View Poll Results: How do you maintain a glideslope
I use changes in power to maintain glideslope
38
33.04%
I use changes in pitch to maintain glideslope
77
66.96%
Voters: 115. You may not vote on this poll
To all pilots: Flying the glide slope
#22
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: Fero's
Posts: 472
Seems I've been hearing this argument for the last 30 years.
Like others have said both. I will say however, if you couple the approach, pitch flies the GS. I've done CAT II approaches in airplanes that didn't have auto throttles. Guess how we controlled the speed?
So to answer your questions, 727, 737, 757 and A320. Pitch to the GS.
Like others have said both. I will say however, if you couple the approach, pitch flies the GS. I've done CAT II approaches in airplanes that didn't have auto throttles. Guess how we controlled the speed?
So to answer your questions, 727, 737, 757 and A320. Pitch to the GS.
#23
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jul 2009
Position: Cessna 172N Furloughed Captain.
Posts: 74
Lol, no way. I just thought it'd be funny to say. All the 172's here at LBFC are oldschool; late 70s/early 80s. They are pretty well maintained, though. Although there is one 1999 C-172SP at the club. The new ones are quite sophisticated though..with the glass cockpits and all.
#24
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2007
Position: single pilot cargo, turboprop
Posts: 484
I was having a discussion the other day with another pilot friend of mine, and also some other flight instructors.
Seems to be a divided community as to the two major ways of flying the glide slope.
What do you guys do, and what kind of airplane do you do this with?
- Use power to maintain the glideslope
- Use pitch to maintain the glideslope
?
Discuss!
Seems to be a divided community as to the two major ways of flying the glide slope.
What do you guys do, and what kind of airplane do you do this with?
- Use power to maintain the glideslope
- Use pitch to maintain the glideslope
?
Discuss!
In the planes I've flown, if you start off the approach right, with the right power setting, a little pitch change might throw you off 2-5 kts, but it'll usually settle back to the right speed once you recapture glide slope.
Bear in mind, the power setting to hold glide slope at a given speed varies with different conditions. In a BE99 for example, if you have an empty podless plane with no wind, you're looking at about 400 torque to hold glide slope at 120 kts IAS. Put a pod on, you need another 100, and for every 10 kts headwind, roughly another 100. Heavily loaded, maybe a little more. So, a heavy loaded podded BE99 with a 20 kt headwind, you're looking at about 700 torque, maybe a little more to hold glide slope at the same speed.
Last edited by own nav; 11-03-2009 at 12:15 PM.
#25
The USN/USMC guys, perhaps some of the figher USAF guys, are going to say power for descent rate (altitude) and pitch for airspeed. This is because they have an Angle of Attack indicator and are trying to fly the green donut, a constant angle of attack approach. The C-17 guys (correct me if I am wrong), are flying on the backside of the power curve during their approach and landings and the AP also maintains a constant angle of approach -- they control the descent with power and "flare" the aircraft by increasing power.
When you aren't trying to land on an aircraft carrier, in the box on the runway, or flying an assault landing; like most have said, you will use a little of both pitch and power -- they are related to one another.
Once you get stabilized on the approach, you will notice a certain power and certain pitch will maintain the aircraft on speed on the glideslope "hands off" all the way down until the flare.
Learn those pitch and power settings.
When you aren't trying to land on an aircraft carrier, in the box on the runway, or flying an assault landing; like most have said, you will use a little of both pitch and power -- they are related to one another.
Once you get stabilized on the approach, you will notice a certain power and certain pitch will maintain the aircraft on speed on the glideslope "hands off" all the way down until the flare.
Learn those pitch and power settings.
#26
Banned
Joined APC: Oct 2008
Position: Window Seat
Posts: 1,430
My way may be a little different... I'll set power for approach speed going down the GS and leave it there about a mile from FAF, last dot to go I'll start pitching down to an initial VSI based on Ground Speed to capture GS, then maintain the GS and LOC with pitch and roll only, for the last mile its pitch and yaw only, works every time.
#27
In my head, the GS is like a twitchy little kid who needs an IMMEDIATELY effective input to address the situation.
That said, I think I pitch for the GS more than power (obviously we all do both) because I want the immediate effect on the GS then I follow with subsequent power changes (if needed).
That said, I think I pitch for the GS more than power (obviously we all do both) because I want the immediate effect on the GS then I follow with subsequent power changes (if needed).
#30
I agree with the both anwser. In little a/c which ever you works best for you is right, I think pitch is the way to go, after all pitch for airspeed and power for alitiude. Alot of people have a tendency to over correct with pitch to recapture the glideslope, especially with no flight director so just a little bit of power seems to work better but "too each is own"
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