Power Setting on missed approach

What power setting do you use on missed approach?

  • Full throttle (100%)

    Votes: 38 71.7%

  • Climb Power (e.g. 75%, 85%, etc)

    Votes: 11 20.8%

  • Other?

    Votes: 4 7.5%
  • Total voters
    53
kaiser

kaiser

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The pilot formerly known as Cool Beard Guy
I've spent most of the year in aircraft I've never flown before. As a result I have been reading a lot of POH's, checklists (and then build my own), and generally revisit how I fly. When I take off from an airport, unless I'm in a fixed pitch prop or the POH specifically advises otherwise, I'm reducing power to "climb power" - generally 75-85% at about 400 AGL or so. I keep that power setting for the duration (in the SR22 TN, unless you are performing a LOP climb, you keep everything full forward).

So that got me thinking about how I go around on a missed approaches. Right now I fall back on my training - "cram" (prop fwd then 100% power). But does that now conflict with my SOP? On a missed, I have airspeed (1.3-ish Vso), so wouldn't the frequent power changes (approach power -> 100% -> 75%) add instability?

I'm mostly thinking out loud here but am curious what the PoA brain trust thinks. Anything else I'm missing? It's probably not as applicable to jet drivers. Also, I'm adding a poll because polls are fun.
 
I'm scared of the ground, so I'm full power until I reduce for cruise or the oil/cht tells me I need to back off, both normal takeoff and go around. I do pull the prop back to 2500 (from 2700) at 1000'. I don't have the chart handy, but that gets me down to 75% power pretty quick as I climb.

Screwing with power settings in imc is a great way to get SD. That's the hardest part of an instrument flight. You already have changing forces, then your taking your eyes off the instruments to change them again.

That said, none of the planes I have a limitation on power beyond cruise, and if I ever wind up in something Turbocharged I'll probably have a hard time adjusting.
 
kaiser said:
I've spent most of the year in aircraft I've never flown before. As a result I have been reading a lot of POH's, checklists (and then build my own), and generally revisit how I fly. When I take off from an airport, unless I'm in a fixed pitch prop or the POH specifically advises otherwise, I'm reducing power to "climb power" - generally 75-85% at about 400 AGL or so. I keep that power setting for the duration (in the SR22 TN, unless you are performing a LOP climb, you keep everything full forward).

So that got me thinking about how I go around on a missed approaches. Right now I fall back on my training - "cram" (prop fwd then 100% power). But does that now conflict with my SOP? On a missed, I have airspeed (1.3-ish Vso), so wouldn't the frequent power changes (approach power -> 100% -> 75%) add instability?

I'm mostly thinking out loud here but am curious what the PoA brain trust thinks. Anything else I'm missing? It's probably not as applicable to jet drivers. Also, I'm adding a poll because polls are fun.
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I think the difference might be that on a takeoff you are clean, so 75% power might be enough to climb once you reach 400 ft. On an approach, you have gear and flaps hanging out, so more power would be needed to start the climb until you clean things up.
 
Other, at least initially. On short final the Mooney is full flaps and nearly full nose up trim. So on go around I add enough power to arrest descent, level off while I get flaps and trim back to takeoff position, then power up and climb out. One can go to full power initially, but you need Popeye arms and need to have faith that the 40yr old seat frame and tracks aren't going to let go against the yoke forces.
 
Jim K said:
Screwing with power settings in imc is a great way to get SD. That's the hardest part of an instrument flight. You already have changing forces, then your taking your eyes off the instruments to change them again.
Click to expand...
This is my use case for changing how I do it now. I'm sliding down the glideslope at say 15"/2400rpm, gear down, flaps 10 (i don't shove the prop forward until i'm off of the governor), then we decide to go missed at minimums: Throttle to 24/25" in one movement, then Gear up->Accelerate / climb->Flaps-etc etc. In most of what I fly 24-25" and 2400-2500rpm is about 75-85% power.

EdFred said:
Full power until I know climb gradient is met, then 2300 RPM, and full throttle - or maybe I reduce to 25"
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I suppose I'm talking as a classic flatlander. This is super valid.
 
Whatever it takes to be >500 fpm with some margin for distraction.
 
Full power for me. Retrim. Make the call. Square up. Then get on the climb checklist.
I dont fly something that will get me in trouble with a full Power setting (182 and Lance). I thought there are some planes though that full power could lead to a squirrelly plane.
 
Airplane, 100 % and Vy. Helicopter, maybe 75 % and 100 KIAS.
 
At MAP you want to get away from the ground ASAP. That means maximum allowable climb power until at a safe altitude. In a simple fixed pitch plane that generally is WOT and known climb attitude to achieve Vy.
 
going missed at MAP I go full vroomy vroom.
 
Too many variables, but 100% and Vy works.
 
Last edited:
Full power. You can go back to worrying about power settings once you are at a safe altitude.
 
