Search the Community

If this is covered elsewhere, please feel free to delete the topic. Having read much of this website, I would propose that we end the what controls the airspeed and what controls altitude debate. Instead I would suggest we think in terms of energy. The airplane has 3 types of energy: kinetic (airspeed), potential (altitude), and chemical (gas). The yoke cannot create any energy and except during extreme maneuvering, what it really does is convert energy from one form to another. That is airspeed to altitude or altitude to airspeed. If we are in level unaccelerated flight and pull the nose up, climb a couple hundred feet and then push over to descend back to the original altitude, we should arrive back at that altitude with essentially the same airspeed. No energy made or destroyed (within reason). There may be some minor losses due to momentary drag increases while initiating the climb/descent/level off. And there may be some minor energy increases because thrust will exceed drag at the lower airspeed (AOA) during the maneuver. The throttle only controls energy. The more power we use, the more energy we make. As long as drag does not consume all that energy, we use the airplane to convert that energy into either airspeed or altitude. So if we are on base and find ourselves high or fast, we have too much energy. The only real way to get rid of that energy is to pull the power. Drag then exceeds power and we get rid of energy. In order to maintain airspeed we need to use the yoke to convert altitude to airspeed. In order to maintain altitude, we need to use the yoke to convert airspeed to altitude. So if we were high but on speed (or proper AOA as Mike would rightly point out), we then use pitch to maintain our airspeed while allowing the plane to descent to the proper height. Or if we were on altitude, but fast, we once again pull power to reduce energy and then use pitch to maintain the proper glidepath while allowing the airspeed to decrease (AOA to increase). So in both cases we pulled power first. Then in one case pitch controlled airspeed while in the other it controlled altitude. The same would happen if we were low or slow. We need more energy so we add power and then use pitch to control either airspeed or altitude depending on which one needs adjusting. The same thing works for instrument approaches. If you are on course and on glideslope but fast, you have too much energy. Pull power and use pitch to maintain the glideslope while allowing the plane to slow down. Or if we are on speed but high, pull power and use pitch to maintain airspeed while allowing the plane to descend to the glideslope. And in all cases, once we have the airspeed and altitude we want, we need to adjust the energy knob to maintain what we have.