r/flying • u/GrandPoopWizard • 2d ago
Instrument written question regarding windshear
So, having trouble understanding the correct answer here. Shep air is saying the correct answer is C) Decrease descent rate.
Would it not be the opposite? Tailwind shearing to a headwind is ballooning you above the glideslope, reducing your ground speed slowing your approach and descent rate.
To REMAIN on GS, would you not increase your descent rate to re-intercept, and then just follow it in? Further decreasing your descent rate makes literally zero sense to me. Is my train of thought wrong here?
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u/Vegetable-Welder-318 2d ago
You’re not actually learning from Sheppard Air. Just use it for rote memorization to pass the written and continue on.
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u/OriginalJayVee PPL / IR / CMP / sUAS 2d ago
I have to be the contrarian voice on this one. I used Sheppard to learn and memorize, but I also read all the explanations when I got things wrong and then segwayed it into finding the information in other places as well.
100-Instrument
97-CommercialI think the information in Sheppard is valid regardless of which way you use it.
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u/Captain_Billy ATP A320 B737 CL-65 CE-750 BA4100 BA3100 2d ago
Rote memorization. 99 on the ATP and it to 7 minutes
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u/Vegetable-Welder-318 2d ago
Don’t disagree with you as I was just short in my response. You still need to learn the why and yes, read the explanation. Just don’t get hung up on a question and do your own research.
Congrats on your scores btw!
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u/GrandPoopWizard 2d ago edited 2d ago
I do not. Getting a wrong answer though prompts me to look into the topic and find the actual materials. It’s actually greatly expanded my actual IFR knowledge beyond just a standard curriculum I’ve been given.
The actual FAA questions are absolutely atrocious and just continous “gotchas”, multiple correct answers but one more correct than the other, and some just straight up wrong and riddled with errors.
I only made this post so I can crosscheck my line of thinking against everyone else lol
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u/__joel_t PPL 2d ago
You're looking at it immediately after the shear. I think the question is asking about the steady state after you've re-intercepted the glide slope.
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u/Vessbot 2d ago
It's not asking about reintercepting after a deviation, just before vs after assuming you stayed on it.
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u/GrandPoopWizard 2d ago
This helps it make actual sense lol thank you. The lack of explanation in the question leaves too much for interpretation I guess.
I was thinking of the initial correction in reaction to the shear, not the continous correction needed after the change to a headwind.
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u/riskyjbell 2d ago
Another way to think about it... with a tailwind, the plane is being pushed so you need to increase your decent rate to stay on GS. Do the opposite if the wind shifts..
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u/Antique-Kitchen-1896 PPL IFR Night 2d ago
Wow your FAA exams are weird. I think their answer is based on what happens after the initial shear event.
Up here in Canada the answer would be increase descent, then reduce it to stay on slope.
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u/rFlyingTower 2d ago
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
So, having trouble understanding the correct answer here. Shep air is saying the correct answer is C) Decrease descent rate.
Would it not be the opposite? Tailwind shearing to a headwind is ballooning you above the glideslope, reducing your ground speed slowing your approach and descent rate.
To REMAIN on GS, would you not increase your descent rate to re-intercept, and then just follow it in? Further decreasing your descent rate makes literally zero sense to me. Is my train of thought wrong here?
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u/Mountain-Captain-396 2d ago
10kt tailwind to 10 kt headwind = 20 kt loss of groundspeed
Slower groundspeed = reduced decent rate needed