Now, BOAC.
You wrote you never told your height to the ground on those kinds of approaches, and you wonder why anyone would.
I questioned a pilot again, re why would he.
I didn't understand why but it can be I simply don't understand anything.
It seems to be their natural habit, the mode of operation pilot-ground tandem.
The fact of life is they do tell it.
They just see life this way :o), may be.
The example given was 1 km visibility and lower edge of the clouds being 100 meters from the ground. 100 meters space, in other words, when one passes through the clouds and then things become visible and he's got those 100 left down to the ground.
The complex preparatory stages in this weather demanded some tricky flying (IM amateur opinion :o) done before). Getting to the point 52 km away from the aerodrome and at 4,800 height.
From this dot proceeding to the next dot, lower, at crane 30 degrees and speed 550 km/hr. When approx. there (by flying time) to tell the ground control one's height - and as a return courtesy ground control responds with the plane's distance to aerodrome.
Desirably, the distance set for the second dot. Also at that time ground control tells the plane by what amount of degrees to turn and towards what side to finally get on the landing course and that's where ground control allows the descend.
"The moment he allows you let out the wheels and the flaps, slide down at an angle of 12 degrees and at vertical speed of 30m/s proceed to the next dot to be at 2,000m height. In this mode the ground control periodically hinted me where to fly to get on the landing course and I was simply telling him my height in response because to talk ab anything else there was no time:o)
Being 30 km away finally I could breathe out, decrease vertical speed twice and the slope angle to 8 degrees, go quietly but this is still too far from the aerodrome and the control still doesn't see my track of lowering so to his directions where to fly I simply respond with my height without any pleasantries simply name the number.
In the next stage the initiative in conducting radio-talk is passed over to the pilot.
While before the control saw my deviation from course and was giving me commands to which I was responding with my height (which meant "I understood you thanks a million" :o)
- then in the next stage the ground keeps quiet unless I tell him my height (which means I want to know my distance and deviations from course what they are.)
Getting oriented by my distance I could correct my vertical speed to the point of entering the glideslope.
From this point - to the Far Beacon the controller already saw me not only by course but in regard my glideslope and, in general, could do without me naming my height - but the quickest way to find out my distance for me was still to name my height - as an echo controller immediately names my distance and side deviation in meters.
I think if instead of barking my height I was pronouncing Dear Controller give me please my distance to runway edge and side deviation if possible"
- it wouldn't work out exactly well :o)
From Far Beacon to runway I didn't name my height usually but if I had doubts re my position I could and controller echoed with distance.
Sure I had a system to tell me distance and side deviation but it was not always showing exactly and I had to control the system by something. For the ground knowing height is important as they usually have over 10 landing at once and have to know who on what height is."