PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Airliner destroyed landing short after holding for a Cb. 100 survivors.
Old 11th May 2002, 21:06
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Mud Skipper
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Australia
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Can't say I've had the pleasure yet of a full blown actual MB. But have flown where you have 65 kts at 1000' down to 15 kts on the deck. Company uses Reference Ground Speed technique and I don't understand why it hasn't really taken on with many other carriers.

For those not familiar, RGS is a method of trying to maintain not only your aircraft IAS but also a minimum energy = at no stage through the final approach should you get bellow the ground speed (energy state) at which you expect to land.

For instance; Vref 154 kts at airport XYZ elevation 2000'
ATIS; Rwy 36 (360 deg) wind 060/30, CAVOK, temp 20 deg QNH 1013 reported 1000' wind 360/45.

So your RGS would be 154 kts
+ 4 kts for elevation (1 kts per 500')
+ 2 kts for temp (ISA @ 2000' = 11 deg, 20deg = +9, add 1 kts per 5 degs)
- 15 kts for expected headwind component on the runway.
= RGS 145kts

At least on the early part of the approach, down to say 1000', you would not allow your ground speed to drop below this figure. From around a 1000' and 500' (our minimum "stable" altitude) you should have final flap out and also respect a maximum of Vref + 25 kts whilst trying to maintain the RGS. All things being equal, by the time you get to the fence you should be roughly on speed at Vapp, having used the RGS technique, no large thrust increases should have been needed through the approach to drag up a decaying airspeed.

Unfortunatly this doesn't help much with a significant tailwind at 1000' or so as you must naturally still respect Vapp as minimum. In general though, use of the groundspeed during approach gives you a good indication of the energy in the airframe. I hope you could follow this - it's too early here to explain any better.
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