Practice Bore-Sight IFR for Descents on the Angles

Classic descent planning usually includes a time/distance/rate algorithm worthy of space shuttle re-entry or a that-looks-about-right guess. The latter often results in a screaming, idle path that ends with, Ahhh, Center, were gonna have a little trouble crossing STING at 3000.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, December 03, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The article proposes a "Flying Tigers gun sight" method for precise descent planning, utilizing the aircraft's attitude indicator (AI) as a "protractor" to set pitch angle and control descent rate, simplifying traditional calculations.
For a standard 3-degree descent, estimate the required distance by tripling the altitude to lose (in thousands of feet) and verify the vertical speed by halving groundspeed and adding a zero (e.g., 100 knots GS requires 500 FPM).
For non-standard descents, use the AI's pitch scale (0-10 degrees nose low) to set the appropriate angle, correlating it to the feet per mile needed for descent, and decline unsustainably steep pitch requirements.

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Classic descent planning usually includes a time/distance/rate algorithm worthy of space shuttle re-entry or a that-looks-about-right guess. The latter often results in a screaming, idle path that ends with, “Ahhh, Center, we’re gonna have a little trouble crossing STING at 3000.”

Wouldn’t it be neat if you had a ring-and-bead gun sight like the old Flying Tigers P-40s to point the nose and smoke your descent target? In a way, you do.