Rgbeard said:
This makes sense. Turbo management automatically punts it to the climb-power category, IMO.
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Is yours a manual wastegate? Because I'd think there is never a time for "full 100%" in such an arrangement, other than to exercise the popoff valve on the upper deck :D
 
schmookeeg said:
Is yours a manual wastegate? Because I'd think there is never a time for "full 100%" in such an arrangement, other than to exercise the popoff valve on the upper deck :D
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The wastegate is connected to the throttle cable. At full throttle, the wastegate is completely closed.

I can't firewall the throttle except at high altitude without exceeding safe numbers.
 
I don't believe in half-assed go arounds. Full power, climb attitude, positive rate, gear up, clean up, reduce to the climb setting (which is more than 85% I would guess). Once I start transitioning to an "enroute climb" then I worry about bringing it back to 25/25 or whatever, etc...
 
Full power while in approach trim would be an unusual attitude in the Cruisemaster. I put in enough power for a climb attitude in approach trim, which usually will be around 500fpm, then gear and flaps up, crank the trim to a departure config, then bring up the power to a 1500 fpm or so climb. No need for full power unless there’s a really severe climb gradient on the missed. Between 500’ and 5000’, the throttle is rarely firewalled in the Cruisemaster. Don’t need to burn that much gas sitting that far in the yellow arc.
 
Just refreshed last night. GUMPS at glide slope intercept. Continue descent. MAP - Full throttle with TOGA button. Trim the hell down asap. Gear up. Flaps up. Trim down some more
 
I don't fly anything so high performance that throttle full forward isn't a choice. Firewall it, and get it from descending to climbing.
 
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I distinctly remember the IFR DPE making a point that I didn't add full power quickly enough on miss. When get to the point of going missed immediately add full power and max climb.
 
Full power - no question. Going missed may seem benign when done for practice at your home field in good weather. But the real thing - what we practice for - is no outside visibility, so there is one safe escape: UP. From the gear and flaps down and the pilot being a little overwhelmed ("I thought we were going to be able to land"), to maybe not quite controlling the airplane for best performance (ball not centered, reverting to hand-flying after a coupled approach, to not knowing/seeing where terrain and obstacles are looming, and to figuring out how to sequence the darn GPS to the missed approach segment) - we need all the help we can get to establish a climb with sufficient reserves.

- Martin
 
Jim K said:
I'm scared of the ground, so I'm full power until I reduce for cruise or the oil/cht tells me I need to back off, both normal takeoff and go around. I do pull the prop back to 2500 (from 2700) at 1000'. I don't have the chart handy, but that gets me down to 75% power pretty quick as I climb.

Screwing with power settings in imc is a great way to get SD. That's the hardest part of an instrument flight. You already have changing forces, then your taking your eyes off the instruments to change them again.

That said, none of the planes I have a limitation on power beyond cruise, and if I ever wind up in something Turbocharged I'll probably have a hard time adjusting.
Click to expand...


OK, I'll bite and show my ignorance. What is SD?
 
In my 260hp fixed gear RV10, once cleared for the approach the prop goes to 2400 and I’m generally flying with 23” and one notch of flaps which is takeoff flaps. From that point on, I only work the throttle until DH or missed.

With that setup, i give full throttle on the miss and really nothing else other than trim. Fixed gear, a neutral flap setting ,and a fine prop setting keeps things simple. Instant throttle response whether climbing or descending. No flap changes unless landing at DH.


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Perhaps I am missing something. Despite the fact that those of us who use safety pilots for currency tend to do a lot of them, there seems to be an issue with pilots messing up missed approaches. Maybe surprise that you actually have to do one? Somatographic or somatogyral illusion? Your basic, hood does not equal actual?

But it leads me to ask, unless there is some aircraft-specific Limitation (upper case "L") to full power, why would anyone want to be tweaking power settings to a specific number while doing all of the other tasks associated with the initial phase of the missed?
 
midlifeflyer said:
Perhaps I am missing something. Despite the fact that those of us who use safety pilots for currency tend to do a lot of them, there seems to be an issue with pilots messing up missed approaches. Maybe surprise that you actually have to do one? Somatographic or somatogyral illusion? Your basic, hood does not equal actual?

But it leads me to ask, unless there is some aircraft-specific Limitation (upper case "L") to full power, why would anyone want to be tweaking power settings to a specific number while doing all of the other tasks associated with the initial phase of the missed?
Click to expand...
Depends on the airplane for me. Some I use full power, some I can use reduced power but it’s easy to find because there is a detent on the quadrant and some you’re always going to be setting a specific number because there are no detent available and full power exceeds limitations (melts the engine).
 
After so many posts, it should be obvious. It depends on the airplane.

On the 737, one press of either TOGO button bugs/sets thrust for a ~2000fpm climb. A second press of either TOGO button bugs/sets GA thrust.
 
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