Overtaking by 80 knots please slow down

Pmerems · #1 11-21-2017, 08:21 AM

The other day I was #2 landing on rwy 21 at Tucson. The main runway is under upgrades and the airliners are landing on rwy 21. Appoach asked me to keep my speed up as I approached the airport. When I switched to tower they told me I was #2 behind a Comanche on final. Then they told me to slow down because I was over taking the Comanche by 80 knots.

Honest officer, I wasn't going that fast......

Bill Boyd · #2 11-21-2017, 09:00 AM

I didn't know a Comanche could hover. Weird thing to do on final even if it's possible.

mike newall · #3 11-21-2017, 02:39 PM

Hurry up and wait......

Drives me mad at work when they do that.

Mind you when you enter what you thought was an empty pattern, downwind at 190kts and then spot the guy in the Cherokee turning base you realise what closing speed is...

airguy · #4 11-21-2017, 03:26 PM

It is fun though...

I dropped into KSJT a few days ago for lunch, was dropping in from altitude with a good tailwind, showing 220 knots groundspeed and he had three students in the pattern - they all got vectored!

RV7A Flyer · #5 11-21-2017, 03:56 PM

Well, I do hate to be a wet blanket, buuuuttttt....

It may be fun, but is it really a good idea? Aside from giving RV pilots another black eye for "hot dogging", if you have to make a bunch of other airplanes get moved out of your way, or you're blasting through the pattern at twice the speed of everybody else, is that the right thing to do?

IDK, maybe I'm taking this too seriously...

FlyArmy · #6 11-21-2017, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV7A Flyer

Well, I do hate to be a wet blanket, buuuuttttt....

It may be fun, but is it really a good idea? Aside from giving RV pilots another black eye for "hot dogging", if you have to make a bunch of other airplanes get moved out of your way, or you're blasting through the pattern at twice the speed of everybody else, is that the right thing to do?

IDK, maybe I'm taking this too seriously...

Going into TUS where anything from C152s, helicopters, commercial jets, private jets, and F16s are routinely landing/taking off, I don?t think it matters what approach/final speed the OP flies. Approach and tower can handle it.

I was at work a month ago going into JFK and had a 110 knot overtake on a 737. Tower gave me a heads up along with my landing clearance (while chuckling), but it was never an issue (I just closed an 8 mi gap to 4).

Plenty of mixed use fields exist with varying performance aircraft. Head should always be on a swivel, proper comms maintained and positions announced if untowered, situational awareness up. At least with an RV or other relatively fast prop plane, you can keep the speed up and drop it to flap speed relatively quickly if not descending, or keep the speed up longer if necessary, and can configure and semi-comfortably fly slow enough to land behind even very slow traffic. I think higher or varying traffic pattern speeds, depending on the type of airfield and it?s associated traffic, isn?t necessarily a safety issue unless it is outside the pilot?s comfort zone and/or ability to maintain situational awareness.

Bevan · #7 11-21-2017, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by airguy

students in the pattern - they all got vectored!

That's ATC's call. Only they know the big picture. They could have asked you to slow down for sequencing. There may have been something else going on that you're not aware of.

Bevan

sprucemoose · #8 11-21-2017, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV7A Flyer

Well, I do hate to be a wet blanket, buuuuttttt...

I'm with you on this. The OP was keeping speed up at an airliner-type airport, which is certainly prudent in that environment (and requested by ATC.) Blasting into a GA-airport at cruise speed is another story and the kind of thing that gives RV pilots a bad name.

Unless told otherwise by ATC, I slow to 100 kts a couple miles from the airport- a good speed to mix in with most traffic. Also a good speed to slow down or speed up quickly if needed.

snopercod · #9 11-21-2017, 06:44 PM

My Lancair isn't as fast as an RV (wink), but I did have a 20 Kt overtake on a Citation a few months ago. I couldn't help myself: https://www.dropbox.com/s/jiwo3krs2i...rtake.mp4?dl=0

kevinsrv7.com · #10 11-22-2017, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snopercod

My Lancair isn't as fast as an RV (wink), but I did have a 20 Kt overtake on a Citation a few months ago. I couldn't help myself: https://www.dropbox.com/s/jiwo3krs2i...rtake.mp4?dl=0

I here ya, It's also allot of fun when the tower asks if your a "twin"! Or I will call your base because you and the Pilatus when be arriving at the same time!