- Joined
- Dec 27, 2017
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I'm curious about what others do when cruising in bumpy air with lots of up and down drafts. I flew home from an outstation the other day through air that was pretty unstable due to daytime heating. It was rough enough and the flight was long enough that it got me to thinking about this. I find that when I get lifted by a thermal, to hold altitude, I lower the nose a bit. This then results in holding altitude, but the airplane performs as if I'm descending, so airspeed increases, ground speed increases, RPM increases (fixed pitch prop). Once I'm through the thermal, I end up adding power back, airspeed and ground speed drop, etc, rinse and repeat the entire length of the flight.
When VFR, holding altitude isn't as critical as it is when IFR. What do others do? I'm not talking about turbulence so rough you can't tune a radio, but rather about flying in and out of strong thermals. Hold altitude and accept the airspeed and RPM changes? Set the throttle a bit below cruising RPM so as to build a bit of a buffer? Sometimes, if I don't reduce throttle, I'm pushing redline in a good updraft trying holding altitude. I generally reduce throttle, then the updraft stops (I fly out of it) and my airspeed tanks quickly as I pitch back up, add power again, etc. Just feels like I'm chasing things the whole time constantly adding and reducing power and re trimming as I ride in and out of these strong Florida thermals.
Just looking to bounce off some other pilots.
When VFR, holding altitude isn't as critical as it is when IFR. What do others do? I'm not talking about turbulence so rough you can't tune a radio, but rather about flying in and out of strong thermals. Hold altitude and accept the airspeed and RPM changes? Set the throttle a bit below cruising RPM so as to build a bit of a buffer? Sometimes, if I don't reduce throttle, I'm pushing redline in a good updraft trying holding altitude. I generally reduce throttle, then the updraft stops (I fly out of it) and my airspeed tanks quickly as I pitch back up, add power again, etc. Just feels like I'm chasing things the whole time constantly adding and reducing power and re trimming as I ride in and out of these strong Florida thermals.
Just looking to bounce off some other pilots.