Ex.

8 - Descending

Ex. 8 - Descending
 OBJECTIV
E

What you will learn:

 How to descend at a variety of airspeeds
and power settings to a desired altitude

 How to accurately level off at desired

altitude and establish cruise

 How to descend to a specified touch-

down point.
Ex. 8 - Descending
 MOTIVATI
ON

Why learn this?

 As with climbs, different situations call for
different types of descents

 Even more variables to consider than for

climb (power can be varied)

 Accurate descents are even more

Why?
important than accurate climbs.
Ex. 8 - Descending
 LINKS

Links
You already have understanding of:
 attitudes and movements
 power control
 mixture and carburetor heat control
And you learned how make the plane
go up…
And what goes up, must come down.

Ex. 8 - Descending
 BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE - TKT

Let’s see how much you already know:

Q What mixture setting should be used for descents? Why?

Q What should be carb heat position in a descent? Why?

Q What effect does reducing power have on yaw?

Q How does one control yaw after reducing power?

Ex. 8 - Descending
 THEORIES & DEFINITIONS

Theories and Definitions

 Power-off Descents (Gliding)

 Gliding: Estimating Range

 Power-on Descents

 Power-on Descent Types

Ex. 8 - Descending
 THEORIES & DEFINITIONS

Power-off Descents (Gliding) What aspects of

performance?

ATTITUDE + POWER = PERFORMANCE

When might
gliding be useful? • airspeed (how fast we’re going)
• rate of descent (how fast we’re going DOWN)
Where do we find the
Gliding at magical optimal number?
different
speeds
Where do we find the
x distance we can glide
at that airspeed? HOW FAR WE CAN GLIDE

Important assumption: NO WIND

x
too slow
x
too fast Distance
x
just right

Ex. 8 - Descending
 THEORIES & DEFINITIONS

Gliding: Estimating Range

ZERO WIND

Will the pilot

make that spot?

What can the pilot do

to stretch the glide?

Ex. 8 - Descending
 THEORIES & DEFINITIONS

Gliding: Estimating Range

NOTHING!
Plane is already flying at best gliding speed!

Raising the nose will:

• shorten your gliding distance

AND
• make your airspeed to dangerously low

NEVER TRY TO “STRETCH” A GLIDE.

Ex. 8 - Descending
 THEORIES & DEFINITIONS

Power-on Descents
How much power?

 Normal descents are power-assisted

 Power = more choice for performance

 +/- 100 rpm = +/- 100 feet per minute
With power off, each
or airspeed corresponded
 +/- 100 rpm = +/- 5 knots. to a set rate of descent

Now you change rate of

descent and airspeed
independently

Ex. 8 - Descending

Power-on Descent Types
Landing Approach
stabilized descent at
specific airspeed to
touchdown at specific point
Power Usually below green arc
setting (about 1500-1900 rpm)
Carb HOT
heat
Airspeed See POH (55-65 knots in
Cessna 150)
Flaps Down (for better forward
visibility and lower safe
descent speeds)
THEORIES & DEFINITIONS
Enroute
• no hurry to lose altitude
• more comfortable for
passengers
Above green arc (100-300 rpm
below cruise power)
COLD
Close to cruise speed
Up (enroute descent done
at high speed, low rate of
descent – no need for
additional lift and drag)
Ex. 8 - Descending
 PROCEDURES

Procedures
 “Downwind” Check
 Power-off Descent
 Entry
 During

 Approach Descent
 Entry
 During

 Enroute Descent
 Entry
 During

 Recovery from Descents

 Leveling out
 Overshoot.

Ex. 8 - Descending
 PROCEDURES

“Downwind” Check
 Oil Temperature and Pressure in the green
 Primer in and locked, Master ON, Mags on BOTH
 Circuit Breakers in, Ammeter Needle right,
Overvoltage Light OFF
 Carb Heat hot, Mixture rich
 Fuel ON, gauges show sufficient fuel
 Flaps UP
 Brake pressure.

Ex. 8 - Descending
 PROCEDURES

Power-off Descent: Entry

Cockpit check: oil T+P in the green, carb heat hot, mixture rich
Look-out!
How will power reduction
affect yaw?

