In IFR flying, altitude and heading get all the attention—but speed is the quiet third leg of stability. Poor speed control is subtle: the needles may look fine, but you’re behind the airplane. Then suddenly you’re jamming the throttle forward or yanking it back and saying “whoa horse!”
Energy management is a key indicator of proficiency, which is a key indicator of safety.
ATC counts on aircraft maintaining predictable speeds. When one pilot drifts 20 knots off expectation, separation erodes and everyone behind them is affected.
But beyond ATC harmony, consistent approach speed is what gives you a stable, low-workload final. The risk of task saturation is always present under IFR, but proper energy management increases your predictability and time to think.
The specific configuration sequence varies by aircraft, but the principle is universal: work backward from the stabilized approach gate. For instrument operations, you want to be at the correct final approach speed (+10/-5 knots or MPH), fully configured, and on glide path by at least 1,000 feet AGL. Establishing an additional “should” gate (e.g., at 1,500 AGL or before the FAF) before the “must” gate is common practice in commercial operations that provides time for corrective action.
Approach stability isn’t magic—it’s balance. You balance potential energy plus kinetic energy while managing thrust and drag to stay in equilibrium.
As you remember from early in primary training, you can’t fix too much of one without disturbing the other. Any change in pitch, power, or configuration affects the others and requires coordinated adjustment. That’s why chopping power to slow down means much of your focus is turned to the glidepath (and away from other variables), and why adding flaps (increasing lift and drag) without being ready to trim and reestablish pitch/power balance can do the same.
The professional solution is anticipation: Set power early, set attitude, and let speed stabilize smoothly to maintain glidepath. Proficient pilots are ready to handle speed trends before the needle moves because they know adjustments will be needed to keep speed stable.
“Maintain 120 knots to the marker” sounds simple—until you’re a newer instrument pilot in a Cherokee.
Advise ATC if you’re unable to comply with a speed assignment. The controller’s goal is spacing, not stress.
If 120 KIAS will put you behind the airplane, the first word out of your mouth should be “unable.”
“Unable 120, can maintain 100 to the marker.”
That one sentence communicates awareness and professionalism. ATC might say ok to 100 knots, or they might cancel your approach clearance and vector you around, or something else. But what won’t happen is a potentially unsafe approach.
Autopilot can help—or hide—the problem. When commanded to hold a vertical rate, airspeed can creep away. Monitor trend vectors if you’re equipped with them. If the speed starts creeping up, fix thrust first, not pitch. In gusts or turbulence, set a small window (+/-5 knots) and ride it—don’t chase every bump.
Mostly, though, be ready and committed to going missed if your personal minimums are violated at any time. You do have your personal minimums written down, right?
Practice energy stair-steps: level-offs at each configuration point to feel how much power change each flap setting needs. See where your airplane settles out in different configs, and how long it took. Then shoot a full approach by hand, manually controlling speed within ±5 knots. Notice how workload drops as soon as your hands and trim stay ahead of the trend.
Energy management keeps your workload low, your approach stable, and your ATC interactions smooth. Once you master the rhythm of configuration, power, and pitch, you’re commanding the airplane instead of chasing it.