For anyone who would know for certain, no guess please.Does the 737NG's spoiler/speed brake slow the plane significantly more than what is modeled on the PMDG a/c? I ask because I can not get the a/c to perform a -1800FPM decent without busting speed limits!Thanks,Eric

Eric,No this is accurately simulated on the PMDG NG. Also the slipperyness is acurate. All according to the NG pilots on the beta team as well as the real world pilots who frequent this forum.Hope it helps,

In addition to Mats comments, you need to plan ahead in this bird. She is very slippery and doesn't slow down much below 10,000 ft. Take a good look at your flight plan and ensure you have your airspeed under control throughout your decent. Or make sure at the end of your decent you have enough level flight to bleed off the energy. Speed brakes are not going to help you much to correct poor decent planning.Now if ATC is giving you the problem, that's another issue! :-lol

Interesting that you have problems slowing down the 737 for I hardly ever have problems. I simply cut thrust to near idle if I have to (although usually this is unnecessary as an N1 of 35%-40% is still enough to slow down) and glide down and speed brakes are only necessary if I got distracted and did not start my descent well in advance of my destination. In fact, I probably start my descent too soon and don't follow the 3:1 rule. At 35,000ft cruise flight, I start at around 120 NM from destination or before at a gradual rate. Unfortunately, I don't plan my descents too well either as far as descent rate; something I need to rectify soon.The plane I definitely have a problem slowing down is the A320, which is in the same class as the 737NGs. I have to use the speed brake with the A320 and even the A340 sometimes, whereas with the Boeing Jumbo Jet 747-400 or -200, I'm in heaven! It slows down beautifully and so gracefully when thrust is cut. I read an article from a 747 pilot once which specified that the Jumbo descent is done with engines at idle or near idle and descent rate is around 2000fpm (or possibly more)-this is where I realized cutting thrust is the best way to control speed along with, of course, nose pitch (i.e. descent rate).As far as I can understand from experienced simmers and pilots, the SPEED is actually controlled by the PITCH or descent rate while the THROTTLE (N1) controls descent rate. The N1 should be constantly changing, NOT CONSTANT, when descending to control (and reduce) your descent rate and speed too. If your N1 is constant and you are you increase your descent rate, you will speed up for sure. Notice how reducing the descent rate (e.g. from 1800fpm to 1200fpm) reduces your Indicated air speed (KIAS).I recommend using the autopilot at first to control your descent rate. If you find you cannot handle the descent rate and speed, then firstly, start descending earlier than the 3:1 rule (e.g. at FL300, start at 110NM and not at 90NM as the rule states) and set a small descent rate of, say 1200fpm or even 800fpm-1000fpm. Just keep an eye on the distance left to your destination so that you are AT LEAST within the 3:1 rule-3 times the distance x 1000 should be always left with respect to your flight altitude (e.g. with 30NM left you should no HIGHER than, as an approximate guide, about 9000ft. AGL). Don't forget AGL - above ground level - your airport can be 13,000 feet altitude (above sea level) as in the case of some South American airports, which means you should be 9,000 feet ABOVE that, that is, at 22,000feet when 30NM before landing.Hope this helps. Please if anyone sees any errors in my posting, feel free to correct them.John

Good post John, nice explanation! :-)FYI: When hand flying an aircraft it is typically pitch for speed and set power for decent rate. A good example for this is the technique used for flying an ILS. If airspeed is a bit low, pitch down slightly. If you are a little under the glide slope, add a small amount of power. To fast, pitch up slightly and if above the glide slope slightly reduce power. In my experiences it is very important to only make small changes once established on the approach. Make the change and then let the aircraft stabilize before making another change. The closer you get to Decision Height, the smaller the changes should be. Whether on an approach or flying a controlled decent, the technique should work.

Thanks for the compliments George!Actually, your posting is very helpful and especially the part about making smaller and smaller corrections the closer and closer one gets to the runway (or decision height). I make that mistake of over-correcting but sometimes, I feel my CH flight yoke and especially the pedals are a tad over-sensitive and I have reduced the sensitivity down as a result.The funny thing is this: FS2004 is not quite "all there" as far as I'm concerned - even with Active Sky 2004 wind smoothing turned on - when there is even slight cross-wind (i.e. 6 knots!). The plane keeps going in one direction EVEN AFTER I set my rudder trim to correct for it. Am I doing something wrong? I watched some "Learning To Fly" documentaries on Discovery Wings channel with a Cessna 172 doing X-wind landings and the instructor said to use the ailerons to bank the plane slightly in the direction of the wind and to counteract this by turning the rudder in the OPPOSITE direction; then to correct the nose of the plane just before touchdown, which will be flying at an angle to the runway (i.e. the plane flies straight ahead but with nose pointing to the side). Can this be done with a large jet or are there different techniques being used to manage cross-wind landings for commercial jets - 737/A320 and bigger.I also LOVE the Jumbo! It does not react to winds as much - must be because of its size - and flying and landing it is an absolute charm! It is the plane I actually feel the most comfortable with (using POSKY 747-400 and -200, not the default).One final thing I noticed which might of help to other simmers: make sure you WAIT FOR THE PLANE TO STABILIZE (stop turning) AFTER you make a turn, particularly on your final approach. Otherwise, you will correct thinking it is improperly oriented and end up over-correcting or turn TOO MUCH thinking you haven't turned enough.John

This is even more so the case for the real 800 series. Really need to be ahead of the aircraft according to our 800 Pilot...Best Wishes,[h4]Randy J. Smith[/h4]http://www.rawbw.com/~bdoolin/shinault/Animation1.gifCaution! Not a real pilot, but do play one on TV ;-)AMD 64 3200+ | ASUS KV8 DELUXE | GFORCE 5700 ULTRA @535/1000 | Maxtor 6Y080M0 SATA 80 GIG | 512 DDR 400 | Windows Xp Pro | Windows Xp Pro 64 |