Power • smoothly reduce

power to idle

• maintain cruise
attitude until airspeed
Attitude reaches best glide
You have it down PAT
• set descent attitude for
that airspeed

Trim • retrim airplane

Ex. 8 - Descending
 PROCEDURES

Power-off Descent: During

 Keep good look-out

 Maintain coordinated flight with rudder

 Maintain straight flight with ailerons

 Every 500 feet smoothly add full power,

then reduce back to idle Why?

Ex. 8 - Descending
 PROCEDURES

Approach Descent: Entry

Cockpit check: oil T+P in the green, carb heat hot, mixture rich
Look-out!

Power • smoothly reduce power to 1500-1900 rpm

• maintain cruise attitude until airspeed enters white arc

Attitude • once airspeed is “in white”, extend flaps

• set descent attitude for approach airspeed (see POH)

Trim • retrim airplane

Ex. 8 - Descending
 PROCEDURES

Approach Descent: During

 Keep good look-out

 Maintain coordinated flight with rudder

 Maintain straight flight with ailerons

 Control attitude and airspeed with pitch

 Control descent rate with power.

Ex. 8 - Descending
 PROCEDURES

Enroute Descent: Entry

Cockpit check: oil T+P in the green, mixture rich
Look-out!

Power • smoothly reduce power to 100-300 rpm from cruise

Attitude • establish descent attitude at near cruise airspeed

Trim • retrim airplane

Ex. 8 - Descending
 PROCEDURES

Enroute Descent: During

 Keep good look-out

 Maintain coordinated flight with rudder

 Maintain straight flight with ailerons

 Control attitude and airspeed with pitch

 Control descent rate with power.

Ex. 8 - Descending
 PROCEDURES

Leveling Out
Begin leveling out at 10% of rate of descent If climbing up to 3500 feet
at 300 feet per minute,
Continue look-out! begin leveling out at…

• smoothly add power

Power to approximately
cruise setting
How will adding power
affect yaw?

• carb heat cold

• return airplane to
Attitude cruise attitude

Trim • retrim airplane

Ex. 8 - Descending
 PROCEDURES

Overshoot!
Power • full power
• carb heat cold

Why retract some flap right away?

• flaps up to 20o
Attitude • set up a climb at 55 knots
• wait for +’ve rate of climb on VSI
• flaps up in stages Why not retract all flap at once?

Trim • retrim airplane.

Ex. 8 - Descending
 CONSIDERATIONS

Considerations
 Effect of Flaps

 Effect of Wind.

Ex. 8 - Descending
 CONSIDERATIONS

Effect of Flaps on Descent

 More lift
 can safely descend at lower airspeeds
 More drag
 steeper descent given same airspeed
 More nose-down attitude
 better forward visibility given same
airspeed

Airspeed must be
in white arc before
flaps are extended!

Ex. 8 - Descending
 CONSIDERATIONS

Effect of Wind
 In headwind: can glide further by increasing airspeed
slightly (offset effect of wind pushing you back)
 In tailwind: can glide further by decreasing airspeed
slightly (take advantage of lower rate of descent at slightly lower airspeed)
NO
TAILWIND
HEADWIND
WIND

x x x

Ex. 8 - Descending
 SAFETY

SAFETY
! Cockpit check before all descents

! Carb heat: on for any descent at rpm below green arc

! Engine warm-up: every 500 feet during glides

! Glides: never try to “stretch”

! Flaps: airspeed must be “in the white”

! Constant look-out! (for other traffic and obstacles.)

Ex. 8 - Descending
 REVIEW

Review:

Q What is your airplane’s best glide speed? What is its significance?

Q During an approach to landing your intended

touchdown spot is drifting up. What does that mean
and how do you fix the situation?

Q Same as above, but the spot is drifting down.

Ex. 8 - Descending
 CONCLUSION

Conclusion:
 As you can see, even seemingly simple procedures
involve a lot of details and considerations. But all the
different procedures and considerations are related,
and we keep coming back to the basic principles from
earlier lessons.

 Today you learned about one of the most fundamental

and important flying skills. After practicing this lesson,
you will be well on your way towards learning to land!

 Read for next lesson: Ex. 9 – Turns.

Ex. 8 - Descending