet or so. But on really hot days with lots of thermal activity you can get it even higher). Turbulence is basically caused by the movement of the air around your plane. There are just a few things that can cause the air movement around the plane to cause bumps. Hope that helps

 

[Gulfstream 200]

how about the jet stream? crossing it where shears are great can cause the greatest turbulence..aside from T-storm penetration! (dont go there)

 

[Lostdog65]

I freakin' hate TX. That said, I've been through so much when I was a freightdawg and working in the fire environment it's become more of a nuisance now.

So...yeah...like everyone says, stick with it. You'll learn to understand where/when it happens and, sometimes, you can avoid it. When you can't, you'll find out just how far you can cinch down your seatbelt and shoulder harness!

Oh yeah...I'll ditto the new instructor deal. Don't need someone scaring newbies out of the business/industry!

Eric

 

[LabMonkey76]

You'll get past it

When I first learned to fly I used to get sick all the time if there were bumps or it was hot. Finally after trying what seemed like every other alternative.... patience, education, flying on less windy days etc My instructor just sat me down and said "Look, you're in a little plane, it bounces around, its going to be hot, this is how this is supposed to work. You're going to have to get past this in order to continue flying." That common sense jar was all it took for me, if that doesn't help you, just stick with it and eventually you'll get used to the bumps. Try to picture the plane your flying from the outside and what it looks like bumping around a lot, its normal for little planes to do that all the time. Like someone said earlier, all they do to me now is disturb my crossword puzzles.

Oh yeah, and don't ever put up with someone you are paying yelling at you. If you're a motivated student and all you want is to learn to fly you deserve much better than that.

 

[SEVEN]

It's the fear of the unknown. You're just not comfortable with it....It happened to me when I was first introduced to stalls. Keep flying if you love it though. Just remember: Turbulence is like bumps in the road in a car....or something along those lines....

 

[Gorilla]

if you dont mind me asking, why does it happen? I flew back on Southwest last night, taking off we had some serious turbulence out of dallas, felt like the plane was moving sideways, plane was all over the place as we were climbing......

Not to belittle your eperience, but you probably flew through moderate, not severe, turbulence. Severe is the type of bumpiness that levitates 200 lb galley carts, moves them through the air, and drops them on unsuspecting pax, while the flight attendants imitate the "carousel" from Logan's Run.

Up front, the autopilot kicks off, and the pilots are basically saying "holy &*^&" under their breath while trying to find a way out of it.

Edit: My apologies, I thought your quote was "severe" turbulence when it was in fact "serious" turbulence. Chop/turbulence is PIREPed as light, moderate, and severe, with severe being very rare.

 

[RUNNINHORN]

Yep. I almost quit because of it. I was more afraid of not making it in aviation that I was of turbulence.

Lose the instructor. Better yet, someone needs to give him a blanket party in the parking lot!

I was told that turbulence is just like pot holes in the road or burbles in a stream. The problem with that analogy is that you can see the burbles or pot holes. Turbulence just sneaks up on you.

I came to realize that, unless you fly through a level 5 thunderstorm, planes just don't get ripped apart in turbulence. It'll take some time but you will get over it and go on in your career. Good luck.TC

see, that is my fear for some reason now. That the first turbulence I hit in that 152 I train in is going to RIP the wings right off and ill plunge to my death, much like we plunged when we lost control. Anyway, guess I need to just find another instructor out here in Lubbock, Tx and get back in the seat........

 

[RUNNINHORN]

Not to belittle your eperience, but you probably flew through moderate, not severe, turbulence. Severe is the type of bumpiness that levitates 200 lb galley carts, moves them through the air, and drops them on unsuspecting pax, while the flight attendants imitate the "carousel" from Logan's Run.

Up front, the autopilot kicks off, and the pilots are basically saying "holy &*^&" under their breath while trying to find a way out of it.

Edit: My apologies, I thought your quote was "severe" turbulence when it was in fact "serious" turbulence. Chop/turbulence is PIREPed as light, moderate, and severe, with severe being very rare.

whoa, turbulence can do that much? Pick up those drink carts and move them??????

 

[taloft]

I'd recommend some time with an instructor who can put you at ease rather than one who will scare the crap out of you, but that's just me. A good instructor will push your comfort zone without making you more uncomfortable than you can handle. If you really really want to learn to fly, then don't let it stop you.

It's a basic tenet of instruction that learning happens best in an environment absent of fear or where it is at least minimized. Students manage this by placing complete trust in their instructor. Instructors manage it by fostering this trust and not misusing it. If you can't trust your instructor completely (especially primary instruction), then you need to find an instructor you can trust. It's harsh, but it's not necessarily a slight against your instructor. He may be fine for many students, but flight instruction is highly personal and requires a good fit for students and instructors.

That said, fear is a part of learning to fly. It's a good thing when fear is healthy but is unproductive when experienced otherwise. Consider that you've just received a lesson in both healthy and unhealthy types of fear. You've learned a healthy respect for turbulence (that's actually a good thing). You've also learned how excess fear can prevent you from moving forward (not so good). It's important to understand the difference, because this won't be the last time you experience it on your way to becoming a pilot. The question is are you going to master it or let it master you? Becoming a pilot involves much more than learning to fly an aircraft (as you've discovered).

