Glideslope Gouges

A gouge really is nothing more than a clever saying-east is least, west is best-or a rule intended to remind us of something we already know. One thing about memory gouges is theres virtually no end to them. Another thing, ironically, is we tend to forget them. With that in mind, heres a quick refresher on a gouge designed to help us fly a glideslope.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots utilize "memory gouges," such as the "Rule of Three," as clever sayings or rules of thumb to simplify complex tasks and aid memory during flight.
The "Rule of Three" is based on the standard three-degree glideslope, which approximates a descent of 300 feet for every nautical mile traveled.
This rule helps pilots establish stable approaches, calculate appropriate altitudes at varying distances from the runway, and verify they are on the correct glideslope to avoid false ones.
Another related gouge allows pilots to estimate the required descent rate to maintain a three-degree glideslope by multiplying their groundspeed by five.

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Pilots depend on their training and memory to get through many tasks. But no one can remember everything there is to know about flying, especially its more arcane aspects. Thus, the memory gouge was invented, to help us remember what we’re supposed to do and when.

A gouge really is nothing more than a clever saying—east is least, west is best—or a rule intended to remind us of something we already know. One thing about memory gouges is there’s virtually no end to them. Another thing, ironically, is we tend to forget them. With that in mind, here’s a quick refresher on a gouge designed to help us fly a glideslope.