Is reverse thrust used while in flight?

I'm playing the MSFS scenario where you practice landing by entering an arrival destination without a departure destination. MSFS opens the game at final approach. I'm too high when the game starts and I need to lose altitude. The only way to lose altitude and land is to dive but doing so increases the approach speed.

 

So, is reverse thrust ever used in flight? How about in real-life?

The only time I have heard of it is in the 737, where idle reverse allows you to go rev thrust at 10ft or lower.

Are you using the airbrake/spoilers?

What aircraft is it? I mean, obviously a C152 has no spoilers, but without knowing the aircraft you are trying to land it's a bit of guesswork?

Have you tried banking left and right to bleed off some speed?

Flaps and wheels are down I guess?

Not in real life. It's dangerous. In the sim, do whatever you want. You don't mention aircraft type (it's important) but if you're too high when it starts, then power to idle, slowing down and extending gear and flaps is the first thing to do IF you feel you must continue straight in.

 

The real life response would be planning a bit better in the first place (I know, you had no choice, but real life doesn't do this) or else go around, depending on where you are and altitude in relation to the airport.

 

If it's a turboprop then power to idle is like a speed brake, and if it's a jet with spoilers/speed brakes then deploy them, and I'm assuming it's not a piston engine craft because you ask about reverse thrust (unless maybe a prop airliner).

 

For future response, since some don't have this particular program, and many don't mess with certain "scenarios" it would help if you mention what aircraft type, how high you are above the airport, how far out you are, what your speed is, and maybe some other details. Responses are NOT always the same for every aircraft type -- even jet airliners might vary to some degree in what you need to do. Aviation isn't just a series of canned responses.

 

The only way to lose altitude and land is to dive but doing so increases the approach speed.

Nope. Power to idle, slow down, and extend gear and flaps. You can also do alternating left and right turns of a 90º heading change at a 45º bank angle while maintaining approach speed.

 

But again, more information will shape the answer(s) given.

The only time I have heard of it is in the 737, where idle reverse allows you to go rev thrust at 10ft or lower.

Are you using the airbrake/spoilers?

What aircraft is it? I mean, obviously a C152 has no spoilers, but without knowing the aircraft you are trying to land it's a bit of guesswork?

Have you tried banking left and right to bleed off some speed?

Flaps and wheels are down I guess?

 

It's the TBM 930 with KHAF (Half Moon Bay) as the destination airport. The challenge is to lose altitude without banking. The flaps and wheels are already down in the default scenario. Speed is hovering at the plane's default approach speed. It seems to me the plane is far enough from the airport to land at the approach speed of 84 mph. But I'm relatively new to using the plane and I'm not a real pilot so I don't know.

 

The TBM has reverse thrust but no spoilers (I wish it did).

Not in real life. It's dangerous. In the sim, do whatever you want. You don't mention aircraft type (it's important) but if you're too high when it starts, then power to idle, slowing down and extending gear and flaps is the first thing to do IF you feel you must continue straight in.

 

The real life response would be planning a bit better in the first place (I know, you had no choice, but real life doesn't do this) or else go around, depending on where you are and altitude in relation to the airport.

 

If it's a turboprop then power to idle is like a speed brake, and if it's a jet with spoilers/speed brakes then deploy them, and I'm assuming it's not a piston engine craft because you ask about reverse thrust (unless maybe a prop airliner).

 

For future response, since some don't have this particular program, and many don't mess with certain "scenarios" it would help if you mention what aircraft type, how high you are above the airport, how far out you are, what your speed is, and maybe some other details. Responses are NOT always the same for every aircraft type -- even jet airliners might vary to some degree in what you need to do. Aviation isn't just a series of canned responses.

 

 

Nope. Power to idle, slow down, and extend gear and flaps. You can also do alternating left and right turns of a 90º heading change at a 45º bank angle while maintaining approach speed.

 

But again, more information will shape the answer(s) given.

 

Do you have MSFS? Can you try landing the scenario using the TBM 930 at KHAF? I'm wondering how it is supposed to be done in the game.

Here's a screen cap of the scenario. The plane's original speed is 84 kias, but picked up speed when I did a screen cap, so now it's showing 127. The altitude is about 1000 ft.

 

Not in real life. It's dangerous.

 

There's always an exception. :pilot:

 

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41823/watch-this-c-17-engage-its-thrust-reverses-in-mid-air-to-make-an-extremely-rapid-descent

There's always an exception. :pilot:

 

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41823/watch-this-c-17-engage-its-thrust-reverses-in-mid-air-to-make-an-extremely-rapid-descent

 

Wow. Gutsy procedure! Thanks.

