Are there any types that can NOT fly gear down, land flap, 160kts at 4 miles and still not reduce back to approach speed by 1000 Rad Alt?
I find it hard to believe that with a headwind that this is so difficult to achieve.
A lightweight A319 would find it marginal under some circs... However, I think you are missing the point. Training everyone, as an SOP, to undertake noisier, more fuel consuming and Flap wearing approaches to fit in with ATC is not, IMHO, the way ahead. To give you an idea, Big Airways has moved 777 and A320 / 321 to use less flap for Landing (25 / 3) because of the "considerable Fuel Savings" (a few Kgs per sector!).
.4 seems to be more concerned now than in the past about the general "approximate" speed adherence going on. Either he is just getting old and crinkly
or, more likely, new procedures and tools mean speed adherence needs to be tighter. Surely the way ahead is therefore to find a speed profile that can be adhered to, meets the SOPs (or adjust the SOPs), and most importantly in this day and age, keeps the tree huggers happy
