Would appreciate inputs and opinions on pros and cons of increasing Vref on approach when flying with steady headwind (no cross wind and no gusts).
Recently, the First Officer I was flying with, made the case for the need of increasing the Vref speed by 15 Kts as we were flying an approach to RNW 34 with a reported wind of 340/15. His argument was that by doing so we would compensate for the loss of ground speed, and basically there was no downside as the runway was long and surface conditions were dry.
I do not agree with this operating philosophy, but I am no "astronaut" so I welcome everyone's ideas.
What does your FHB/FCOM/POH say? Follow it!
FWIW, I believe Vref does NOT change -- your "bug speed" (the actual approach speed) is what changes.
Where the controlling documents give you a choice, blindly increasing the Vref additive will cause you to use more runway and more brakes and more fuel, and to make more noise. All that will NOT in any increase the "safety" of the operation, because safety factors have already been considered when Vref is calculated and additives applied as written.