Stepping Out

Okay, okay, I know theres no such thing as "the step" ("Cruise Dynamics," August). Or is there? Our Glasair One + One Half (half Glasair I, half Glasair II) has a strange cruise characteristic. Other Glasair FT pilots have observed this on their planes too, so were not alone. At cruise, at altitude, you can fly in level flight at one of two airspeeds, separated by only five knots and obtained by an almost imperceptible pitch change. My partner always flies at the slower of the two speeds because the airplane stops accelerating there as she levels from climb. Whereas I will set the nose to the known level flight attitude and fly at the higher speed. The only way she can get herself to fly five knots faster is to overshoot her final altitude by 100 ft and "dive" to get past the first level flight cruise speed, just like the proverbial step technique.

Key Takeaways:

• Some aircraft, like the Glasair One + One Half, may exhibit a "drag bucket" phenomenon, allowing for two distinct, stable cruise airspeeds separated by a small margin and requiring a specific maneuver to achieve the higher speed.
• Corrections were provided regarding aviation regulations for alternate airports, clarifying that standard alternate minimums apply at the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA), and GPS-only approaches are permissible for WAAS-equipped aircraft.
• Pilots performing a go-around in powerful aircraft must carefully manage power and trim to avoid dangerous "elevator trim stalls," which can occur when applying full power from a landing configuration.
• While acknowledging that ATC can sometimes be slow to respond, pilots are reminded to prioritize responding to ATC calls and avoid distractions, as pilot responsiveness generally has more room for improvement.

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