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By skillfully decreasing the thrust, pilots enable the airplane to gracefully decelerate, optimizing the landing experience. This adjustment is carefully executed, taking into account factors such as the aircraft's weight, wind conditions, and the desired touchdown point.
[Context: KUL Accelerator]
teaching slow flight for flight instructors
Objectives.
To slow the aeroplane and maintain “straight and level” at low airspeed (1.2Vs). To maintain straight and level at low airspeed in various configurations. To maintain a constant altitude while turning (“banking”) at low airspeed.
Definitions:
Slow Flight involves maneuvering at low airspeeds, as during takeoff, landing, and go-arounds. It introduces pilots to the strange aircraft behavior 'on the back side of the power curve', and develops skills at maneuvering the airplane safely at the edge of the flight envelope.
Aircraft Performance & Stability at Low Speeds
Under the ACS guidance, slow flight is trained and tested at an airspeed that is five to 10 knots above the stall warning activation speed. Properly performed, the maneuver should not activate the stall warning system at all.
Common errors in the performance of slow flight are: • Failure to adequately clear the area. Inadequate back-elevator pressure as power is reduced, resulting in altitude loss. Excessive back-elevator pressure as power is reduced, resulting in a climb, followed by a rapid reduction in airspeed and “mushing.”
Aircraft manufacturers have also designed planes to be more aerodynamically efficient at lower speeds, allowing airlines to save on fuel costs without compromising safety or comfort. Flying at a slower pace reduces drag, the force that opposes an airplane's forward motion through the air.
Engine power: The amount of thrust produced by the engines is a major factor in determining a plane's speed. The more powerful the engines, the faster the plane can go. Air density: The density of the air through which the plane is flying affects its speed.
Weight, lift, thrust, and drag are the four principles of aerodynamics. These physics of flight and aircraft structures forces cause an object to travel upwards and downwards, as well as faster and slower.