Seems a daft SOP to have a blanket 250 below 10. As someone said, it is essential to keep the speed up sometimes to dive the height off with the speedbrake. On the 737 the speedbrake does nothing below 250kts. Surely its best to exceed 250 below 10 than to end up 'hot and high' with a subsequent rushed and un-stable approach?
At LHR i've done 310kts downnwind at 6000', when it was quiet! I don't keep the speed up to save time generally, as it doesn't and it just means things happen quicker. But, if ATC ask for high speed it's a good opportunity to get the height off, and help out the ATCO.
411A - isn't that what the windscreen wipers are for?
[This message has been edited by BmPilot21 (edited 24 June 2001).]