Originally Posted by
Nightstop
Axel-Flo:
Secondly, the most effective method of losing altitude with reduced track miles is to keep the speed high, aircraft clean as long as possible to as low as possible, and then decelerate rapidly in level flight using Speedbrake, Gear and then flaps. So, if terrain, ATC and Company SOP permits the method would be selected MMO/VMO clean to 3000’ (say), activate Approach Phase, Managed speed then Speedbrake, Gear, Flaps. Use selected speed during deceleration according to taste.
That is completely wrong. You need gradient - not rate of descent.
Hold level to kill the speed using airbrake.
Drop droop, flaps and gear and resume the descent at the lowest approach speed.
A slippery aircraft like e.g the 757 will not decelerate nose down. I used to think it worthwhile to devote some time on the sim course to demonstrating that even being 400' too high at the outer marker with only 20 flap you could rescue the situation by holding level to drop everything and then resuming to be in the slot by 500'
Once in a Vanguard diverting from Heathrow over central London at FL100, Approach said the RVR on what was then 28L had gone to the magic (Cat 1) 600m and if we were interested we would be No 1.
By using the above technique we made it straight in as the first to land that morning.