Regarding the glide issue and autopilot.
I believe a modern computerized airliner already has almost all the data necessary to enable its computers to calculate in real time how it can best make the runway at the present thrust setting, be it partial thrust or zero.
The missing pieces of data are a) the airplane's lift/drag curve in various configurations, which the manufacturer should already know, and b) the wind gradient in the remaining flightpath until touchdown (usually the headwind decreases, which in this case is good and adds margin if we simply use the instantaneous wind data).
So in theory it's not that difficult to devise a software that automatically commands the autopilot into optimum glide mode at the first sign of a thrust deficit that prevents it from holding the commanded glideslope at Vref. In case thrust comes back, it would revert back to normal glideslope hold mode.
Whether that "auto glide mode" would be a truly useful feature or only serve to confuse the flight crew, is another discussion. Training would of course be essential. But a technical solution is certainly possible.
Just my $0.02
Last edited by snowfalcon2; 10th Apr 2008 at 07:57.