Thanks for all the replies - a lot of useful info and views. The full flap and nose down seems to be a good one to investigate (with a beady eye on the white arc).
With regard to experience (see reply above) I do have 400+ hours (330+ P1) mainly on PA28s but never really had to lose height rapidly. I am going through an 'experimental' phase at the moment to liven up the flying (not sure you can do too much of that in a Cherokee!).
Once again thanks
