"Jeff Franks" wrote in message

....Trouble was that none of them knew what the speeds were for
that setup, so they had to dig out the books ("professional" pilots mind
you).

That's normal. That's the safest way to do it. There's no point in
committing details of abnormal procedures to memory -- plenty of time to
look them up. And you don't "..dig out the books..". There are convenient
checklists all prepared that cover virtually all eventualities. There are a
few emergency procedures that you do memorize -- immediate action items
only.

Regards,

John Gaquin
B727, B747