“November 12345 is cleared for the visual approach to Runway One Left, traffic is a Boeing 737 on a seven-mile final behind you, maintain best speed, contact the tower….”
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Keep Your Speed Up
"November 12345 is cleared for the visual approach to Runway One Left, traffic is a Boeing 737 on a seven-mile final behind you, maintain best speed, contact the tower....Fly into a Class C or Class B primary airport and youll eventually be asked to keep your speed up because of inbound traffic behind you. Do it IFR, even at some Class D facilities, and youd best be very ready to mix with the heavy iron, which easily could be approaching 100 knots faster than your flivver can manage.
Key Takeaways:
- Pilots should establish "by the numbers" techniques (pre-determined power, attitude, and configuration settings) for predictable aircraft performance, effectively managing workload during standard and expedited approaches.
- To execute a high-speed approach, fly just below gear/flap extension speeds and, at the glideslope intercept, simultaneously adjust power, extend gear/flaps, and manage pitch to smoothly transition into a stabilized descent.
- Despite ATC requests to maintain speed, pilots must prioritize safety by transitioning to a fully stabilized approach by 500 feet AGL (VMC), and always have the option to declare "unable" if a request cannot be executed safely.
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