eastern wiseguy
I find a frustrating thing is being instructed to maintain standard speeds (or even 220kt), only to be told by director (unprompted) that there is no speed control
Unfortunately wiseguy, it does happen... we TMA controllers don't always have the time to ask the director what he wants us to do with individual aircraft regarding speed.
If there is nothing at timba or willo, we will give you high speed. If their are other aircraft inbound to the other stack, then if we do not have the time, we will probably tell you standard speed, as we cannot second guess if the director intends snatching your flight off.
Normally, we will say 220kts (or holding speed) if there is holding taking place. hopefully this is not done too early so that you do not trundle along for no reason, however we are trying to prevent or minimise a hold for you.
Please remember we are taking aircraft inbound from several directions and feeding them through a choke point with departures at play as well. in the ideal world we would only work inbounds and we would have time to liaise more thouroughly for every flight with directoe.
as i am sure you are well aware though, the TMA is tight for space so it is not ideal.
If the frequency is quiet, then by all means ask. if it is busy, even if you are the only inbound but there are loads of outbounds and the frequency is busy, chances are you will be told standard speeds if you ask, just to keep you quiet. Not great, I know, but thats the reality. we are trying to re-design the south west sector airspace without any luck, it is at its most optimum or as near as dammit at the moment; several new ideas have been trialled in the sim and binned due to unworkability.
At the end of the day, the name of the game for us is to get you off frequency as quickly as possible, (obviously safely); if we could give you high speed all the way, believe me, we would!
We get hacked off constantly when we get you at 300+ knots 5 miles from GWC with A/C ahead. We have a good moan at En-route, but we do realise thast they need the speed to get your height off.
It's an old chestnut, but try to visit a centre and you may get an appreciation of how many different routes interact in the TMA, then you may begin to realise the complexity. Thats not just levelled at you, but at all aircrew.
Keep smiling