RFT 098: No Flap Visual Approaches
A visual no-flap or partial-flap approach may be a required maneuver on a type rating test. there are several techniques to make this event easier.Naturally, good CRM requires you to use all of your resources, which include the ILS (if available), VASI/PAPI (if available) and non-ILS approaches in your database.If none of these are available, simply fly the airplane on a 3-degree glide path by positioning the aircraft 350 feet AGL at one mile, 650 feet AGL at two miles, and 1000 feet AGL at three miles. Another way to determine a 3-degree flight path is to descend at 1/2 your groundspeed times 10. A 140 knot groundspeed would require 700 feet-per-minute descent rate. This is based on groundspeed, which can be determined by true airspeed (TAS) adjusted for wind. If you cannot read groundspeed directly from your instruments, calculate your TAS by realizing that TAS increases approximately 2 percent above IAS for every 1000 feet of elevation. As our way to help you celebrate the New Year, we’re offering a huge discount on the Hamfist Trilogy!You can download the book in the e-book format of your choice at Smashwords, and use coupon code GJ73Z for a 50% discount.