9.7 Descent Performance & Energy Management

Descent Characteristics

• Typically flown at idle thrust
• Vertical path controlled manually (VA SOP)
• Speed managed automatically

Energy State Awareness

Pilots must continuously assess:

• Altitude vs distance
• Speed vs configuration

High Energy Situation

• Too fast / too high

Correction methods:

• Increase descent rate
• Use speed brakes

Low Energy Situation

• Too slow / too low

Correction methods:

• Reduce descent rate
• Increase thrust

Core Rule

“Energy must be managed early – not corrected late.”