Originally Posted by
CO_1mm
Question for the pilots regarding weight and trim: I am on flights occasionally where the pilot seems to back off the throttles pretty significantly coming out of IAH, presumably to trim the bird. Is there a fuel savings, a noise abatement or some other reason for the disparity, or are some pilots just a little lighter on throttle changes than others?
Initial level off altitude out of IAH is 4000 feet to stay under arrival traffic until you get further from the airport. Depending on the traffic volume and location, ATC may not require the level off and thus no power reduction. Just guessing from my own experience but I'd say you level at 4000 about 60% of the time, the other 40% departure control clears you higher before you reach 4000.