Top of climb descent calculations

[hotwings402]

How do you guys figure TOC and TOD on cross country planning in your flight logs for your students? The particular airplane (a 150) does'nt have any time to climb or distance to climb charts etc. How would you put it in on another aircraft?

Thanks

 

[Vector4fun]

In Texas in summer, I always figured TOC was when the OAT came down to 75 deg. That's how I told my students to figure it...

 

[sbav8r]

Use the POH to find the rate of climb. I have them interpolate because we use 80kt cruise climb instead of Vy. Using that rate of climb, I have them determine the time to altitude. For example, at 500 fpm it would take 8 min to climb to 4,000 msl from sea level. Then I have them calculate the GS and use the E6b to find the distance you would cover in 8 min at that GS.

For TOD, I use 500fpm as the rate and have the students calculate the time to pattern altitude. Again, using the GS I have them find the distance they need to start the descent.

If the student picks a specific fix, I require them to determine what rate of descent will work from that distance using the same method but reversing the order.

Hope this helps.

 

[hotwings402]

Do you enter TOC as a leg in the flight plan? Also what do you do about winds aloft for the TOC segment?


THanks

 

[sbav8r]

I put it on the flight plan as well as the sectional. For winds alloft, I take the difference between the surface and alloft.