We then began an
en route descent on radar vectors for an approach to runway 08 at Albuquerque (KABQ).
Passengers tend to be happier with lower
en route descent rates in unpressurized airplanes, so 500 FPM was a set target at 120 knots.
The sortie was uneventful until the
en route descent into Dyess AFB for recovery.
The run-of-the-mill glideslope is three degrees and, honestly, a comfortable
en route descent is the same.
The
en route descent was from FL270, 50 miles northwest of Davis Monthan, in an FA-18C, at night, in what was supposed to be good weather--except for an unforecasted thunderstorm brewing 30 miles southwest of the field.
Round that down to three and you have a useful trick for
en route descent planning.