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below 10,000 feet MSL is not included on the chart, since its effect is minimal. Also, the effect of temperature or weight variation is negligible and is therefore omitted. 

Due to the increased flight deck workload, pilots should get as much done ahead of time as possible. As with the climb and cruise phases of flight, aircrews should consult the proper performance charts to compute their fuel requirements, as well as the time and distance needed for 

their descent. 

During the cruise and descent phases of flight, pilots need to monitor and manage the aircraft according to the appropriate manufacturer’s recommendations. Flight manuals and operating handbooks contain cruise and descent checklists, performance charts for specific cruise configurations, and descent charts that provide information regarding the fuel, time, and distance required to descend. Aircrews should review this information prior to the departure of every flight so they have an understanding of how the aircraft is supposed to perform at cruise and during descent. A stabilized descent constitutes a preplanned maneuver in which the power is properly set, and minimum control input is required to maintain the appropriate descent path. Excessive corrections or control inputs indicate the descent was improperly planned. Plan the IFR descent from cruising altitude so that the aircraft arrives at the approach gate altitude or initial approach fix altitude prior to beginning the instrument approach. For example, suppose you are asked to descend from 11,000 feet to meet a crossing restriction at 3,000 feet. [Figure 3-8] Since there is a 200 knot speed restriction while approaching the destination airport, you choose a descent speed of 190 knots and a descent rate of 1,000 fpm. Assuming a 10 knot headwind component, groundspeed in the descent is 180 knots. 

## Descending From the En Route Altitude 

Making the transition from cruise flight to the beginning of an instrument approach procedure sometimes requires arriving at a given waypoint at an assigned altitude. When this requirement is prescribed by a published arrival procedure or issued by ATC, it is called a crossing restriction. Even when ATC allows a descent at the pilot’s discretion, 

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