Question for a US controller - 250kts <10
I know this has been asked before, but I can't remember the answers and can't find the thread in the search area!
As a LHR-based long haul pilot who operates into the US quite frequently I have always been under the impression that the 250kts below 10 000' rule is actually a legal restriction mandated by law and cannot be lifted by anyone, ATC included - except in an emergency, I suppose. Yet departing out of LAX we are frequently told to maintain 280kts whilst well below 10 000' and the other night departing out of JFK we were specifically instructed to increase to 280kts as we were passing 4 000'
So, have I been labouring under a misapprehension all these years, or has the law changed, or were the controllers breaking the law??
Thanks in advance.
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