Originally Posted by
Panic Stations
The 'BA rep' was no such thing, simply a known 'character' who used to work for BA about whom I'll comment no further. There's lots of talk about lowering the nose and going for best glide speed but thats for flying small propellor aircraft where there is a defined best glide speed. Big jets operate over a much bigger range of weights, speeds and configurations such that nobody can say what the best glide speed is off the top of their heads. The only way to fly that thing would have been to pitch for the pre-determined approach speed and when it started to look they might make it over the fence bleed the speed off for landing. Stuffing the nose down in the hope that you might increase to what may be a better glide speed was more likely to see them ending up in a lake, warehouse or car park along the extended centreline.
1. Who ever he was - he had access to a B777 sim that isn't located at every corner store. That suggests he may be somebody you don't like, but somebody else thinks he knows how to fly one or I doubt they would allow him access to such a valuable piece of equipment.
2. Physics is physics. Airfoils on Cessnas to the 747 lose airspeed and stall quickly when the nose is up at such an attitude without power. That plane had the nose up far before it got to any fence to "bleed off" speed for landing. Whatever best glide speed you say they should have "pitched" for would have come and gone in about a nano second of flying in that attitude. The idea is to find and
hold that speed. Without power, the only way to hold the speed is by.....you got it - lowering the nose for otherwise you blow right by it, stall and drop out of the sky!
3. It's pretty hard to see carparks and warehouses when you're pulling back for the stars.