john smith wrote
The Arrow has a healthy sink rate the requires some extra speed
initially to keep the sink rate below 500 fpm.

Sink rate (and rate of climb) is a function of power not
airspeed. Excess power...you go up, more excess power
and you go up faster. Same for a deficiency of power, the
greater the deficiency, the faster you go down. A 500 fpm
rate of descent can be flown at "almost" any airspeed by
using an appropriate power setting.

Bob Moore