Pitch? Or Power?

I thoroughly enjoyed Dave Higdon’s article “Pitch? Or Power?” in the October issue. For years I argued vehemently against separating pitch and power.

Editorial Staff

Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

One pilot advocates teaching new students to use pitch for airspeed and power for climb/descent for easier, more consistent landings, while another highlights the need for mandatory formal ground school in U.S. pilot training.
The article clarifies that humid air reduces aircraft performance because water vapor is lighter than dry air, leading to decreased air density.
A retired military member defends modern military aviator training, arguing it is thorough, selective, and provides valuable discipline, contrary to outdated negative portrayals.

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I thoroughly enjoyed Dave Higdon’s article “Pitch? Or Power?” in the October issue. For years I argued vehemently against separating pitch and power.

A little background: I learned to fly in the USAF and was lucky enough to fly a lot of different stuff—helicopters, pistons and jets (/H). From a T-28 to a C-141 with the H-19, H-3, H-1 and T-38 in between. So I have experienced the “set the pitch on final and fly the throttles” as well as the helicopter thing, where all controls are jealous of each other and you must move them all together.