Definition
A climb flown by holding a selected airspeed constant while allowing the rate of climb and pitch attitude to vary as needed. The pilot uses pitch to maintain the chosen airspeed and adjusts power as required, accepting whatever climb rate results.
Plain English
A climb where you pick a target airspeed and keep the needle on that number the whole way up. You raise or lower the nose to hold that speed, and you don't worry about hitting a specific climb rate.
Context Anchor
Used when entering or holding a climb by reference to the flight instruments, such as during instrument training, departures, or altitude changes.
Derivation
Constant comes from a Latin root meaning “standing firm” or “unchanging.” In this term, the part that stays firm is the selected airspeed, not the airplane’s height, climb rate, or nose position.
Why Pilots Care
Maintains predictable performance and allows accurate planning of climb gradients and fuel burn while complying with altitude and speed restrictions.
Intuition Check
Do not read “constant” as meaning everything stays unchanged. In a constant-airspeed climb, airspeed stays the same; pitch and climb rate may change as needed.
Example Sentence 1
After takeoff, she established a constant-airspeed climb at 90 knots and trimmed the airplane to hold it hands-off.
Example Sentence 2
During the missed approach the aircraft maintained a constant-airspeed climb until reaching the published altitude.