AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2023 - 86

RUDDER & WRENCH
16
PA=Excess Power Available
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14
12
10
8
6
4
2
C
B
D
A
Vy
50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Airspeed (kts)
Moving across the lines, however,
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a better trained, more proficient pilot.
means moving to a different energy state
and necessitates a change in throttle setting
(A to C). Given the limitations of the
powerplant and lift production, only the
combinations of airspeeds and altitudes
inside the collection of power curves are
reasonable for sustained flight. While it
may be possible to move briefly outside the
power envelope, sustained flight is impossible.
The Airplane Flying Handbook calls
this graph an energy control map.
Basic rules that follow from the energy
control map are:
1. To move to a state with a different
total mechanical energy value, start by
adjusting the throttle and follow with necessary
pitch changes.
2. If the total mechanical energy is
appropriate, then initiate corrections by
using the elevator control.
The Airplane Flying Handbook provides
two scenarios that demonstrate
the utility of an energy-centric approach
to piloting an aircraft. Upon reaching an
undesired energy profile, the pilot should
decide whether the error is one of total
86
AOPA PILOT / August 2023
energy which requires a throttle movement
or merely one of energy distribution,
which can be solved using the elevator.
Scenario 1: An airplane on an instrument
approach descends below the
desired vertical profile. If the target airspeed
has been maintained, then the
problem is one of total energy and the
pilot should correct by increasing the
throttle setting while maintaining constant
airspeed. This advice is consistent
with the notion that, for this phase of
flight, the elevator controls airspeed and
throttle controls altitude.
Scenario 2: An aircraft departs a high
density-altitude airport, and the pilot is
surprised by the attendant poor performance,
so he verifies the gear and flaps are
retracted and adjusts the mixture to optimize
climb rate. With the aircraft pointed
toward high terrain, the pilot continues
to pull back on the yoke until the airplane
stops climbing and the stall horn sounds.
In this case, the pilot has guided the
aircraft to an energy state outside the envelope
(A to C in figure above). In this case,
it will not be possible to move to a higher
Altitude (1000 ft)
PA=0
PA=200
PA=400
PA=600
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2023
