Ceiling Descent Knot 
Aerotime
DECEMBER 20, 2024
We will also examine the next most critical phase of our flight, from descent and deceleration to the approach and landing phases, even touching upon what happens when the aircraft arrives safely at the gate. Mario Hagen / Shutterstock The announcement will also be one of the first items on the pilots before-descent checklist.
Plane and Pilot
NOVEMBER 27, 2024
Often, turbulence is the harbinger of mountain waves, not the ideal ceiling—and visibility unlimited—day. Flight idle and nose down, which normally produced a 2,000-3,000-feet descent rate, resulted in a 2,000-feet-per-minute climb. We continued our descent into Great Falls, leaving “the wave” behind and above.
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Plane and Pilot
AUGUST 6, 2024
The route is simple, GPS direct, but…there’s my personal 1,000-foot en route ceiling requirement, and those silly Smoky Mountains. Even though synthetic vision might help me perform an emergency descent to a valley that might not be cloud filled, that’s pretty sketchy as a risk-mitigation strategy. It was now time to plan the trip.
Flight Training Central
FEBRUARY 17, 2024
AIM 5-3-3 ) When unable to climb/descent at a rate of at least 500 feet per minute.( AIM 5-3-3 ) Change in the average true airspeed (at cruising altitude) when it varies by 5 percent or 10 knots (whichever is greater) from that filed in the flight plan. ( Each is defined by varying ceilings and visibility.
Air Facts
JULY 1, 2024
Upon reaching five knots before the rotation speed, I merely tugged on the manual trim slightly and the aircraft rose without hesitation. I put the gear down one dot above the glideslope and let the drag bring the aircraft down at its 550 foot-per-minute descent rate. The A36 Bonanza is rated to fly at 178 knots ROP at 6,000 feet.
Photographic Logbook
APRIL 19, 2024
I expected to manage some cloud layers during the New York portion of the flight, but the forecast called for a high ceiling at Northeast Philadelphia Airport. Phantom City Initially, I believed that the original forecast claiming high ceilings around Philadelphia would come to pass. Famous last words.)
Flying Magazine
MAY 15, 2024
VFR to MVFR…then 2 miles visibility and a ceiling of 1,200 feet agl. Put the aircraft in level flight to give them a moment to consider their next course of action so they are not anxiously doing climbs, descents, and unplanned turns. It might be no greater than 6 knots with gusts to 10 mph. It’s just a few minutes, right?
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