VLD and max altitude

"Chris W" wrote in message
news:2Ze2e.4431$Tn.2869@lakeread06...
I knew there was something wrong with my thinking, that makes perfect
sense, thanks. So I guess the speed I am looking for would be VLP or V
Least Power. Wouldn't that be the speed you are flying when you can't
climb any higher?

"V Least Power" is zero knots. It takes no power at all to stay in one
place (assuming you're on the ground ). It's just like "V Least Drag".

I'm a little confused about what it is you're trying to determine. You
start out asking if you can determine the lowest drag speed by climbing
until you can climb no longer. Todd explained why that won't work. But now
you seem to be looking for *any* speed that can be determined by climbing
until you can climb no longer. It's almost as though what you actually have
is a solution in search of a question.

For what it's worth, when the airplane won't climb any more, you are
necessarily flying at Vy (which is the speed where you have the greatest
*excess* power). You also will happen to be flying at Vx (which is the
speed where you have the greatest excess thrust).

But of course, climbing to the airplane's absolute ceiling doesn't tell you
anything except the absolute ceiling, and the values of Vx and Vy at that
altitude. They both change depending on altitude (Vx gets higher, Vy gets
lower, and they converge at the absolute ceiling). So getting numbers at
the absolute ceiling won't tell you much about them at lower altitudes.

Maybe if you can restate your question to more clearly indicate what it is
you want to know, you might get better help.

Pete