hi guys,i missed my flipping TOD, and i think i know what im doing. im guessing that if you miss your TOD u reset mcp alt, then use V/S to get back to the descent glide slope? im currently descending at 3500 to catch up (with spoliers out a bit)cheers

hi guys,i missed my flipping TOD, and i think i know what im doing. im guessing that if you miss your TOD u reset mcp alt, then use V/S to get back to the descent glide slope? im currently descending at 3500 to catch up (with spoliers out a bit)cheers

If your not flying online then have the 'Pause at TOD' option ticked within the PMDG sub menu on the FS Menu.A better way would be to reset the MCP ALT, press FLCH & wind the SPD to within 10 kts of the upper yellow buffet margin, you could then also deply the Speedbrake if necessary...she will then dive at the commanded speed.Keep a wary eye on the magenta diamond on the right side of the ND...within 1000ft of capturing the VNAV computed profile stow the Speedbrake switch to V/S & slow the descent rate & bring the speed back as necessary...use some judgement & make the V/S mode get the throttles away from the idle stops prior to VNAV computed path interception.Steve

If your not flying online then have the 'Pause at TOD' option ticked within the PMDG sub menu on the FS Menu.A better way would be to reset the MCP ALT, press FLCH & wind the SPD to within 10 kts of the upper yellow buffet margin, you could then also deply the Speedbrake if necessary...she will then dive at the commanded speed.Keep a wary eye on the magenta diamond on the right side of the ND...within 1000ft of capturing the VNAV computed profile stow the Speedbrake switch to V/S & slow the descent rate & bring the speed back as necessary...use some judgement & make the V/S mode get the throttles away from the idle stops prior to VNAV computed path interception.Steve

thanks steve, that worked quite well acually :(

I dont think the pax would like that very much.

I dont think the pax would like that very much.

I guess they would like it a little more than knowing that the pilot was away from the controls - no dig intended at the originator of this post.

I guess they would like it a little more than knowing that the pilot was away from the controls - no dig intended at the originator of this post.

hahaha i was having the worst dinner, flipping fish patties :(

I think that better airmanship would be to set a hold point at or near your next waypoint and do a descending hold until you are back to a manageble level. This idea of diving at the ground and hoping to miss makes me a little nervous.

Moot point, real world TOD depends on ATC and they will usually ask you to start your descent now when you have gone too far since they need to get you down for their hand-off to next controller. They really don't want you circling around or slowing down messing up their flow and creating more work for them. You are going to end up with a vector to a dog leg to extend the flying distance to their hand-off point.

& I'm not advocating 'a dive at the ground'...far from it...at no time have I advocated 'a dive at the ground hoping to miss'...if the VNAV descent profile is clearly unrecoverable then an alternative method of loosing height would have to be considered.The post originator clearly states he has missed his TOD & is therefore still a his final cruising level.Careful management of the descent & a fully briefed approach (inclusive of MSAs around the terminal area) would make this manoevure a safe & simple method to regain the computed VNAV DES profile...clearly if the aircraft is too far along the track any method would not recover the descent profile & the pilot would have to ask ATC to issue a dog leg or holding track as Dan has explained.I do truely love this place....a guy askes a simple & valid question & gets a perfectly reasonable answer or solution & then in comes the flak.Happy Days :(

Moot point, real world TOD depends on ATC and they will usually ask you to start your descent now when you have gone too far since they need to get you down for their hand-off to next controller. They really don't want you circling around or slowing down messing up their flow and creating more work for them. You are going to end up with a vector to a dog leg to extend the flying distance to their hand-off point.

But, if you have a crossing restriction (whether known to you or only to the controller who knows the hand off altitude), couldn't you slow down and establish a V/S descent that was only slightly faster than normal and then speed up again when you get back on your path? Since the V/S is based in time and the crossing points (and the path between them) is based on distance, if you decrease the distance covered over a period of time, then you should be able to get back on your path without busting a restriction. I use the method, or something similar, when I'm using the craptastic FSX ATC and they give me a slam dunk.

Doug, in the aircraft you and I fly you are exactly right. I would bleed the speed to increase the descent angle but the scenario is unrealistic in the high sector environment where ATC rules. My favorite slam dunk is the ZIGGY arrival landing west at KONT and the golden gate arrival at KSFO is right up there too but that one you don't see on the charts.

Doug, in the aircraft you and I fly you are exactly right. I would bleed the speed to increase the descent angle but the scenario is unrealistic in the high sector environment where ATC rules. My favorite slam dunk is the ZIGGY arrival landing west at KONT and the golden gate arrival at KSFO is right up there too but that one you don't see on the charts.

Thanks for that. I was curious if they did that technique in the FLs. The irony is that if I'm high and its just me and my buddies, I don't have any problem doing a healthy descent rate instead of the slow down. Paying passengers enjoying their coffee might not like that technique so much. My regular slam dunk isn't charted. Because of a nuance in airspace, KHGR is run by ZDC, who usually get you right about the time you should descend and at least 75% of the time, they ignore you until much later. Sure, its just a visual approach, but still...

My steepest descent in a C-414A (I was hired for this one, not my regular girl) coming in from ABQ over the DFW metroplex held at FL190 until East of KDAL Love Field then cleared for my descent into Tyler TX, had about 60 nm to get all the way down (316ft/nm vs normal arrival 250ft/nm) and in a piston as you know you don't just pull the power or you'll break something. This plane had electric speed brakes so I was able to pull it off while keeping the engines warm but it was interesting.

& I'm not advocating 'a dive at the ground'...far from it...at no time have I advocated 'a dive at the ground hoping to miss'...if the VNAV descent profile is clearly unrecoverable then an alternative method of loosing height would have to be considered.The post originator clearly states he has missed his TOD & is therefore still a his final cruising level.Careful management of the descent & a fully briefed approach (inclusive of MSAs around the terminal area) would make this manoevure a safe & simple method to regain the computed VNAV DES profile...clearly if the aircraft is too far along the track any method would not recover the descent profile & the pilot would have to ask ATC to issue a dog leg or holding track as Dan has explained.I do truely love this place....a guy askes a simple & valid question & gets a perfectly reasonable answer or solution & then in comes the flak.Happy Days :(

Your a bit touchy today, aren't you? I mean, what flak are you complaining about? You gave a perfectly valid and reasonable answer to a simple question. An answer which advocated a descent at near maximum speed (technically known as 'diving') which would put the OP at risk of violating airspeed, altitude, traffic and noise control restrictions while flying near the edge of the envelope so significantly increasing pilot workload and stress factors and simultanously reducing their error margins and abilities to deal with (or even be aware of) any other situations that might require their attention. And while this would eventually lead to an improvement in piloting standards through removing the weak, the stupid, and the unlucky from the gene pool, nobody flamed you for being so mean to the original poster. Perhaps they thought that by eating fish patties, Laclan deserved your taunting and scorn? Personnally, I quite like fish patties, so I simply proposed an alternative approach that meant the same same situation could be handled in a calm and measured manner completly within the normal flight regime.