Which Airspeed?

One of the most important bits of information pilots can glean from our instrument panels is airspeed. Its used on takeoff to gauge when to apply backpressure for liftoff, its used when landing to ensure were neither too slow or too fast, and we use it in cruise to help verify performance (and establish bragging rights). Depending on the airplane and the days mission, we may also use it to ensure were at or below an appropriate speed before penetrating turbulence or conducting various maneuvers.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

While critical for all flight phases, many important operational airspeeds are not explicitly marked on aircraft instruments, requiring pilots to employ strategies like memorization or supplementary placards.
The article advocates for a "pitch plus power equals performance" approach, suggesting pilots use specific, consistent power settings for key operations (e.g., climb, ILS, holding) to achieve desired performance and simplify cockpit management.
Pilots should engage in hands-on experimentation to determine these optimal, aircraft-specific power settings, understanding that they are approximate values that require minor adjustments based on varying flight conditions.

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One of the most important bits of information pilots can glean from our instrument panels is airspeed. It’s used on takeoff to gauge when to apply backpressure for liftoff, it’s used when landing to ensure we’re neither too slow or too fast, and we use it in cruise to help verify performance (and establish bragging rights). Depending on the airplane and the day’s mission, we may also use it to ensure we’re at or below an appropriate speed before penetrating turbulence or conducting various maneuvers.

Airspeed also is important when we’re trying to get the best performance out of an aircraft. When climbing right after takeoff, choosing the best angle of climb speed gets us over the trees at the far end of the runway while the best rate gives us a greater altitude gain over time. Among other factors, the airspeed we want to fly depends on our operational objective, which can be as simple as getting to our destination as quickly as possible. Ultimately, though, the airspeed we want to fly often is dictated by the power settings we use.