What is the recovery altitude for the low-speed emergency descent?

• A. 600 ft
• B. 400 ft
• C. 800 ft
• D. 1000 ft

Answer: (A)

In a low-speed emergency descent, the goal is to quickly lose altitude while keeping enough airspeed to maintain control and to set up for a safe return to normal flight. A key part of this maneuver is knowing when to level off and recover to normal flight—this recovery altitude gives you a clear target that provides adequate clearance to properly configure for landing and avoid rushing the transition.

The recovery altitude is 600 feet above the ground. This height strikes a balance: it’s high enough to ensure you have room to safely recover from any residual stall tendencies and to reconfigure the airplane, yet low enough to simulate the urgency of an emergency descent without wasting altitude.

Options like 400 feet would leave too little margin to complete the recovery safely in a real emergency, while 800 or 1000 feet would add unnecessary altitude to the drill and reduce the immediacy of the practice.