rudestuff
Hi, thanks for your input. I don’t wish to contradict you, but in what mode does thrust control altitude? Auto thrust modes are Thrust (N1, Climb, TO/GA ETC) Idle (During Level Chg descents and at the end of FLARE) and speed control (MCP or FMC). Anything to do with ALT or Path is Pitch Channel of the Autopilot. VNAV rate of climb will either be similar to Lvl Chg, where AP controls the IAS/Mach and a climb thrust is set, or the FMC will set a particular rate of climb in pitch combined with an Autothrust Speed.
You’re right of course, it is very type specific, but generically it’s 737 or A320 and something has to be taught to the students. I tend to concentrate on the follies of VS mode, you know, the danger of over or under speeding, and the fact that unlike Level Change, it doesn’t look specifically for an MCP set altitude, unless you are going that way.