Our training for the instrument ticket focused on flying by reference to instruments, how to shoot approaches, holds, etc. By that point pilots were presumed to have mastered the art of landing, so who needed any more instruction on that? (Or, so the argument goes.).
Your approach speed is an essential precursor to a good landing, even—or, perhaps, especially—for an instrument pilot. More specifically, fast (aka high-energy) approaches, can be requested by ATC and become a trap and possibly lead to a bent airplane or, worse still, a fatal outcome. Let’s start by looking at that trap.
