CDFA vs constant angle descent
You're very welcome, Ludolf.
Job done as far as the OP is concerned, but I would caution anyone wishing to take this further that previous posts appear to conflate CDA with CDFA. They are different. CDA gets you from cruise alt to instrument pattern alt. CDFA gets you from there to MDA. Ideally, they should blend into one smooth continuous descent but, just like the initial, intermediate and final segments of an instrument approach, they are different things.
Job done as far as the OP is concerned, but I would caution anyone wishing to take this further that previous posts appear to conflate CDA with CDFA. They are different. CDA gets you from cruise alt to instrument pattern alt. CDFA gets you from there to MDA. Ideally, they should blend into one smooth continuous descent but, just like the initial, intermediate and final segments of an instrument approach, they are different things.
Originally Posted by KeithL
I would caution anyone wishing to take this further that previous posts appear to conflate CDA with CDFA.
The term CDA is better described as a "Continuous Descent Arrival".
You are right, Capn Bloggs, it didn't.
#17 is the only one to mention CDA, and from the context he really meant CDFA. That's why I pointed it out, really - in real world discussions of this, things very quickly get chaotic if we aren't careful with our terminology.
And in real world discussions, we can smile, shrug, etc to keep things on an even keel. Online debates are trickier, aren't they?
#17 is the only one to mention CDA, and from the context he really meant CDFA. That's why I pointed it out, really - in real world discussions of this, things very quickly get chaotic if we aren't careful with our terminology.
And in real world discussions, we can smile, shrug, etc to keep things on an even keel. Online debates are trickier, aren't they?
Mea Culpa on the terminology usage! While I used the acronym CDA, my remarks in the previous posts referred to a constant descent angle on the final approach segment.
Yes the terminology is important. Particularly when the terms are not used universally across the globe.
Yes the terminology is important. Particularly when the terms are not used universally across the globe.
