Really insightful and interesting video Jack, thank you for uploading these! Anthony Hammond

Thanks for the lesson in speed management Jack. I had quite the experience trying to make it to the FAF at the required height from a steep descent on a popular American B738 route in the NGX, KLAX to KSFO with the BSR2 STAR.10000 feet/250 kt restriction at BOLDR and I needed to be at 3200ft at the IF for ILS28R CEPIN. I ended up having to execute a slight S turn to the left to kill speed and altitude, and I eventually made it to CEPIN at the right speed and height, but it was a harrowing experience. I don't know how the real crew handles it, they must be slowing down earlier and dropping flaps earlier than you'd usually do at 10000 ft. Coincidentally, I looked up the real world route and actual route map for the flight on flight aware, and it showed that they executed a similar s turn as I did, but I'm not sure if it was for traffic reasons of speed issues. http://flightaware.c...0001Z/KLAX/KSFO That's what I love about the NGX, you need to stay ahead of her, but unlike most addon aircraft successfully landing in her just feels rewarding and meaningful.

i noticed climb rates and descent rates, at times of 4800 fpm ... would RL airlines have these type numbers?

Yes, it's perfectly normal... Lj. Prodanovic

Terrific video, and thanks very much, Jack.

Yea, I forgot to add, great video, extremely useful. Thank you. Lj. Prodanovic

Nice thanks for sharing.

Great video! Exactly how I fly her. (Not!)

Thanks for the very informative video. I was wondering if you could produce an entire series of videos covering all the things I don't know. Shouldn't be more than 3 or 4 hundred videos.

AMAZING WORK JACK!This has really helped me!

I thought the same thing your VSI almost hit 5000 fpm thats normal?

 

i noticed climb rates and descent rates, at times of 4800 fpm ... would RL airlines have these type numbers?

Important concept here - human beings don't sense speed itself, we sense acceleration. (the rate of changes in speed) The Earth is going around the Sun at 67,000 or so miles per hour right now but you and I don't feel it because it's a constant speed with no accelerations. This is actually part of what Albert Einstein realized with his theories of relativity - constant speeds and being at rest are the exact same thing physically. The same idea applies to climb and descent rates in airplanes - as long as you aren't making extremely sudden changes in your vertical speed, the passengers aren't really going to feel it. 5000 fpm feels exactly the same as level flight as long as you don't go from 0 to it in a split second or something. When fighter jets actually do this, there's a huge G-force associated with the sudden acceleration change that the pilot feels. A common technique is to slowly start rolling the VS knob down in one click increments as you approach T/D. This way you very gradually ease into the descent and eventually intercept the path with the goal to make it so the passengers don't even realize the descent has started. If you leave it in VNAV PTH right up until T/D, you are going to get a noticeable acceleration change right there at the onset of the descent that the passengers will feel.

 

Amazing video, I'm going to use everything I watched on my next NGX flight. One thing I noticed. After takeoff, you engaged the AP way above the FD indication, something like 5 degrees. Is that something you would've done in RL as well? I thought the Realistic AP Engagement would prevent you from connecting the AP under that condition. One other thing, Throttles idle at 20', flare at 10', did I get it right? Thanks!

The actual requirements for AP engagement have nothing to do with having the FD bars centered - it's the controls themselves that need to be centered with no pressure on them. You can be in that situation and not be perfectly following the FD commands.

Great video, but you said that you increase your speed to increase descent angle. I don't quite get that part. Since deescent gradient = ROD/ground speed that would mean that for the same angle you'd need higher ROD which you obviosly can not get. If you are flying at lower speed and than accalerate on idle due to you increase of rate of descend I understand that your descent gradient will increase but when you reach that airspeed it will decrease is that right? And is this the only purpose?

Interesting Ryan. I have noticed on real flights over the years that sometimes the beginning of a descent is quite pronounced and other times it is not. I would imagine, at times, ATC commands give the pilot not much choice in being super-smooth. Also Jack, thanks for taking the time to do this video.

As a 737 captain told me one time; "We fly an AIRPLANE, NOT, an elevator" when the ATC earlier had told them to reduce the speed and increase the rate of descent : )Very nice video! Would like more of them : )What I also would learn a bit about is planning and executing ILS, VOR and NDB approaches with real briefing : )

Thanks Jack! I appreciate the effort and time that you spend producing these videos. They're great! When you have time, keep'em coming! Best regards, Rich BollWichita, KS