So what airline did you fly?

Cool shots...looks like he used speed brakes a bit early. Can anyone else confirm this?

Ben -- flew Delta.  I don't really like them, since on a lot of their planes, they have very little leg-room (and I'm about 6'3").  The return was on a 767-400, which easily has, IMO, the least legroom I've encountered in coach. The thing is that DL uses these on international routes, and I recall, rather unpleasantly, a long flight from Rome to Atlanta -- 11.5 hours cooped up in that iddy-biddy seat. Ugh.

And yep -- the slight use of speed-brakes is common to reduce speed during a rapid descent.  In fs, though, I've noticed there is no way to deploy them only slightly.  If one uses them during descent, they come up all the way!

Nice..as far as speed breaks go...I believe that above 10,000 feet the pilots do not use them unless ATC ask them to maintain a speed above 10,000 and after flaps 15..I believe thats the way it goes

Nice shots again.

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I know I'm a fussy old wotsit but can I point out it's speed or air brakes, like brakes on a car. Breaks is when you smash something up.

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I'm in no position to correct anyone as none of the aircraft I've flown (except for the Hunter on which I had a few minutes stick time) were fitted with speed brakes - or airbrakes as I've always referred to them.  Many years ago I used to overhaul the airbrake jack on the HS.125 & this is how it was described in the manufacturer's technical manual.

I also understood that airbrakes & spoilers are different. Spoilers are usually fitted to the upper wing surfaces & were originally used on sailplanes to destroy (spoil) the lift over the area of the wing they're fitted to, thus increasing the rate of descent & mainly used while landing. (Some sailplanes have dual spoilers/airbrakes that extend both above & below the wings.)  Modern sailplane aerofoils are so efficient they would be impossible to land without spoilers. The idea has since become popular on all types of modern aircraft.

Airbrakes, as the name suggests, are used to brake or slow the aircraft by increasing drag without affecting the lift. In fact some types might even improve lift. Airbrakes are usually fitted below the wings (the flaps on the Spitfire also act as airbrakes) or to the rear fuselage as on the F-86 Sabre. The Hunter & BAe Hawk have a single large airbrake fitted below the rear fuselage. Other methods involve split control surfaces (ailerons, rudder or "crow flaps")  & the "clamshell" type where the complete rear fuselage splits in half as on the Blackburn Buccaneer & BAe 146. http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=223570

I could be wrong but that's how I always described the difference.

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Never mind.Put it down to a typo. It's one of those silly little things that annoys me too.

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This might be as they're described as both in FS. Things might have changed since my day. Modern jet airliners have complex systems incorporating spoilers, airbrakes & leading edge slats. I found this description of the HS 125 "Lift Dump" system. The airbrakes sound like what I would call spoilers. I've never seen them as I only worked on the airbrake jacks themselves.

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http://www.airplanedriver.net/study/hs-125.htm

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Makes perfect sense to me. Thanks for clearing that up.

I learned that spoilers can be used on some aircraft for roll control instead of ailerons or in conjunction with ailerons.  When ailerons are used to roll an airplane, they created more lift on one wing and less on the other, rolling the airplane.  With lift comes induced drag so the wing creating more lift also creates more drag so the nose is pulled in one direction or the other.  This is called adverse yaw and it is the reason rudder input is required while rolling an airplane. 

However, spoilers break up or "spoil" the airflow over the top of the wing which so that wing is then creating less lift and drag than the other wing so the airplane is rolled without pulling the nose in the opposite direction.  When spoilers are used the nose is pulled in the same direction that the airplane is rolling which is called adverse yaw. 

I think this is correct.  I am mostly sure about the spoiler thing but I have never flown an airplane with spoilers so I cannot be completely sure.

The spoilers do react in conjunction with the ailerons during extreme bank inputs by the flight controls.  For example, if the pilot turns the yoke fully to the right for a right bank, the right aileron goes up as well as a section of the right spoilers.  They do not go up on both wings.  It only happens on the inside wing (wing on the inside of the turn).  It doesn't necessarily only occur when maximum bank input is given...there is a certain degree of control movement where, when passed, this occurs.  Often in bumpy approaches, as the pilot makes abrupt corections, you might see spoilers move in conjuntion with the airleron because at lower airspeeds, flight controls are less effective and somewhat "mushy" so another control surface (the spoilers) helps give the wing that added push downward to initiate a bank.  

Try flying a 737 in FS.  Move the controls from side to side.  You will see this in action.