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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.
And lets face it, the key to that flawless approach is often a well-planned descent. In the airline world, descent planning and execution receives a lot of attention. Like so much of aviation, there are several ways to skin this descent cat. Planning the Descent So, when is a good time to start planning the descent ?
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.
The question came up on a group on social media where a student was asking the community how to perform the Emergency Descent maneuver (PA.IX.A). Establish and maintain the appropriate airspeed and configuration appropriate to the scenario specified by the evaluator and as covered in POH/AFM for the emergency descent. PA.IX.A.S4
He warned of some turbulence on approach, and of strong winds at Washington Dulles, which were gusting up to 30 knots. About 10 minutes later, the seatbelt sign was turned on, and we started our gradual descent for Washington. While the descent was initially quite smooth, it eventually became rather bumpy.
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. Also, from when I lived out West, there was the mountaintop clearance guideline—1,000 feet for every 10 knots of wind, with 30 knots meaning no-go.
The general prognosis indicated no icing in the clouds, no turbulence and a quartering headwind from the west resulting in a mere five knots of headwind component. Instead of a gentle breeze out of the west, we had over 20 knots of headwind blowing out of the south. It got turbulent, and then very turbulent.
This system includes modes for: roll pitch heading vertical speed altitude hold approach These modes allow for a steady rate of descent, ascent, and consistent speed and altitude ranges. For instance, Knots 2U offers a Cessna 172 Cowl / Body Fairing Kit that improves aerodynamics and can increase cruise speed by 3-4 mph.
The flight seemed routine until the flight crew started the final descent from 34,000 feet. The limitations of weather radar came up in the discussion about the extreme turbulence suffered by Singapore Airlines flight SQ321. There were 173 passengers and 6 crew on board. But not just that.
Depending on the wind direction and airport surroundings, you may experience some turbulence. This will reduce your workload in turbulent conditions. Descent Point Nominate a descent point that will give you a constant 3° profile to the threshold. We can calculate the rate of descent required to achieve a 3° profile.
A target moved across my traffic display at 450 knots (518 miles per hour). "I An approaching cold front from the west was forecast to bring wind, turbulence, and snow with it that afternoon. I slowed the Warrior down to better manage the turbulence and this, combined with the headwind, dropped our ground speed as low as 73 knots.
The weather briefing we had reviewed a half hour earlier promised a 20-knot headwind that would require two fuel stops on the 130-mile trip from our home airport in Kennett, Missouri (KTKX), to Little Rock Air Force Base (KLRF) in Arkansas. As the sun began its descent, we began the final leg of what would end up being a four-hour trek.
As I watched the other aircraft make a turning descent toward the runway numbers, I wondered if the tower was going to want to call my base as a way of sequencing us. Just as I had this thought, a 20+ knot wind aloft made turbulent by the terrain to the north began to batter all three airplanes. By what, I don't know.)
I pulled the power back and set a notch of flaps to establish a 90 knot, 500 foot/minute descent. As usual, the field AWOS (automated weather observation system) lied its nonexistent ass off with a declaration of five knot winds. I intercepted the approach course and after a few moments, reached the final approach fix at JUNIA.
Higher altitudes are also less prone to turbulence and have fewer birds. The stall warning horn sounds at least 5 knots above the actual stall speed. Since you need to fly without triggering the warning, select a target airspeed of about 2 to 5 knots more. Turbulent air will require a larger airspeed margin.
These control surfaces dictate the aircraft’s roll, and this allows it to bank smoothly through turns or even recover from turbulence. Increasing The Aircraft Speed Small, light, and low-powered aircraft such as the Cessna 172 have a relatively narrow operational speed range ranging from 40 knots up to about 160 knots.
After 11 hours of flight during our descent to initiate an approach, the airport closed for Category I (CAT I) approaches due to weather. During descent, we monitored the number 2 engine, and when we were at a comfortable distance from the airport we performed a precautionary shutdown and secured the engine.
Airspeed variations with weight in light general aviation aircraft are only a handful of knots, so it’s easy to fly the published slow speed when light, the faster speed when heavy, and something in the middle when the aircraft weight is something in the middle. That produced a strange traffic pattern with roller coasters at the corners.)
This is consistent with Rick’s report, which referenced 9 knots of wind. Under normal circumstances Shmulik would have had sufficient altitude to delay the landing by several minutes: his glider’s minimum descent rate in still air was just 100 fpm. I was doing about 80 knots and all of a sudden I hit this tremendous sink.
Fixed-Wing Foibles Consider the Airbus first officer (FO) who tried to satisfy ATCs request to increase their descent (rate), so he engaged open descent mode. The captain took control and applied aft stick pressure to return the airplane to a normal descent pitch attitude to prevent an overspeed. Not scared?
Approach speeds typically range from 80 to 90 knots depending on weight and flap settings, while full flaps are often used to provide the necessary lift during landing. The pre-landing check is the first step in ensuring the aircraft is ready for a stable descent. Additionally, configure the aircraft for a stable descent.
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