 

[Gorilla]

whoa, turbulence can do that much? Pick up those drink carts and move them??????

Sure. When you are at -0.2 G, a 200 lb cart now weighs 40 pounds, and will "fall" towards the cabin ceiling. Toss in a litle side gust, which will slide the cart over, and it could drop on somebody when positive G returns. Every year, Flight Attendants especially are injured, either when they fall themselves, or something falls on them.

Airplanes are designed to handle bumpiness. I always think its a bit funny, after a flight is over, when I hear a passenger describing the turbulence we flew through... "That 'air pocket' was horrible! We must have dropped hundreds of feet!" - when we actually were +/- 20 feet the whole way on our assigned cruise altitude.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

I'll never forget the time when I was heading back home from my long solo XC about 50 minutes out. The turbulence ( moderate) was unbelieveable for a student. I was so scared and could barely hold my heading and altitude and kept telling the controller who was giving me flight following to "standby" as I attempted to get the plane under control.

You'll find more turbulence in the summer time and especially during the mid day. Try morning or late afternoon flights when convective turbulence is less likely.

Like the others said, you will get over it. Just ride the air waves and KEEEP YOUR SPEED UNDER CONTROL. This is primarily what you need to concern yourself about.

Airplanes have structural limits and by adhering to maneuvering or turbulence penetration speed, you and your aircraft should be fine. The heavier the airplane is, the faster it can travel through turbulence. Manevuering speed is dictated by the wieght of the aircraft.

Basically, by maintaining the speed at or below the maneuvering speed, you will stall before exceeding the structural load limits. Usually its a very minor stall with very little drop. The stall is kind of like an aerodynamic safety valve.

An airplane will always stall at the same angle of attack (AOA). Lets say its about 18 degrees in the Cessna. A light airplane may fly at an AOA of say +5 degrees in level flight.
That same plane loaded a little heavier may hold altitude but with the AOA at +10 degrees. We see that the heavier plane is much closer to the stalling AOA.

Load limits are predicated on this theory.

The heavier the plane is, the sooner it will reach its stalling AOA should a gust cause any stress on the wing. This will prevent excessive loads being placed on the structure. A lighter plane with its lower AOA will be exposed to the severe gust for a longer period oftime and thus will have more pressure placed on the wing for a longer period of time. This is why you should fly the plane at a slower speed. A lighter airplane flown at a slower speed will have a higher AOA than if it flew faster. By flying faster in a lighter airplane the AOA is lower than if you were flying slower.

anyway....

Know what your Va speed is for you AC and how it changes with weight. Maybe even make a card with the speed for various weights.

 

[SkyQueenC152]

yes! overcome your fears~sorry your instructor did that to you, I hope you are flying with someone esle! You will get use to the turbulence or if you prefer til you get more flight time stay on the ground if you're aware of turbulence. Airmets and pilot reports are great! Turbulence isn't that bad-just remember to fly Va and make steady easy control movements! best of luck!

 

[Murdoughnut]

see, that is my fear for some reason now. That the first turbulence I hit in that 152 I train in is going to RIP the wings right off and ill plunge to my death, much like we plunged when we lost control. Anyway, guess I need to just find another instructor out here in Lubbock, Tx and get back in the seat........

I have to imagine that if you can fly in W. Texas, you can fly just about anywhere. I couldn't play a round of golf when I lived in Lubbock, let alone fly with the winds the way they are out there.

How did a Longhorn end up in Red Raider country anyways?

Wreck'em Tech!

 

[Amish RakeFight]

...one more thing.


when flying in turbulence, accept variations in airspeed and altitude, but always maintain a wings level attitude. If you have pretty bad updrafts and downdrafts, you could ask for a block of altitude from ATC.

 

[chcook]

If going inverted is what is actually scaring you, I highly recommend taking about 5-10 hours of aerobatic training (in a taildragger, preferrably).

When I first started aerobatics, I had a parachute on, and I was strapped in by a 5 point harness. And yet, when the aircraft went inverted, I was so scared I actually reached up and hung on to the frame...as if that would do anything. The instructor never said anything, but I'm sure he was cracking up inside. Of course, this was all by choice, and I wanted to experience it. Five to 10 hours later, after practicing most of the basic aerobatic maneuvers, including inverted stalls and spins, I was totally relaxed and actually enjoyed the various maneuvers. I could think through them. I was relaxed!

It was the best thing I ever did!

I've experienced severe turbulence 3x in about 10 yrs. Altitudes varied by a thousand feet in just a couple of seconds. Heading was swinging 30 left then 30 right. We were basically at the whim of the turbulence. It was a serious situation, but my fear was for the people in the back, not for my life. We simply radioed that we were in severe turbulance, and unable to hold altidude. Controller was very accomodating. Like what could he do.

Anyway, grab the bull by the horns and get some aerobatic training. It'll change EVERYTHING!