sailingfun

What airplane does that? Certainly not a Boeing. It does a nice smooth 1000 foot decent in level change.

tcraft

Not the 737. Level change descents are power idle at whatever speed is bugged.

Unless that's sarcasm. Then I'll plead "too early, no coffee."

Adlerdriver

Older Boeings had a “binary” FLCH. Always full idle in the descent no matter the altitude to lose. So, if that’s the way your jet works, using it in the terminal area and/or for a 1000’ descent really doesn’t make much sense. If you were hand flying that descent you probably wouldn’t slap the levers back to idle either.

777F logic is a bit smarter now. I have to assume the same about the 787, 737-800 (or at least guppies newer than that) and new 767Fs we’re getting.

Maybe they’ve even gone back and updated some of the older models. But, old or new, FLCH doesn’t “always” do a gentle 1000 fpm descent as someone indicated. Use it going from FL300 to 10k at 320 indicated and see if you get anything close to 1000 fpm.

On the 777F, FLCH uses thrust as required to generate a v/s of 500 fpm for each 1000’ to climb or descend. Target is a 2 minute climb/descent. More than 2 minutes, it uses climb or idle thrust.

In a decent, thrust FMA goes to “hold” so you always have the option to bump up the power and reduce the descent rate if you think it’s going down too quickly.

All that said, V/S is a great tool in certain situations. Terminal area descents, light jet climbs in busy airspace with traffic above, foreign rules dictating specific rates as you approach target altitude, etc.

ShyGuy

In the mini Bus you can 'FLCH' for a 1,000 feet and it usually works out because the power isn't that quick to come back to idle and it starts down as the power is still winding down.

RadialGal

So we have:

1. Scab

2. Lives with Mommy

3. Can only find flying work overseas

4. Pedofile

Wow, what a winner.

ShyGuy

Another article details the things he did. Beyond a monster!

Rotorwashed

anybody seen capt hollywoods new biopic?

https://youtu.be/Wjn1-pksgDQ

4runner

The 73’s are all or nothing on the thrust levers. Idle or climb thrust is what you get. The 76 will try to reach the commanded altitude in the preselector at 2 minutes. I made monkey noises at it in training. I still poke at it with a stick in the terminal area and make monkey noises while looking at the Captain.

Hetman

We are all tools for neglecting this thread for 10 whole days.

Except for me and my bad self, who tried to revive it. I am definitely among the 100% of the 5% who think they are among the 95%.

flensr

Everyone except this guy.