When can I slow down ?

[had_enough]

I'd be grateful to our ATC friends for an answer to the following....

Recently, into a major international airport, I was given 250 kts as a speed on a long base leg (say 20-25 nm). It was quiet and nothing else was said, so in the absence of further speed instructions, what would you expect from me, speed wise, for the rest of the approach.

The reason I ask is that I find that into many airports a speed of, say, 210 kts is given on base and then nothing else is said - quite often the freq is extremely busy and it is not a good time to ask "what speed would you like".

Thanks in advance.

[hatsoff]

You make a valid point and ATC should release you from the speed restiction in good time ( but sometimes we forget we gave you a restiction in the first place or we get distracted! )

Please say when you need to reduce speed regardless of how busy the RT is , we won't mind. Keeping us in the picture is what matters.

[Scott Voigt]

Howdy Single Eng....

The general answer in the US is that if you are assigned a speed, you must maintain it until you are relieved from it. If you have to slow just ask...

regards

[had_enough]

hatsoff and S. Voigt - many thanks indeed - regards

[Contact London 131.12]

Hatsoff....( but sometimes we forget we gave you a restiction in the first place or we get distracted! )
Are you a real controller WE FORGET , GET DISTRACTED? Does this happen alot to you? Are you in the right job? Do you use strips for writing on? :eek: :eek:

[Scott Voigt]

Contact London;

Sounds like he was being VERY HONEST! There are times when you DO forget when you are up to your ears in alligators. You also do get distracted by someone yelling at you about other high priority items. We are human and we do fail at times in our appointed duties.

regards

[HugMonster]

I'm glad that controllers are also human. ;)

[jimbob]

I maight be wrong but it is, and has allways been, my understanding that if initially assigned a speed and later on cleared appr. speed is at your discretion if not instructed different(that is - if no local proceedures apply).

[Nick Figaretto]

Yes, and isn't it also speed at own discretion if you are handed over to a different frequency, say, from Final to TWR?

Nick.

[sudden Winds]

Hi Scott,

Are you the VERY KIND and PROFESSIONAL controller working as a West-sider, doing 135.97 and 118.1 ?? (Meacham North and South)

If that´s you are an excellent controller, that area around FTW is preety crowded, I´ve seen you doing miracles out there. Congratulations.

DB.

[Scott Voigt]

Hi Drag;

No, sorry to say I don't work the west side in approach. I work on the east side at the Center. Or would that be Centre in keeping with this forum <G>?

regards

[Faire d'income]

Hatsoff....( but sometimes we forget we gave you a restiction in the first place or we get distracted! )


Contact London 131.12 we are all human and make mistakes. (e.g. there are 2 r's in restriction! ;) ;)

[eyeinthesky]

faire d'income:

Well you win the numpty award for this week. If you read Contact's post you'll see that he is actually quoting from an earlier post which had the spelling mistake. Doh!!

[RavenEye]

if speed control is applied, ATC expects pilots to stick to the instructed speed +/-5%. a frequency change doesn´t cancel the speed instruction.
of course ATC sometimes is to busy/distracted to cancel speed instruction, at this time it would be the best if the pilot requests or states the wish/need for speed reduction.
nothing worse than having an approach sequence and one pilot reducing speed without notification. this usually causes the immediately succeeding traffic to close up too soon and might end in missed approaches or aircraft being taken out of the approach sequence (most of the times the aircraft being taken out of sequence is the succeeding one and not the one that reduced without notification, because maintaining separation behind the one aircraft that reduced speed is harder to do as the distance gets unexpectedly less).