FLC OF DC10-10 REQUESTED TO MAINTAIN SPD AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE. THEY SLOW BELOW TOP BUG SPD. WHEN ASKED TO CLB AND CHANGE HDG THEY GET A STALL BUFFET AND BEGIN TO DSND.

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WE WERE ASKED TO SLOW AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FOR DELAYS INTO EWR ON SUNDAY EVENING. I HAD JUST COME BACK FROM THE BATHROOM AND ONE OF OUR JUMP SEATERS WAS IN MY SEAT (HE WAS A COMPANY CREW MEMBER). THE CAPT PROBABLY ASKED HIM TO SIT THERE WHILE I WENT BACK. I SAT IN THE JUMP SEAT FOR ABOUT 10 MINS AS THE CAPT AND THE JUMP SEATER TALKED. WHEN ZDC OR MAYBE ZTL ASKED US TO SLOW AS MUCH AS PRACTICABLE; THE CAPT SLOWED BACK PAST TOP BUG FROM TKOF. I ASKED HIM WHAT TOP BUG WAS AT OUR CURRENT WT AND HE SAID ABOUT WHERE WE WERE AT 230 KIAS WITHOUT ACTUALLY REFERRING TO THE CHART. THE JUMP SEATER REMARKED IT DIDN'T REALLY MATTER AS LONG AS WE DIDN'T EXCEED 15 DEGS BANK. CTR THEN ASKED US TO CLB FROM FL330 TO FL350 FOR TFC. THE CAPT CHKED THE GW/ALT CHART AND BEGAN A CLB. WE THEN BEGAN A SHALLOW CLB AND THE AIRSPD BEGAN TO BLEED OFF EVEN THOUGH THE ENGS WERE AT CLB PWR. AS STALL BUFFET BEGAN; THE CAPT DIRECTED THE JUMP SEATER OUT OF MY SEAT SO I COULD RETURN. THEN CTR ASKED US TO TURN L ABOUT 90 DEGS TO HDG 350 DEGS. AS THE CAPT DID THIS; THE PLANE WENT BACK INTO STALL BUFFET AND BEGAN TO DSND. CTR ASKED US WHY WE WERE NOT TURNING AND WE SAID WE HAD GOTTEN BEHIND THE PWR CURVE AND HAD TO DSND TO PICK UP SPD BEFORE WE COULD TURN. WE DID THIS AND IT TOOK ABOUT 10 MINS TO FINALLY GET TO FL350. WE DELAYED THE L TURN FOR ABOUT 3 MINS TO PICK UP SPD. RECOMMEND THIS BE DEMONSTRATED IN THE SIMULATOR DURING INITIAL TRAINING.