Does it cost fuel to perform a step-climb?
I was wondering if there's any fuel penalty for performing a step-climb, ie. would the actual climb of 2000' (or 4000') burn additional fuel, which would be later on offset by cruising closer to OPT altitude?
My reasoning is NO, because during climb the a/c would gain additional potential energy (ie. altitude), which can be then redeemed in descent. Also, while climbing, the engines operate at max CLB thrust, where their efficiency is better than on lower thrust setting... Does that sound right?
Cheers,
S.