What is a PDP?

[Swede]

PDP = Pilots Defending the Profession, an APA splinter group from the 90's that never attracted any followers.

 

[MD80PILOT]

Guys!!!!!! PDP means Pre Determined Point. It is used with different navigation planning procedures.

Ex: Drift down procedure when passing a mountain range. At a certain point prior to crossing one has to have reached a certain altitude in order to be able to meat the drift down (altitude loss) in the event of an engine failure.

 

[wmuflyguy]

Read the article "Brief This Approach" by Bob Norris...It was published in Airline Pilot Careers in March of 1997.

It covers how to brief an approach, runway lighting systems, and mental math at how to compute top of descents and PDP's.

GuitarGuy's explanation and method is exactly what is stated in the article.

 

[~~~^~~~]

PDP & VDP are concepts you learn and recite for checkrides and sim evals. Distance at 300 ft per mile and whatever fudge factor technique your examiner feels groovy with. Speed divided by 2, add a zero for decent rate.

When you are performing a non precision to a iced up, MU value runway, three years after your type ride that stuff tends to go by the wayside. If you don't know the power settings and the airplanes performance well enough to intuitively know "stable" bag it and go somewhere else. Or, call crew scheduling and tell them you are sick.

I've never thought that 1.52435 miles from the threshold in crap weather is the time for "higher math." But, if your training department wants to see VDP / PDP, placate them and go about your way. On line, it is about as useless as the over wing fueling procedure for your airplanes' center tanks.

 

[minitour]

Here's what I don't get about VDP.

Why does it matter?
Once you can descend from MDA to a "normal" landing, you do it and that becomes your VDP, doesn't it?

-mini

 

[FlyinTim]

Look In The Aim