Speed decrease/increase is an important Energy management tool in all jet aircraft but on the A330 it is of vital importance if things start going awry on the profile. For all you ex Boeing guys, the speed brake on the A330 needs to be used aggresively sometimes, it was fitted for a reason so come on guys don't be shy. To stop any screaming about fuel conservation, if your thrust is at idle it does not matter what you do with the brake to regain profile does it????
Having said that has anyone else noticed that they have changed the idle factor in the box to +4 without publishing it. If my memory serves me correctly this will mean that the descent computation in the FMGEC will be really conservative compared to other types/3x table. Just a thought for all of you that follow the donut.
Keep discovering