Minimum rate of descent
 

Hi guys,

I just need to find the official reference regarding the minimum rate of descent you have to apply during the descent phase.

I guess everybody use 1000 ft/min. But I want to find it in the jungle of books and manuals :E

NOT everybody uses 1000fpm because the regs require min 500fpm only

500 fpm is correct - I use it a lot when told to descend enroute
to simply vacate that particular level.

500 fpm is ICAO I recall, but it pays to take a look at the Jepp
ATC section re TCA and terminal areas for the FIR you're in.

Could be wrong...I recall a reg somewhere from my old L1011 days that the last 1000ft of altitude capture in a climb to be required to be completed at a rate of at least 500ft/min.
i.e. ATC did not want you creeping up at a rate of 50 ft per min on fuel burn as it mucked up their planning!
Also the last 1000ft in a descent to altitude or flight level be reduced to a rate of 500ft/min....I believe(probably wrongly) the B767 auto pilot/computer logic was designed to do this in Flight level change mode.

Standard rate.
 

There used to be a thing called the standard rate of descent. It means that you can descend at whatever ROD you like but the last 1000 feet have to be at 500 fpm. That is where the 500 fpm comes from, though this method is not used any more. Today one should always aim to climb or descend at a rate of at least 500 fpm because the TCAS will only give a climb or descent arrow if the aircraft is doing at least 500 fpm. This seems to be the smart thing to do now days. As far as an official ROD goes, you're the man flying the plane, if you need to slow down do what you want and don't worry about being bullied by ATC into minimum RODs.

You could always talk to ATC . . . . Certainly within UK FIR's they expect a minimum of 500fpm minimum and 8000 fpm max either way. It's not about bullying, it's about planning . . . .

It's just a bet to win a beer cause the captain said 1000ft/min is the minimum rate. I don't agree so we made a bet :E but i need the proof!

So he should be providing the proof...not you. If he ever gives a reference, I would be more than happy to have it :E.

As Akrapovic said, in the UK FIRs, it is clearly defined in an AIC (ref AIC Yellow 107/2007, findable on the NATS website).

For the rest of the world, I don't recall any particular rate (other than 500').

Some FIR, TMA, CTR have special requirements but none of it can be generalized.

Colin Oskopi is right...500fpm at least for the "arrow" on everybody's display (CTL included) ;)