" wrote in message
hlink.net...
I'm reading "Fate is the Hunter" and just read something interesting.
Gann
states that they would climb to 100 feet above their cruising altitude and
then descend the 100 feet back down. He called this "flying on the step."
He claims that it bought them a few more knots of airspeed.

Has anyone heard of this? Is it normal practice? Or is it one of those
practices that have been disproven?

You might as well have asked about "low wing or high wing".

Many people, including those who otherwise have great heads on their
shoulders, will swear up and down that "flying on the step" is a real and
useful practice. Many others will just as vehemently point out that there's
no aerodynamic basis for the claim, and that basic physics argues against
it.

Peter Garrison wrote a decent article on the topic several years back, and
it's come up here every now and then over the years as well. Google Groups
can help fill you in on past discussions.

Bottom line: if there were really something to it, it would be wide-spread
industry and military practice. And yet, all those folks continue to climb
to their altitude, accelerate to cruise speed and then throttle back to
maintain that speed.

I will say this (yeah, I know I already wrote my "bottom line" )...it's a
great question if for no other reason than it gets people thinking about
what the proper sequence of events for climbing and cruising are, as well
the the whys and wherefors regarding an airplane's speed versus power
relationship.

Pete