Hi fellow NGX drivers!

 

I've found myself having to use the speedbrakes pretty much on every descent/approach I do when complying to ATC instructions and flying most of the descent using VNAV and I also think the speedbrakes are not that effective.

 

I know this has been discussed before but just wanted to ask what the final verdict was, is the speedbrake's effectiveness in the NGX on par with the speedbrake in the real NG?

The 737NG is like an arrow when it's descending. The trick is to decrease thrust prior to your descend initation. However, I get to use the speedbrakes pretty often too.

 

A buddy of mine who flies the NG in real life told me once that his company even flies almost whole descends and approaches with ILDE thrust, from FL380 down to the runway.

I fly the 737-800 NGX and it's as slippy as a wet seal. If I'm not ahead of that plane by at least five minutes it eats me up on descent. I use a descent calculator that takes into account descent altitude, head/tail winds and speed decreases to determine TOD ... I compare this to VNAV to see when it is a good idea to descend. Just for fun I've ridden the VNAV all the way down for a test and it has never put me on final approach at a low enough energy state so that I'm landing Vref+5knts. I have to use V/S, LVL CHG and SPEED INTERVENE in combination to adhere to ATC requirements ... I've also tried to enter in highly conservative speed decelerations into VNAV and when I do it correctly, I'm still using the Speed Brake.

 

I have an eleven page document that takes this bird from cold and dark to tuchdown ... bullet pointing every step inbetween. I'll send it to you if you would like © (T) (Blankenship) AT GeeMail DOT com. I've spent hours and hours watching Angle of Attack videos, reading the tutorials and taking instruction from the great pilots at Southwest Virtiual Airline ... it is in its second revision and I'm getting real close to being satisfied with it. I'll also send you my descent calculator (Excel spreadsheet) ... unless I've already done so and I've forgotten about it (getting old ya know).

 

I was in the US Navy and we visited Stockholm ... we went to a club called The Daily News ... I swear those Scandinavian girls were (are) simply stunning <s> ... oh ... and it had NOTHING to do with being cooped up on a ship with 250 dudes for three months.

There's a thread every week on some subject like this.

 

No, the real jet will go from TOD without riding the speedbrakes the whole time.

 

Sometimes the jet will get a bit fast, but just as often you'll need to add power.

It also depends on your inputs as a pilot. If you input the enroute winds correctly, and keep your mind ahead of the plane, everything should be just fine.

Having said that, the 737, and especially the -800, is slippery as hell in real life. You really need to manage the energy, especially at higher weights.

yea Speedbreaks are used a lot in 737 but not the whole descend, last january i was on a trip and weather was choppy on descend i was seated right on the wing, and the pilots where using the heck out of the speedbreaks

There's a thread every week on some subject like this.

 

No, the real jet will go from TOD without riding the speedbrakes the whole time.

 

Sometimes the jet will get a bit fast, but just as often you'll need to add power.

 

Ok, if that's the case I'm surprised this fact wasn't found during beta testing or fixed in one of the service packs after it was released.

 

Well, thanks anyway for all input guys!

Ok, if that's the case I'm surprised this fact wasn't found during beta testing or fixed in one of the service packs after it was released.

 

Well, thanks anyway for all input guys!

 

Hi Richard,

 

It's a good thing you're not flying the A321. It's more slippery than the 737-800wl. When heavy you will find yourself with greendot speed above Flap 1 speed. And extending speedbrakes on it will just raise VLS to above Flap 1 speed also. Very trickery....

I hardly ever use the speed brakes.. Only when the route ATC gives me is whacked, might

I need em. I might use em maybe once in every 20-30?? flights.. Not very often.

As along as the approach is fairly normal, I don't need em.

I use the Speed ​​Brakes when I'm overspeed during the TOD.

Im using it often, because when im descending i will descend fast and the speedbrakes are required for it. Also im using lvl change at higher levels so the plane will descend more than 1000 feet per minute. I like it,

Hi fellow NGX drivers!

 

I've found myself having to use the speedbrakes pretty much on every descent/approach I do when complying to ATC instructions and flying most of the descent using VNAV and I also think the speedbrakes are not that effective.

 

I know this has been discussed before but just wanted to ask what the final verdict was, is the speedbrake's effectiveness in the NGX on par with the speedbrake in the real NG?

Real 737 speedbrakes are not very effective, so I think the NGX speedbrakes are probably realistic. FSX pilots are used to the unrealistically effective speedbrakes in other planes.

 

When I fly the NGX I don't use speedbrake much in descent, partly because I know they won't be much use. The key is looking ahead at where you want to be at what speed, not letting VNAV do your thinking for you. It isn't perfect.

 

As for the NG being slippery, it is no more slippery than more modern designs. It's more slippery than older 737s though.

Ok, but with thrust at idle and speedbrakes fully extended is a 1000-1200 ft/min descent rate realistic?

I usually descend at 2000-2200 with no speed brakes when I'm in the early stages of

the descent. I'll be close to idle, but not always.. Rarely do I need to put the brakes on.

Like I say, only if ATC gets whacky with me, and puts me high and fast, do I use em.

Doesn't happen too often.. Every once in a while it'll happen..

Recently I've found myself sat with 50-100% speedbrakes on approach to Heathrow. The approach height restrictions (7000A and 6000A) continue until very late in the STAR meaning I have to descend ~3000ft in a couple of miles. I would guess that I'm just going too fast (mostly just using LNAV and VNAV) until 8000ft. Not flying online so no ATC instructions.