Slow Flight

[mattp1803]

I was in somewhat of a debate regarding slow flight today.

The question is -

Do you control airspeed with pitch and altitude with power; or

Do you control airspeed with power and altitude with pitch?

What say my fellow CFIs?

Not a CFI, but my CFI taught me the first of the two, "airspeed with pitch and altitude with power."

Sometimes he would have me descend and climb in slow flight. When I would descend I would let some power out and it would easily descend while maintaining slow flight. If I wanted to climb I would add a touch of power and the airplane would slowly begin to climb all while maintaining slow flight. This was all in a Cessna 172 and a Piper Twin Comanche. Fun times!

 

[poser765]

I think this is a really stupid debate. Whether you pitch for airspeed or pitch for rate of descent you are in fact making the same control inputs. Whatever input I make I am going to have to change the other. Saying one does one thing and has no relation to the other is very absolute...only a sith deals in absolutes. I guess my point is they are too dynamic for it to be a one or the other case.

No treatise on changing angle of attack or or coefficient of lift changes that. Aerodynamicaly the same things is happening regardless of how you describe it. Semantics.

Just a random thought...we "typicaly" pitch for airspeed in a climb right? Is that not somewhat analogous to a final approach?

 

[SpiraMirabilis]

I teach my primary (PPL) students to pitch for airspeed and power for altitude because that works the best on small airplanes. In transport category airplanes I mostly pitch for altitude and power for airspeed, though. Atleast on the one I've flown.

 

[///AMG]

I use power for airspeed and pitch for altitude unless I am in dirty configuration on or around "on-speed" AoA. Then of course you hold AoA with stick and power for glideslope/altitude. Doesn't work as well with light civilian aircraft though, and if I am flying a Cessna or something, pitch for a/s and power for alt (though the pitch + power = performance works for all cases)

 

[mattp1803]

I teach my primary (PPL) students to pitch for airspeed and power for altitude because that works the best on small airplanes. In transport category airplanes I mostly pitch for altitude and power for airspeed, though. Atleast on the one I've flown.

I think this works best for both types of aircraft, as the poster above you mentioned. When you take off in a large transport a/c you are pitching for speed aren't you? That's what the flight director is for, hold the pitch that will keep you at 250 or below on the climb out.

 

[Douglas]

I repeat-

Do you control airspeed with pitch and altitude with power;

over and over to my students.

I do see how both works but at the private level if they say "pitch for altitude" I give them an engine failure then ask them to maintain altitude.

But even then, while am shooting an approach, I find it much easier to reduce power to maintain altitude rather than pushing the nose over 10 degrees just to maintain altitude in a thermal.

 

[beechpilot84]

Pitch = airspeed
Power = altitude

If a student gets confused I have them get into stable slow flight and then ask them to climb a few hundred feet with just using pitch. They figure it out pretty quick.

 

[trafficinsight]

The answer is Yes.


Pitch, power, airspeed, and vertical speed are 4 variables in an equation. Change one, and the other three change as well.

:yeahthat:

I was going to say that I control airspeed and altitude with pitch and power... but not necessarily in that order