Greatful for this group

Pitch vs power is a lot more subtle than just pushing the throttle up or pushing the stick forward to speed up; the real answer (IMHO) is "it depends on where on the L/D curve you are". At high speeds and level flight, power is the primary speed control, and unless you are flying an F-16 or Airbus, you will have to adjust your pitch (usually with trim) to compensate for the tendency to climb as speed increases. If you are slow, however, and on the backside of the L/D curve, then pitch has a much greater role in airspeed (actually, AOA) control, while power serves to adjust rate of descent or to maintain altitude, and has much less effect on speed. So on approach, you control your speed with the stick (and trim for the speed), while using power (or the dive brakes in gliders) to adjust you sink rate for the desires approach path.

From personal experience, this works in everything from 2-33s to F-15s.

"Stick and Rudder" covers it well, I believe...

Kirk
66

On 10/21/2018 9:37 AM, Dan Marotta wrote:
I recall from my Air Force training, a drawing of the total lift curve and the
position of the aircraft along it, and the explanation went something like this:

When power is applied, the aircraft speed increases causing, an increase in
lift, which causes the aircraft to climb at the trimmed speed. Reduce power
and the speed decreases causing a decrease in lift, which causes the aircraft
to descend at the trimmed speed.Â* In either case, the speed change was only
momentary.Â* If the position of the flight controls is not changed, power
controls altitude.

On 10/21/2018 9:15 AM, James Betker wrote:
Snip of intervening discussion...
"when you crank up the throttle, airspeed rises."Â* I would respectfully
submit that when you add throttle you climb, you pitch to remain at
constant altitude which is why the airspeed goes up?Â* I know in a T-33 I
would rather depend on pitch than power to recover from impending stall,
same with T-6,... gliders, helicopters.
I'm not an aerodynamicist, so I can't say for sure. I just know from what
experience I have that planes seem to speed up AND climb when power is
added. I'm sure there's an equation out there somewhere..

Totally agree with you about pitch. Not saying your question has no merit,
just that it is worded in a way that might confuse some folks.


Dern Dan, your USAF instructors would be proud and gratified to learn you were
paying attention!

FWIW, your understanding is the same one I obtained via obtaining an aerospace
engineering degree - lotsa graphs! - and subsequent decades of self-education.
My sense is a lot of pilots tend to (overlook? not-well-grasp?) the sheer
dynamic transience of the phenomenon of a wing generating lift in a dynamic
medium (air) inter-acting with Joe Pilot's inputs (via
stick/throttle/spoilers/etc.).

Bob W.

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The original question, "Airspeed, controlled by power or pitch?", surely
has one correct answer: "yes". ;-)

In a 747 on approach I use pitch for glide angle and thrust for speed, in a glider I don’t.