Re:Gimli Glider
by FabHK on Monday December 19, 2016 @12:31PM
(#13213129)
Yes, typically you'd want to come in a bit high (or fast; you can always trade speed for altitude to an extent).
Then, you put in flaps to have a less efficient wing profile and descent more steeply (without gaining excessive speed).
However, here they did not have enough power to do that, so the Captain put it into a slip: flying uncoordinated, with (say) left rudder, but right aileron, flying somewhat diagonally (or rather, flying straight ahead still towards the runway, but presenting not only the nose, but a bit of the aircraft body to the wind).
That gets you down quite well.
Those are really the techniques when you're too high on the approach:
1. Flaps
2. Slip
3. S-Turns
Then, you put in flaps to have a less efficient wing profile and descent more steeply (without gaining excessive speed).
However, here they did not have enough power to do that, so the Captain put it into a slip: flying uncoordinated, with (say) left rudder, but right aileron, flying somewhat diagonally (or rather, flying straight ahead still towards the runway, but presenting not only the nose, but a bit of the aircraft body to the wind).
That gets you down quite well.
Those are really the techniques when you're too high on the approach: 1. Flaps 2. Slip 3. S-Turns