Visual Profile

[SkyWestCRJPilot]

Don't forget the spoilers if you need them.

 

[Mongolikecandy]

If you are in the CRJ, I wouldn't hesitate to grab the spoilers (above 800ft) to start slowing while still on the path. It can be done smoothly enough to not alarm passengers or feel like you are doing something extreme. Just remember to retract them. That last notch can be forgotten and you get the little yellow reminder on short final.

 

[Stby One]

High energy approaches are interesting. There are probably as many theorys about it as there are pilots. Personally i'd say slow down, but sometimes you fly with captains that wants you to do the opposite so then just roll with it. At my homebase in northern Italy we enter downwind at about 10000-12000 feet AGL due to the alps. I've seen guys on visual approaches do 320 knots until turning base, it works if you fly a wide pattern but i personally prefer to slowdown early. I doubt you lose much time and you get more time to think about what you are doing. In a B738 it can be hard to slow down on the glide if you are heavy, not familiar with the EMB though.

I think the best way to deal with a high energy approach is to drop the gear early, sure it can be noisy but i think most pax would prefer that over a go-around.

Visual approaches together with other types of non-precision approaches are less safe and by slowing down you increase your situational awareness.

 

[Medeco]

Mostly noise I would think...wadd you think?

I am always amazed by the large percentage of ASA Capt. who gasp when I call for gear down early, for speed reduction or more common ATC speed restriction wont let me go faster anyway. I was always told and agree that getting your gear down early is smart. If yah have a problem with the gear it sure is better to know early.

And , I am not talking 10 mile final, gear down, more like 1 or 2 outside the marker.

I think that the previous comments pretty much sum up the answer to you question.

Very few things in Aviation have an absolute way for technique.

medeco

 

[JustShy]

I hear 'ya...

The point is, most approaches are vanilla, and things go smoothly. Over and over, it's flaps-gear-flaps-land-exit-clean up. If you need to put the gear down first to help get stabilized, quickly explain the reason, then call for it.

Think outside the box...

 

[Ben Franklin]

you should visit www.expressjetpilots.com or www.calforums.com/coexboard


there are alot of hot sticks on those sites who can tell you everything that you need to know about flying jets.

I fly the E145 and slow to 145 at FL200 and put in gear down and flaps 45 and fly Vref all the way in to 50 feet above touchdown. That way, I am set up and don't need to actually slow to cross that 50' point at Vref. Now THAT's being ahead of the game. My F/O's are constantly impressed and offer to buy my drinks and meals all over the civilized world.

Sincerely,

B. Franklin

 

[248to2.8]

I guess you're all trained to think flaps first, but thinking outside the box:

And the reason for not dropping the gear first is....

???

Every plane I've ever flown, the first flaps setting was higher than the gear speed. That would be why.

If you are going to pitch up, which I agree is sloppy, don't climb, just level off. Once you get more expierience you'll know what kind of glide angle to use so you can just keep truckin down the path.

 

[EMB170Pilot]

Hey Guys/Gals...I am new to a jet and have been on the line for about five months now and I have a question for you all.

If you get cleared for a visual (base leg and close in to the marker) and you are high and not fully configured is it best to continue down the visual slope with thrust at idle until you reach final flap retraction speed (slowly) or is it better to raise the nose and lose speed (quickly) to get the final segment of flaps in?

In the first scenario you run the risk of not getting configured by the prescribed altitude (500'AGL for visuals) and in the second scenario you run the risk of getting configured but then being even higher on the slope.

With speed assignments given to us by ATC, it is not always possible to get fully configured early due to limitations so my question is when you are handed a scenario such as this one what is the best/most safe course of action?

Thanks!

Newbie

My soultion... PLAN AHEAD
Being new also, I expected the visual so I had the airplane slowed down with flaps in so all I had to do is drop the gear and put in the rest of the flaps.

Just plan ahead and you will be fine. Its called LEARNING Happened to me when I started out in Dec

 

[Terry Hunter]

Be the Ball. Send the ball home, Happy.

I am always amazed by the large percentage of ASA Capt. who gasp when I call for gear down early...

The same strange gasps can be heard if you ask for flaps or gear early to help lose 10,000+ feet of altitude. Some people just need to unwind a little bit.

 

[svcta]

Of course you do what you need to do to get slowed down, but I recently saw a good trick for making the flap "8" setting a little less pitch crazy with the CRJ at high (flap) speed: One or two clicks of spoilers as the flaps extend will settle that pitch moment down really nicely, then just ease the spoilers back to zero. Seems to work well. But then, I AM a complete idiot, and I hate me, so nevermind.