Definition
The airspeed that produces the greatest gain in altitude per unit of time for a given aircraft configuration and weight. At VY, the difference between power available and power required is at its maximum, allowing the aircraft to climb to a target altitude in the shortest time.
Plain English
The speed that gets you to a higher altitude the fastest in terms of minutes on the clock. Fly at VY when your goal is to reach a desired altitude as quickly as possible.
Context Anchor
You see VY in the airplane’s handbook, takeoff and climb performance information, and climb checklists.
Derivation
The 'V' in VY comes from the French word 'vitesse,' meaning speed. The subscript 'Y' is simply a label the FAA uses to distinguish this climb speed from VX (best angle of climb). Knowing VY stands for a specific 'V-speed' helps the pilot recognise it as one of a family of standardised airspeeds.
Why Pilots Care
Maintaining this speed allows the aircraft to reach a desired altitude in the shortest time, which can be critical for traffic, weather, or airspace constraints.
Analogy
If two elevators are going up, the better rate-of-climb elevator is the one that reaches the higher floor sooner. VY is the airplane speed that gives that best upward progress over time.
Intuition Check
“Best” here does not mean steepest climb path or fastest airspeed. It means the greatest altitude gain per minute.
Example Sentence 1
After clearing the obstacles off the end of the runway, the pilot lowered the nose slightly and accelerated to VY for the climb to cruise altitude.
Example Sentence 2
The handbook shows that best rate-of-climb speed decreases slightly as altitude increases.