737Jock I think the problem lies in those 500hr flight instruction that you were talking about. Problly done in pistons.
What you are saying can be applied to a light prop driven aircraft which responds quickly to power changes and doesn't have very much momentum to overcome. However when we talk about heavy jets we have to consider the slow response time of the engines and the even slower effect that those engines have on the aircraft (as u have all that momentum to overcome).
This is why we use pitch. We do not use adding energy for refining and perfecting the flight path on the approach as it will take way to long for the aircraft to respond. We rather just convert some speed into altitude or visa versa and then worry about the speed (which has a built in margin anyway) by adding or reducing thrust.
All things being equal L= ROD=AoAxIAS. The easiest way to affect lift is by changing AoA (due to inertia and slower response of aircraft to change speed)
The easiest way to change AoA is by using that big arse elevator to change the relative airflow of those big arse wings.
Bloggs question is valid. Let me put it another way. If you are on short final and u get a speed reduction do you push the nose down first or add thrust and maintain the flight path with pitch. Its pretty straight forward. Dont try to complicate it.
by the way if your method works better airbus/boeing etc would have programmed the autopilot to chase speed on approach and the active ATHR mode would be GS (sounds silly to me)
Last edited by InSoMnIaC; 28th Mar 2014 at 00:58.