PRIVATE PILOT

LICENSE – BRIEFING
Descending
Exercise 8
By- Shifatur Rahman / 027 500 2988
DEFINITION : What we will cover:

Descending is a reduction in altitude at a specified airspeed •The Forces;

and/or rate of descent using the appropriate power settings, •Glide Descent Angle – Airspeed – Rate of Descent;
with the aircraft in balance maintaining a constant heading, •Effect of Flaps;
with reference to both visual and instrument attitude •Effect of Wind;
indications. •Effect of Mass;
•Engine Considerations;
•Power Assisted Descent – Power/Airspeed – Rate of Descent;
•The Cruise Descent;
•Airmanship;
•Common Errors.
Forces In A Descent

- In Straight and Level, if Power is reduced, the drag

force will become unbalanced and will decelerate the
a/c.
- Unless, a descent is commenced where the
component of weight force acting in the direction of
flightpath is sufficient to balance the drag.
- This effect allows the a/c to maintain airspeed by
descending and converting potential energy due to
its altitude into kinetic energy ( motion ).
- In a nutshell, component of weight force acts along
the flightpath in a descent, balancing drag and
contributing to the a/c’s speed.
Glide Descent Angle, Airspeed

 To maximize distance travelled then the aim will be to

have the smallest descent angle with no thrust, that is,
to find the best glide angle.
In other words, the greater the drag force, the steeper
the glide. The shallowest glide is obtained when, for
the required lift, the drag is least, ie, at the best
lift/drag ratio.
If L/D is High – the angle of descent is shallow/flat gliding
angle and the a/c would glide a long way
In most training aircrafts, rule of thumb is about 1.5
If the L/D is Low – with a high drag, the a/c will have a nautical miles glide per 1000 ft altitude above ground
large angle of descent ( ie, steep glide angle and will not level, thus giving it a Lift: Drag ratio of 1:5
glide far ).
Rate of Descent ( ROD )

Rate of descent is the vertical component of the Two aircraft that have same rate of descent but different
aircraft's velocity, normally expressed in feet per minute. horizontal speed will have different descent gradients.

The aircraft with the higher horizontal speed will have

It is expressed in feet per minute. It depends on the true the lower descent gradient.
airspeed (and IAS ) (V) and the descent gradient:
Rate of descent = V x sin (α)= V x Descent gradient = V
x (Drag – Thrust) / Weight
Power Assisted Descent – Power/Airspeed
– Rate of Descent;

- Power flattens the descent.

- If the engine-propeller is producing thrust, then the
thrust force will help overcome part of the drag force.
The result is that the aircraft will have a shallower
descent angle and a lower rate of descent than in the
power off glide.
- With significant power, the descent angle may be
zero and the a/c will fly level. Even with more power,
the a/c may climb.
Effects of Flaps

- An flap setting will increase the drag more than the

lift and consequently the L/D ratio is lower. This gives
a steeper glide ( increases the glide angle ).
- The smaller flap settings increase lift significantly
with only a small increase in drag – which is why the
name lift flaps sometimes given to low flap settings.
- The larger flap settings give large increases in drag
with only a small increase in the lift – hence the name
drag flaps for the larger flap settings. Large flap
settings will give a much steeper glide. And the lower
nose attitude required with flaps extended gives the
pilot much better visibility.
Effects of Wind

- A headwind reduces the gliding distance over the

ground, although it does not affect the gliding
distance through the air, nor does it affect the rate of
descent ( ROD ).
- A tailwind increases the gliding distance over the
ground ( even though it does not affect the gliding
distance relative to the air mass nor the rate of descent
( ROD ).
Effect of Mass

- If the weight is less, the a/c will have a lower airspeed

at any particular angle of attack compared to when it
is heavy.
- At the AOA for the best L/D ratio ( ie, for the best
glide ) the airspeed will be lower but the glide angle
will be the same. This also means that ROD for the
a/c when lighter will be less.
Cruise Descent

- Cruise Descent typically involves descending with a

thorough descent planning. The TOD is usually earlier
and the a/c adopts a shallow glide angle for maximum
distance at a low power saving/Cost Index, thus
minimizing operational costs.
- It is a comfortable arrangement for passengers and
ensure undue displacement of cargo.
- Allows Pilots for increased approach planning and
perform Checklist duties.
Airmanship and Engine
Considerations
AIRMANSHIP ENGINE CONSIDERATIONS
i. Lookout. i. Mixture richened during descent.
ii. Trim. ii. Temps and Pressures.
iii. Nose attitude / speed relationship (attitude flying) iii. Use of carburettor heat.
controlled by the elevators. iv. Throttle overboost / over-revving.
iv. Rate of descent controlled by the power. v. Warming engine every 1000ft minimum.
Common Errors
i. When initiating the glide a tendency exists to lower the
nose into the glide attitude as the power is reduced. This
results in too high a glide speed with high rates of
descent.
ii. Speed control. If the student tends to vary his nose
position, which causes variations in speed, the chances
are good that his problem is caused by trying to pay too
much attention to instrument indications and
disregarding attitude flying.
v. During the warm-up the speed must be maintained
throughout. This is also a very good co-ordination
exercise.
vi. The flap must not be used as a speed-brake during the
glide. It is not there to control the speed with, but to
control the rate of descent.
vii. Most students are not prepared for the large pitch-up
moment when power is applied during the levelling off
exercise.
viii. Don’t stretch the glide! i.e. there is a reason for
gliding at the recommended airspeeds.
Thanks for attending today’s
briefing on “Descending.” Any
questions/comments, feel free to
share.