Originally Posted by
Rapid D
While I agree with you, in my 25+ years I have never heard ATC merely give a heading when they think you are too high on glide path for a safe approach after they have already been given approach clearance. Have you or anyone else? Why not just cancel approach clearance and give a vector and altitude assignment? Or what's very common (at least in U.S.) , simply ask "do you need a 360?" when they see how high you are on a visual approach. But to not cancel approach clearance yet give a heading? ATC knew it was not good. They could have done a bette job on intervention.
But where do you draw the line for ATC intervention? Controllers get very little exposure to line flying these days, there are an endless number of performance figures that controllers know nothing about. The first time a controller broke someone off the approach because in his/her opinion the aircraft was high and or fast but was in fact was set up and able to conduct a stable (by 1000') approach all h**l would break loose form the pilot community. The controller questioned the situation ,offered an alternative but the pilot insisted he was "comfortable" with the situation, the captain has the final authority / responsibility.