Brussels - 160kts till the OM
 

At Brussels airport Atc require aircraft to maintain 160 kts till the OM.
Any comments? as some Aircraft, and carriers seem to have a problem with that. whats the reason?

No so much a problem for the 737 more of an inconvenience.

To fly 160kts you must drop gear and 15 flap which wastes fuel. 170kts would be fine with 10 flap gear up.

Not this old chestnut again!!! We do much the same at Heathrow - it's to provide tight spacing on final approach to achieve the high landing rates demanded by the airlines. At Heathrow we are aware that some British Midland 737s prefer 170 kts to 4DME and we try to accommodate them as often as possible. Occasionally a BA 73 will ask for 170 and we try to help out.. However, we have no specific instructions as to which aircraft would prefer a different speed and most pilots are happy to accept what we ask for. Two points here - first to those who think it's too fast.. you should see the speeds they fly when there's no other traffic! To those who think it's too slow.. I put a "no speed control" on a 737 a few days ago and he reduced so much on final approcah that we had a go around!

You can't please all of the pilots all of the time and 160kts seems acceptable to most!

And like HD says, if you're flying into an airport where ATC usually instruct you to maintain a speed you're not happy with, tell them as early as possible so they can increase the spacing infront of/behind you!

(So that's the "160kts to OM at EBBR" thread for this month sorted!)

Gonzo

[This message has been edited by Gonzo (edited 05 April 2001).]