article thumbnail

Descent Planning: Strategies for Safe and Smooth Arrivals

Flight Training Central

Descent planning is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of managing your flight. And if not planned properly, a poorly executed descent can present challenges and unnecessary risks when transitioning to an approach or the traffic pattern. Finally, you can enable messages to alert you as to when to begin the descent.

Descent 98
article thumbnail

Quiz: Flight Planning with Sporty’s E6B

Flight Training Central

The electronic E6B is equally useful when in the airplane, to help determine actual winds aloft, true airspeed, fuel burn, and descent planning. Calculate the planned groundspeed if the winds aloft are forecast to be from 250 at 15 knots flying a true course of 130 with a true airspeed of 112 knots. knots Correct! knots Correct!

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trending Sources

article thumbnail

Heads-up, hands-free: How to use iPad audio alerts for safer flights

iPad Pilot News

The alert will only sound once every 60 seconds and is automatically disabled if groundspeed is less than 40 knots. AGL (or when AGL is unknown), the descent rate exceeds 4,000 ft. AGL and the descent rate exceeds 3,000 ft. AGL, the descent rate is between 3000 ft. AGL after having been above 1,000 ft. MSL and 25,000 ft.

AGL 52
article thumbnail

Danger lurks in circling approaches

Air Facts

Perhaps just prior to the start of descent could be the optimum time–certainly completed no later than commencement of approach. Recall that we must remain at or above MDA until we are in a normal position to perform a normal rate of descent to landing. Will the vertical speed necessary comply with required descent criteria?

article thumbnail

Riding the Mountain Waves

Plane and Pilot

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. I said to my first officer, “Ask for lower. We don’t want to be caught in those.” Horizon 253 descend, maintain one two thousand.”

article thumbnail

How to Improve Your Landings

Pilot Institute

Learn to use aircraft references to establish a stable descent rate and pitch, ending up in a smooth roundout and flare. A quick way to estimate the correct descent rate for a 3-degree glidepath is to multiply your groundspeed by five. 60 x 5 = 300 feet per minute is your recommended descent rate. Flying at 60 knots?

Descent 52
article thumbnail

Flying a Skylane From Canada to Belize

Air Facts

Upon clearing the Pine Valley Mountain range, I began my descent once clear of its 10,000-foot peak past breathtaking red sandstone cliff walls to the 2,800 ft elevation field. I encountered unexpected headwinds to start, slowing my groundspeed down to 75 knots at times. My approach into St.

Weather 98