Civil / Airliner45 min lesson

VNAV Descent Management

You will manage a VNAV descent from cruise to the FAF — hitting crossing restrictions, managing speed, and intervening when VNAV does something unexpected.

About this lesson

VNAV descent is where automation and piloting collide. Your tutor sets up arrivals with tight restrictions and coaches you through the descent page, path deviations, and the speed/altitude tradeoffs that make or break a smooth arrival.

Why a human tutor? VNAV failures are subtle — you drift off path and only notice 2,000 feet too late. A tutor spots the trend and teaches you to monitor it.

What you'll learn

✓Reading the VNAV descent page — path vs speed priority
✓Understanding VNAV PTH vs VNAV SPD modes
✓Managing speed restrictions at crossing fixes
✓What the VNAV path deviation indicator is telling you
✓When to intervene — using V/S or FLCH to recover the profile

Prerequisites

•Comfortable with FMC route entry
•Study-level airliner with VNAV capability

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Prep material

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