JF and F3G, I generally agree with both you, if you are uncertain as to the direction of the landing field, then by all means contact ATC for a vector.
However, in this report it appears to me that the pilot allowed ATC to manage the gliding decent. In other words it looks like the pilot allowed ATC to give him a set of vectors designed to help the pilot lose the alttiude he needed prior to entry into the pattern. So I don't think this was the best way for the pilot to coordinate with ATC. I think the pilot should have been in charge of managing the gliding decent himself, while using ATC to help confirm his location and to get a directional vector if it was needed.
I don't think that in a situation like this, that ATC has enough information to actually try and manage the gliding decent, by giving the pilot vectors that help the pilot burn off the necessary altitude prior to entry into the pattern and final approach. I personally think that only the pilot should manage the actual decent to the vicinity of the airfield, since he has the most information about his current energy state. In this report, I think the pilot may have given this responsibility over to ATC, because he was too uncertain as to how to manage the gliding decent himself. At least that's my guess.
I personally think this type of pilot/ATC coordination is dangerous, because I don't know how ATC could successfully manage an unpowered decent to a fixed point. If the pilot doesn't know how, then he's in big trouble.
Tinstaafl, yes, yes, I agree with all of that. I should have made myself more clear by saying that I was referring to the concepts and practices of actually getting the aircraft on the ground in one piece, which helo pilots work pretty hard at.
Last edited by Flight Safety; 7th August 2005 at 15:23.