Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

ATC expected descent rate

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web
Basics

Why not try two rules of thumb that most of us use in "turbine" equipment.
1. 5 X your groundspeed. Example. 500kt GS = 2500fpm decent. 400kt GS= 2000fpm.
2. 1/2 your GS X 10. Example. 500kt GS /2 = 250 X 10= 2500fpm.
Easy cheesy gents. lets not reinvent the wheel eh?
 
Why not try two rules of thumb that most of us use in "turbine" equipment.
1. 5 X your groundspeed. Example. 500kt GS = 2500fpm decent. 400kt GS= 2000fpm.
2. 1/2 your GS X 10. Example. 500kt GS /2 = 250 X 10= 2500fpm.
Easy cheesy gents. lets not reinvent the wheel eh?
I just use the three to one rule. If you're at FL400 then remove one zero, triple it, and then you have your descent point. 120NM from destination.

 
Why not try two rules of thumb that most of us use in "turbine" equipment.
1. 5 X your groundspeed. Example. 500kt GS = 2500fpm decent. 400kt GS= 2000fpm.
2. 1/2 your GS X 10. Example. 500kt GS /2 = 250 X 10= 2500fpm.
Easy cheesy gents. lets not reinvent the wheel eh?

Instead of not reinventing the wheel, why don't you read the actual question posed in the first post. The guy wasn't asking about techniques to descend - any idiot knows to used VNAV or the techniques you listed.
The question was about what descent rate is expected by ATC. When they tell you to descend, what is the rate they expect you to use.
Sure would be nice if these genius pilots with an opinion would read all the posts before they bless us with their knowledge.
 
Sorry Mr. Fedex god. We can't all be incredible super-pilots like you.
 
Sorry Mr. Fedex god. We can't all be incredible super-pilots like you.
FedEx has a point, no one was asking how to descend, he was asking about ATC, and everyone else went off on a how to fly the airplane tangent.
 
atLEAST 1500fpm, but 2k or greater is ideal. The guys that give a 500fpm descents off the bat, and then when atc asks to increase rate of descent they go up to 7-800fpm ruin it for everyone else often, and make the controller issue blanket descent rates since the guy earlier in the day burned him or really increased his workload.

In my opinion, only time you should be descending at less than 1500fpm (2000fpm ideally) is one of three things: descending with PD, meeting a restriction, or about to level.
 
FedEx has a point, no one was asking how to descend, he was asking about ATC, and everyone else went off on a how to fly the airplane tangent.
The point was that he didn't have to be a jerk about it.
 

Latest resources

Back
Top