Interesting comments, and memories of AMS ATC. I flew in/out of there for many years. Sometimes it was like LHR; a convoy with ATC flying the a/c, sometimes it was, "we've a heavy at 12nm. Will you accept 3nm to be No.1? Wx 3km's & 500'." Hell, we had a triple autopilot, so why not. Any one of them would do. "turn right, base leg , descend 1200'." I know many airlines who's SOP's would say NO. Why? Equally, on a clear day/night a visual circuit power off was always approved. One of the smallest big airports I knew. (I know it has changed now.) That's something that's gone AWOL, a descending low drag visual circuit. I offered it to an F/O and his comment was, "how do I know how long to time pass the threshold?" First it was visual, 2nd there was a DME on the ILS. What more do you need. Back to lack of traning and line practice. There was no 'profile' for it.
The other comment about 'the envelope'. I flew for an airline that said, 'max UP speed at 15nm', 'gear down at G/S alive.' Going into USA B767, ATC "give me 250kts on the glide at 25nm". They were 'pushing tin' and needed speed control to establish separation between variety of types. 210kts at 12nm and he lets us slow down at 10nm. The F/O's eyes were on stalks, but it worked. The gear is a wonderful piece of drag when needed. The F/O had never put the gear down until mid-range flaps, and certainly never before the flaps. He didn't think it was allowed. That's what the SOP said, so that's the only way to do it; as you quietly make a glide landing.
I still say any captain should be able, when given the a/c at 4000agl, 5nm from the airfield, 90 degrees to the Rwy, clean speed, to make a visual circuit low drag onto either Rwy with no G/P indicators, daytme. It's possible to use level D sims for this and would be a simple element of a CAA annual handling check, but at the very least a command check. Sure we should all be capable of the most basic of aviation's manoeuvres, the visual circuit. If so, should it not be tested? You learn a great deal about a pilot's abilities watching someone fly a visual descending circuit.