PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - TOD and wind
Thread: TOD and wind
View Single Post
Old 5th Jul 2011, 07:43
  #3 (permalink)  
MarkerInbound
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,921
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
FMCs will adjust the top of descent to account for winds. The tradeoff between time and fuel also comes into play. For the shortest time you would cruise to a point and then push the nose over to barber pole all the way down. To save fuel you would cruise to a point where you can just get to airport gliding down at best L/D. Many times with a low cost index in the FMC you may slow from your cruise speed for the descent. Both of these points will move with your head or tailwind. Closer with a headwind and farther from the airport with a tailwind. But not a mile a knot.
MarkerInbound is offline