flight rules flights, and consider
some alternative altitudes when
flying under visual flight rules. By
flying below or above controlled
airspace, it may be possible to
maintain a more direct routing.
Profiles of Efficiency
One way to improve our bottom
line when flying is to choose a
more efficient profile for our flight.
For example, once we reach a safe
altitude on departure, it can pay
handsomely to pitch down, increase
speed, and then reduce the power
to a cruise climb setting. This can
have a significant impact, especially
when making short flights. Not only
that, but the lower nose attitude
often improves visibility and thus
enhances safety.
On longer flights, it pays to look
at the effects of cruising at higher
altitudes. For normally aspirated
aircraft, the most efficient cruise
altitude (for no-wind conditions)
is often around 7,000 feet or so. At
this altitude, we gain the advantage
of the increased true airspeed while
still maintaining the desired power.
For example, by climbing from
2,000 to 7,500 feet, a Cessna 172
can gain a 6 to 7 knot ( 5 percent)
increase in true airspeed for the
same power setting. In addition, the
extra altitude gives us more options
in the event of an engine problem.
Just be sure to check the winds aloft
to make certain the true airspeed
gains aren’t offset by head winds.
One mistake pilots make is to not
plan an efficient descent profile. All
too often, pilots maintain altitude
too long and then must add drag
to get the plane down to pattern
altitude. If we’re adding lots of drag,
then we’re wasting energy that could
otherwise be used to get from A to B.
A more efficient approach is to plan a
gradual descent using a slight power
reduction while maintaining a low
drag configuration. A comfortable
500 foot per minute descent from
cruise requires two minutes of flying
