Energy management

[z987k]

Happened a lot ‘back in the day.

Ol Zack here has fallen into the trap on Jetcareers: we do it one way, therefor anyone who doesn’t do it that way is either wrong, lying or unsafe.

No, it's just that unless you descend in FLCH or hand fly with A/T off, the damn thing descends with power on. Aircraft or at least computer programming... flaw I would say. Doesn't happen in the classic and old box 400.

It is the dumbest descent profile I can think of, but Boeing seems to like it.

 

[denverpilot]

Get a glider rating. I'm dead serious. Those guys have energy management down to an academic science. On your checkride you will do an "impossible turn" with a rope break at 200 ft AGL on the departure leg, teardrop around and land downwind. There are no go-arounds. And due to the limited amount of hours required for an add-on, it can be done fairly inexpensively. Get a glider rating.

FAA Glider Flying Handbook (check out Aerodynamics and Performance):
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_pol...raft/glider_handbook/media/faa-h-8083-13a.pdf

While I don’t disagree that glider pilots learn excellent energy management, the 200’ rope break in something with anywhere from a 20:1 to over 40:1 glide ratio (if you have big bucks for the latter ship) isn’t in any way close to “the impossible turn”.

You could turn around and still overfly the other end of the runway from 200’ AGL in most modern gliders. Hell, even in the venerable old Schweitzer 233 rag-wing I flew forever and a day ago.

Screwing up and entering the pattern 500’ low at the glider port will get a stern warning and a tsk tsk from your instructor and you’ll still need the boards out not to overfly the entire airport and miss it, or a big slip.

And that’s a favorite of glider CFIs... oh, you didn’t check the boards worked as you entered the pattern, okay... [puts hand behind their brake control and braces arm like an armrest] I guess they won’t be moving when you go to use them here in a couple more seconds... enjoy that slip... and... wait... student jiggles handle... student pulls handle a little harder and realizes you’re blocking it... student chuckles and realizes their mistake and rolls into a big slip... hahaha. Good times.