14.29 What's the proper way to lose speed in an approach and landing?
From FlightSim
One of the first things my first instructor taught me was "DON'T chase the VSI!". It is a good starting guide, but you should only be watching the airspeed indicator - using elevators to gain/lose speed as necessary (assuming your manifold pressure is "about right" and your vertical speed is "about right" and assuming you regularly check out the window that you are heading in the right direction and not about to hit anything.
Drop the gear (in the RG) and add flaps as necessary to keep the speed down as you get within final approach range (or as you turn onto the base leg if you are flying a pattern). This is also when you would cut the throttle to 1,500 rpm.
Ian Donohoe
In most situations, the throttle controls altitude and the angle of attack
(controlled with the elevators) determines your airspeed. In most descents
you can go ahead and convert some of your potential energy (altitude) into
kinetic energy (airspeed) to get back some of the time and fuel you used in
the climb. The airspeed you use in the descent depends on the situation.
If you're in smooth air, go ahead and let the speed build up into the yellow
arc. If it's bumpy, you better just pull back the throttle and keep the
airspeed in the green arc. Also, some real-world engines can experience
shock cooling if you force too much airflow over them at low power. In this
case you might want to keep some power on and descend at a higher airspeed
to get your desired rate of descent. If you're in a situation where you
need to lose a lot of altitude in a hurry, just pull back the power and don't
let the plane accelerate.
Michael D. Klatt
I learned, way back there, from a "how to" book on flying Flight Simulator,
that the way to slow the Cessna and descend is to reduce the throttle and
increase the elevator trim (up) to raise the nose. The airplane will respond by
increasing altitude initially, but as soon as the speed bleeds off it will
descend and at a slower speed. I use this for approaches but I'm not sure about
your question. If you're just going from 5,000 ft. to 3,000 ft. and want to
retain the same speed, I would recommend following the Cessna instructions and
if the speed grows too fast, adjust the trim to raise the nose.
Bob Fiedler
