Top of Descent/ glide angle calculations
In the typical descent profile for a jet from the enroute cruise altitude, one starts with a constant mach and then transitions to constant IAS. Maybe I should already know this, but I started thinking about what the glide angle is throughout the descent: ie, is it constant? I have verified that for a constant IAS descent from altitude, the angle is constant (I also verified this with a home pc flight sim profile). The case of constant initial mach and transition to constant IAS is more complicated. As one descends initially in constant mach, the IAS is continually increasing, and so is the glide angle. As one transitions to constant IAS, the glide angle then stays constant. I am just posting this for re-affirmation of what I believe to be true. This then relates to another question: Do FMS systems take this into account (the change in glide angle as a result of the constant mach/constant IAS transition) in predicting top of descent points?