I used the reversers on my P-3 Orion a couple of times for a quick descent and slow down but for only a few seconds or so. It does work but rather dramatically.

There's always an exception. :pilot:

 

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41823/watch-this-c-17-engage-its-thrust-reverses-in-mid-air-to-make-an-extremely-rapid-descent

 

It's still dangerous, but the military sometimes does things in pursuit of their mission that wouldn't be a good idea under normal situations, so I expect those crews train for that specific maneuver since in combat it might be less dangerous than failing to use it -- it would get them out of the "danger zone" much more quickly.

 

Here's a screen cap of the scenario. The plane's original speed is 84 kias, but picked up speed when I did a screen cap, so now it's showing 127. The altitude is about 1000 ft.

 

In that picture you should have plenty of room to land on a straight in without the need for anything unusual. In fact you probably would need to carry a little power to make the runway at 84 kts. That screen shot, knowing speed and altitude, says it all.

 

Let me suggest that you learn to visually gauge your approach. A very simple rule to note is that in a steady state descent (constant airspeed, constant descent rate) the spot that you would hit if you make NO changes, maintaining those conditions, is the spot that holds steady in your windshield. So if the runway numbers are moving UP in your windshield then you would hit short of the runway, while if the numbers seem to be moving DOWN in your windshield then you would hit somewhere beyond the numbers, perhaps overshooting completely.

 

Learn to see the above and practice making VERY SMALL changes in pitch attitude OR in power setting to make your intended spot of touchdown stay on the same place in the windshield. I emphasize VERY SMALL changes, because otherwise you will overcontrol and never stabilize.

 

I might add that in flying any type of aircraft, making very small corrections but making them early is the key to stabilized flight, to not overcontrolling the aircraft, and to smooth operation. The longer you wait to make corrections the bigger corrections you need and that makes you think that you have to do it quickly, which means that you will over correct (overcontrolling) and have to correct back the other way. This is a common error for new students, so learn to SEE what should be corrected and do it early and gently.

 

...

 

In that picture you should have plenty of room to land on a straight in without the need for anything unusual. In fact you probably would need to carry a little power to make the runway at 84 kts. That screen shot, knowing speed and altitude, says it all.

 

...

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Ok thanks, I'll try it and report back here later.

+1 on the early small corrections! IMO the key to smooth flying is actually making many small corrections throughout the flight. If you notice when using autopilot, it does that pretty much continuously.

 

And yes, flying with the Marines we learned and practiced a lot of procedures which could cost you your license as a civilian pilot. Normal operations are different when people are or might be shooting at you.

Ok thanks, I'll try it and report back here later.

 

I tried a bunch of times with little to no success. The problem is aiming the nose down to the edge of the shoreline at the start of the scenario (I'm guessing I'm 3 nm out and 1000 ft altitude) picks up speed. By the time I get to the threshold I'm at over 110 kts which is way above the recommended 84 kts approach speed. Wind is just about 4 kts coming in from the west (270 and I'm landing into runway 30).

 

I got it figured out. Problem solved. Thank you all.

 

The problem was that I started the scenario with the throttle in my Logitech 3D Extreme joystick at a '0' setting. However, that setting is not recognized by MSFS when the scenario starts. The throttle has to be moved a little bit to wake it up.

 

Here's what was happening when the throttle isn't touched at all when the game scenario begins:

 

Thanks for getting back to us with the solution -- glad you figured it out. Enjoy.

I got it figured out. Problem solved. Thank you all.

 

The problem was that I started the scenario with the throttle in my Logitech 3D Extreme joystick at a '0' setting. However, that setting is not recognized by MSFS when the scenario starts. The throttle has to be moved a little bit to wake it up.

 

Here's what was happening when the throttle isn't touched at all when the game scenario begins:

 

 

Good call!! I'm sure everyone will now start moving all their controls to be sure the game realizes their location. And that is also makes your startup a much more correct pre-flight simulation as well.

On commercial airliners the reversers will not deploy in flight, unless there is a fault on the squat switch located on the landing gear. The same squat switch is what activates the spoilers as the aircraft touches down and closes the circuit. This is why the switch is an IRI (inspection required item) and considered a safety of flight issue as called out in the corresponding aircrafts maintenance manuals.

Drop the Condition Levers to Idle, lower the nose, and Approach! If the speed picks up, raise the nose. Maintain the glide slope, and fly the plane!

 

Alan :pilot: