Steve6443
Quote:
(and glideslope is pitch, not power)
At the risk of starting another "Stick and Rudder" thread, I have to ask what you mean by "glideslope is pitch, not power"? Is this something peculiar to an Autopilot approach?
I'm not an IFR pilot but am fortunate to have a large under-utilised "international" airport in the vicinity who are open enough to have spam cans practising ILS approaches without the associated fees so have occasionally taken some foggles to practice an ILS approach - "just in case".
In my experience, it's exactly the opposite - glide slope is power, not pitch: I say this because I'll adjust the pitch (and trim) for my approach speed and then look to follow the glide slope using power..... I find if I'm too high on the slope and lower my pitch, I gain speed. If I'm low and increase my pitch, I lose speed.....
The reality is that if you change pitch, you are going to have to change power to keep the equation in balance. Since autopilots control glodeslope with pitch when coupled in approach mode, it is obviously possible for the human to do the same. It is also the recommended procedure when flying large airplanes. If autothrottle equipped, power controls airspeed.
With one exception, I use the same technique in my 185 or in the jets I fly. The one circumstance where I use power to control rate of descent is when I am slow ~1.1 or 1.2 Vso on an approach to a short strip in the 185. Power actually helps control both descent and airspeed in that circumstance, because if the tendency is to go slow, power is necessary and if the rate of descent needs adjustment, power needs an adjustment. In order for this to work, one has to be slow. I also adjust my approach speed according to my weight for a more accurate reference to actual Vso. My empty weight is 1840 compared to a 3525 GW, so adjusting approach speed can make a difference in the rollout distance.