Hi Jim,
Vector4 fun...Are you in MIA APP and I certainly don't take it personally and I thank you for your answer.
No, I'm not in MIA, but in Texas, not too far from Scott.
Lemme ask the controller guys this:
If the speed issue is critical, then wny not direct airplanes who will eventually have a final approach speed (last 3 miles) to downwind positions or overheads to kill time. In the case of FLL EXEC, I thought the controller was simply pointing out FLL Int'l arriving traffic and not MY traffic or the one that was taking my spot<bfg>. If those under 100 kts. were not allowed generally to make straight in approaches, then this might help the problem.
Jim, as someone already (I think) said, it's a very good technique to keep your slow VFRs out of the final when busy, vector them to a point about 2 miles offset from the approach end, and then tuck them in any gaps that might develop. Overheads? If you mean military style, that certainly possible, but not many Cherokee drivers know how to fly one properly, or are inclined to. If you meant loiter overhead, again, possible, but likely to generate more than a few nusaince TCAS alerts. But in all those cases, you'd have to have some extensive pre-arranged coordination in place between the approach controller in MIA, and the tower in FLL, so everyone was "on the same page". It's not as easy as it first sounds. But it might be very worthwhile to talk to the folks at FLL and/or MIA to see if there isn't a procedure that might be worked out. I've been at several airports where there were "un-published" shortcuts.
As Scott said, we have to base our assumptions on the "average" Cherokee. To most controllers, a PA28 is a PA28. That's what it says in the flight plan and data tag. We don't often know if it's a -140, -160, -180, or a -235. And the
average Cherokee pilot doesn't fly that much different in one than the other, except perhaps in climb. The average Cherokee pilot is not a retired Military/Airline pilot either. So the simple fact is, if the controller doesn't know you, he/she
IS probably going to treat you like a "typical" 200 hr, I flew once last month, Private Pilot.
It's true that there have been times when I knew the pilot, I've done/tried things I would have never considered otherwise. I used to know a fellow with a Luscombe 8A who could make it sit up and bark, and he got all kinds of "special" treatment, because I could absolutely count on him. On the other hand, he would also happily loiter at 20 kts GS on a 1 mile final while I launched one departure after another in front of him. He flew for fun and was seldom in a hurry.
It sounds as if you're unhappy flying out of an airport that's extremely busy this time of year, it's approach control is handled by another facility miles away, you're being worked by a controller who might work finals at FLL 4-5 hours a week, but is more comfortable sequencing 757's to MIA, and who doesn't know you from a shiny new Private Pilot. That's quite possibly all true. It's a different world from 30-40 years ago when controlled airspace was smaller, the rules and procedures more flexible, and when the approach control was one or two scopes just below the tower cab. We often knew the pilots by voice and they knew us too. I remember those days too, but there's no going back now.
