An Paddy Eile
Thanks for your reply - very interesting point you make about the exceedence in VS becoming Open Climb, I hadn't been aware of that at all. I'll go away and read up on that one. There's still a lot about the airbus that's news to me in fact!
However, regarding the descent - I'm not so sure. Do excuse my unfamiliarity with the type, however I'm sure that I'm correct when saying given a height and a speed and an availability of drag, you will only ever be able to get down to another height and speed in a certain minimum period of time or a certain minimum amount of track miles covered.
I've just read back on that, and it's about as clear as mud so - if as you say, I try to vs down in a little more than a 3 degree slope, my airspeed x will increase to airspeed x + some. Fine. So if I'm unwilling to accept the airspeed increase I can go down in open climb at the original speed x, but I won't achieve the rate I wanted. All things being equal of course. I can increase my rate in this last case by spoiler, gear, holding my hand out of the window. Naturally, I'd also get an equivalent tempering of the speed increase in my vs descent if I do those.
It was the same on my last type, also a jet, and it's the same on pretty much anything I can think of. Ultimately an aircraft is subject to the same aerodynamic laws, whether its an airbus or a starling.
Of course I appreaciate what you say about the protection from overspeed offered by the open des mode, but descent in vs is hardly anything close to the bone as long as you're reasonably alert and vigilant, which I am sure we all are in any case..!
Cheers