Precision Configuration and Power Management
Key pitch/power targets, 3-degree glidepath math, and configuration flows for repeatable IFR approaches.
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Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
What is the core principle replacing 'chasing' airspeed and descent rate?
Command a known configuration and power setting that produces the desired airspeed/vertical speed, then wait ~5 seconds and confirm.
In the approach regime, what controls airspeed and what controls vertical speed?
Attitude (pitch) controls airspeed; power controls vertical speed. Follow every change with a small trim correction and re-check.
Rule of thumb for required vertical speed on a 3° glidepath
VS (fpm) ≈ groundspeed (kt) × 5 — e.g., 90 kt GS → 450 fpm, 120 kt GS → 600 fpm.
Descent gradient for a 3° glidepath
About 300 ft per nautical mile; altitude to lose ÷ 300 = NM needed (3,000 ft → 10 NM).
Why does a 20-knot tailwind on final change your table entry?
Groundspeed, not airspeed, drives required vertical speed, so a higher GS needs a steeper VS — a wind adjustment, not a new table.
How many presets should your pitch/power table contain, and how should the numbers be obtained?
Six to eight presets, flown and recorded yourself on a smooth day at typical training weight; manufacturer numbers are only a starting guess.
Typical C172 precision descent (3°) setting
Flaps 10, about 1700 RPM → 90 KIAS, roughly 450 fpm.
Why is landing gear an ideal drag device in a complex airplane?
It gives a big, speed-stable drag increment without changing trim much (e.g., gear down, 15" MP → 100 KIAS, 500 fpm).
What is the 'magic moment' in an ILS flow?
About one dot before glideslope intercept (or at the FAF): gear down, flaps approach, prop forward, power to the descent number.
Why avoid configuration changes below the FAF / on glidepath?
Every configuration change is a trim change, and trim changes consume scan bandwidth needed for navigation, comms, and situational awareness — use fingertip corrections only.
