For aspiring airline pilots, Handling the Big Jets is famously invaluable for . A senior captain from a major airline who was interviewed in 2010 on PPRuNe confirmed this: "it won't help you pass the ATPL exams—it was never meant to. But it is excellent background reading and questions from the book still crop up in airline technical interviews—largely because the interviewers want to see how much background knowledge you have. And guess where they got theirs from!".
Jet engines produce very little thrust in the lower percentage of their RPM range. The top 20% of engine RPM typically produces more than 50% of the total thrust.
Although modern fly-by-wire aircraft (like the Airbus A320 or Boeing 787) use computers to mask many of the "raw" aerodynamic traits Davies describes—such as Dutch Roll or adverse yaw— Handling the Big Jets remains essential reading for two reasons: Handling the Big Jets.pdf
At high operational altitudes, a heavy jet’s margin for error narrows significantly. The aircraft's low-speed stall speed (indicated airspeed) increases with altitude due to reduced air density. Simultaneously, the high-speed buffet speed (the speed at which airflow over the wing becomes supersonic and separates) decreases.
: Explores complex phenomena unique to large jets, such as Dutch roll , wake turbulence, and the effects of high-speed flight on control surfaces. For aspiring airline pilots, Handling the Big Jets
: Over-rotating can cause a tail strike, while under-rotating eats up valuable runway. A smooth, continuous rotation to the target pitch is required.
Piston engines provide near-instantaneous power when the throttle is advanced. Jet engines, especially older low-bypass turbofans, suffer from "spool-up lag." And guess where they got theirs from
Davies introduced the idea that a jet aircraft has two forms of energy: kinetic (speed) and potential (altitude). The pilot’s job is to trade one for the other seamlessly. The essay highlights his "stable approach" criteria: a big jet must be stabilized at 1,000 feet with landing gear down, flap selected, and engines spooled up. Why? Because a jet engine takes 6 to 8 seconds to respond to a throttle input. If a pilot waits until 200 feet to correct a low energy state by adding power, the aircraft will land short. Davies argued that the pilot must think like a physicist, not a mechanic—constantly asking, "Do I have enough energy to glide to the runway if both engines fail?"
Jets operate differently. At low speeds (below the Minimum Drag Speed, or Vmdcap V sub m d end-sub
: When landing behind a large jet, plan to land past its touchdown point to avoid the wake generated on the runway. Handling Big Jets | PDF - Scribd