Originally Posted by
willow-blossom
We circled the airport about 5 times as we were 25 minutes early and then on the final approach the pilot appeared to be speeding up and the nose going up, we had a very heavy landing and an extremely long and very fast journey along the runway.
Can I just give my 2cents here.....
I work on the BA's 737 fleet and I can assure you that no 2 approaches are the same.
I do not think that FR pilots are doing that "on purpose" just to scare you guys. It's part of the approach/landing process, the way you position yourself, the wind you encounter when you're on finals etc etc.
Now on occasions I have had some passengers point that to me too, however my thoughts are that they
perceive the
increase in thrust as an
increase in speed. Thrust and speed are two different things, you may need an increase in thrust to increase the speed but not necessarily this is true all of the time.
To say it in the easiest and most simplistic way that I can Increase in thrust is needed at times-especially when the nose "goes up" in certain phases of the flights- to maintain the appropriate speed for that phase.
A long roll on the runway after landing doesn't mean that FR "want to achieve a speedy turnaround" - on the contrary (and depending on the airfield) the slower you land the easier it can be to take the first turn, making your way to the terminal as soon as possible and leaving the runway free for the next plane.
A bit of reverse thrust -even if only at idle - is ALWAYS used, even when you do not hear it. Full reverse is a blessing when you land on short runways and is also good to alleviate those poor brakes that have to do a great job over four/six times a day!!
I really believe that FR pilots are doing their job the way they should and there's no cause for concern. I know that some of the noises on the 737 can be quite loud.....they might scare you at times but believe me, they are a relief for me! It's very reassuring to hear the same noise obver and over again, it's a way of the plane to say to us "I am doing great"!!
FBW
PS:Can I suggest something to all of you who do not like turbulence......on bigger planes I find that the best seats are just before the wing, but on the 737 I find that the best seats are those at the very front. The turbulence you'd experience there is more of a "soft" one, as if you were on a boat. It's less stroppy but might be bad for your stomach if you usually get seasick.
The further back you sit the "harder" it feels.
We CC often notice this ourselves. Sometimes when you work at the front you think you can get a cart out and start the service while at the same time at the back there's the urge to take our seats!!