OBN. I had just departed from a company having driven 737 300s, 400s & 500s and joined XL Airways with NGs various.
True to form, the training staff provided NO figures to use for planning descent, and true to form the published descent figures were hidden away in the QRH Perf Inflight pages, which I confess were not on my bedtime reading list!
The "Classic" computations worked fine until the fleet started to acquire new ex-factory and retro-fitted variants, that is where I ended up doing my "test-flying" stint and learning the hard way. Hence my pet topic of energy (mis)management and the lack of easy-to-use rules of thumb being disseminated from the lofty halls of sim/line training.
G-XLAA was a non-winglet 'frame in those halcyon days, and only last week I parked beside a non-winglet fuselage with the -700 label at a European airport, so they're still out there confusing the reggie spotters and maybe the pilots too?
Question for the forum! Do the 'buses of similar weights (sorry, masses!) to that of the 737 variants have similar or significantly different energy calcs? That is assuming clean glide to ILS G/S capture and no heroics involving gear at Vne minus 5 knots, airbrake and other pax frightening measures etc. Just for my further educashun....
