When V/S is selected as the pitch mode, what is the FMA thrust mode?

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Multiple Choice

When V/S is selected as the pitch mode, what is the FMA thrust mode?

When you select vertical speed as the pitch mode, the aircraft uses a speed-based thrust control to support the vertical profile while still managing airspeed. The autopilot thus keeps the thrust in the MCP SPD mode, meaning the autothrottle maintains the speed set on the Mode Control Panel. This pairing lets you command a rate of climb or descent with pitch, while the engine power automatically follows the target speed. The other thrust modes correspond to different operating aims: a fixed N1 target would require manually locking in engine power, which isn’t how V/S with autopilot is normally used; LVL CHG is tied to a level-change flight path mode and manages thrust differently; VNAV SPD is used when following a VNAV-managed speed schedule.

When you select vertical speed as the pitch mode, the aircraft uses a speed-based thrust control to support the vertical profile while still managing airspeed. The autopilot thus keeps the thrust in the MCP SPD mode, meaning the autothrottle maintains the speed set on the Mode Control Panel. This pairing lets you command a rate of climb or descent with pitch, while the engine power automatically follows the target speed.

The other thrust modes correspond to different operating aims: a fixed N1 target would require manually locking in engine power, which isn’t how V/S with autopilot is normally used; LVL CHG is tied to a level-change flight path mode and manages thrust differently; VNAV SPD is used when following a VNAV-managed speed schedule.

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