Originally Posted by
k.swiss
Please, like I am a five-year-old child can someone explain this.
A heavy aircraft will descend faster because of the momentum it has.
A light aircraft will descend faster because it can reach a higher speed, less limited by VMO/MMO on the descent.
So which one is the truth, do you need to plan more track miles to descend a heavier aircraft or a lighter aircraft?
Momentum has nothing to do with it, and they're both just as limited by Vmo/Mmo, unless I'm missing something from what you meant to say.
However, a heavier airplane (at the same speed as a lighter one) is closer to its (L/D)max speed, and therefore will glide at a shallower angle.
(Remember, as a baseline, that they have the
same (L/D)max, yielding the same glide angle, but the heavier one occurs at a faster speed, and higher descent rate.)