Definition
A climb flown by holding a fixed indicated airspeed while the airplane gains altitude, with pitch attitude adjusted as needed to keep that airspeed steady at the chosen power setting.
Plain English
A climb where you pick a target airspeed and hold it the whole way up, raising or lowering the nose as needed to keep the airspeed from drifting.
Context Anchor
Seen in climb training and energy management discussions, especially when a pilot is learning to control speed while gaining altitude.
Why Pilots Care
It prevents unintended airspeed loss or gain during climbs, supporting safe energy management and reducing the risk of stalls or inefficient performance.
Intuition Check
Constant does not mean the climb rate stays constant. Here it means the airspeed is held steady while the airplane gains altitude.
Example Sentence 1
After takeoff, the pilot established a constant airspeed climb at 79 knots to clear the trees off the end of the runway.
Example Sentence 2
During a go-around, the pilot transitioned to a constant airspeed climb at Vy to gain altitude safely while maintaining a stable speed.