RE:250kts
Danny -- on many occasions I have gotten "fly your best operational speed" directive from controllers out of some the U.S.'s major airports, including my last flight 2 days ago, on a aircraft that not to often has a clean speed over 250. So I'm not so sure on your comment that it's standard SOP not to be given over 250kts on departure. From what I understand the 250 rule under 10k is intended primarily to guard fast aircraft from effects of bird strikes. A valid though operationally frustrating concern since the most economic dep is always best rate climb from the ground up, correct?
BEXIL160 -- Vertical seperation safer than lateral seperation? how so?, I know that in LAX our company consulted with ATC as to if they reallly need the 250kt directed sid speed on our usual dep, and were told absolutely since there key concern was not vertical seperation (we could have flown the VNAP A procedure) but lateral seperation, because heavy's and lighter jets use the same or parallel runways for dep and the need for wake seperation. Another example is at YYZ in Canada where lateral seperation also seems more important to ATC as even on the ATIS you are to advise if you will intend a less speedy but more vertically efficient noise abatement procedure.
Last edited by six7driver; 19th January 2006 at 15:39.