Javelin
A couple of points;
1. With regard to you being a touch high, we all I think fully accept that this can be the case and we also know that its not ideal when we have already reduced your speed then asked you for a good rate of descent, it's even embarrassing to ask you for it sometimes. The problems we have with 24 can occur because when you are streamed over the LESTA side of the TMA the base is quite high, if we then try to get you a base leg we often find ourselves stuck at 70 'till you pass Camphill which we have to consider active. We also don't get airborne times any more from BB deps climbing north so we must allow for them getting airborne at a bad time against your descent. On 06 we do try to cut you across if we can but that gets you snarled up with BB/NX drops from the north. As we all get busy I'm afraid there's very often something in the way there.
2. Fam flights. This may be slightly contentious but if my info is correct MACC was the only centre which lost all of its Fam flights after 9/11. Even now though they are trickling back they are very restricted, considering our numbers and even more restricted on the amount of airlines/destinations available. By the time we have meandered through the minefield of paperwork for the flight for weeks in advance, our rosters may have changed (we get them on the 20th at the latest for the next month). This may be one of the reasons for the lack of response on that front. Long haul fam flights are unavailable at MACC. I believe the other units may still do them. Too political to get into for this thread but rest assured we know your concerns and we do try to give you as much as we safely can to help your times and fuel concerns etc. Remember when we all enjoyed these jobs? seems to be drifting further away each day.