What best describes the difference between an Idle-Path descent and a Geometric-Path descent profile?

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Multiple Choice

What best describes the difference between an Idle-Path descent and a Geometric-Path descent profile?

The difference hinges on how the descent path is generated. An Idle-Path descent fixes thrust at idle, so the airplane’s vertical profile is determined by its aerodynamic drag, weight, and the small engine thrust available. The resulting path is shaped by how the aircraft actually flies under minimal power, not by a predefined line between fixes. A Geometric-Path descent, in contrast, treats the route as a straight-line connection between waypoints, ignoring engine power and aerodynamic constraints and simply interpolating a direct line from one point to the next. So Idle-Path describes a descent governed by engine settings and performance, while Geometric-Path describes a purely geometric interpolation between fixes.

The difference hinges on how the descent path is generated. An Idle-Path descent fixes thrust at idle, so the airplane’s vertical profile is determined by its aerodynamic drag, weight, and the small engine thrust available. The resulting path is shaped by how the aircraft actually flies under minimal power, not by a predefined line between fixes. A Geometric-Path descent, in contrast, treats the route as a straight-line connection between waypoints, ignoring engine power and aerodynamic constraints and simply interpolating a direct line from one point to the next. So Idle-Path describes a descent governed by engine settings and performance, while Geometric-Path describes a purely geometric interpolation between fixes.

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