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Fun approach into Knoxville

Ed_Wischmeyer

Well Known Member
So today's flight was from Savannah to Knoxville for Thanksgiving with my sister and her family, making a total of four of us. Limited exposure.

Knoxville is just north of the west end of the Smokey Mountains and I was cruising along at 6500, then 4500 over the lower terrain. Approach asked for maximum speed so I got it up to about 160 knots indicated in the descent. Then they asked if I could turn base, so I did that and they handed me over to tower, still screaming along with plenty of altitude and speed, to put it mildly. Not sure what the hurry was, as there was no traffic to follow on the radio nor on the ADS-B.

Anyhow, I came screaming in on base, gradually reduced power, flaps at flap speed, touched down near the end of the runway (near where the FBO was), gentle touchdown and easily made the turnoff.

Things were well under control the whole time and I straightened out on final at 200 feet or so, plenty of time to judge everything. Little planes can do things the big planes can't...
 
I’ve experienced something similar. I think not all ATC types understand how fast an RV can go. I’ve been asked for ‘best speed, traffic to follow’, only to land, turn off...and see the trailing traffic still 5 miles out.
 
I was flying an approach into Houston a while back and was asked for best speed, I called approach and said "I can give you 160 knots to final, will that work?"

"That will work great, thanks!"
 
Its fun to use the RVs speed range for something useful.
My home base KAVL is towered and they have gotten used to me topping the eastern ridge and high speed descending the 3K ft towards the field on Friday evenings. They use it when they can.

Learning how to taxi on 2 wheels is also a help when they need you off the runway in a hurry.
 
It is fun Ed. I got slotted in between some Big Guys to 18R at MCO one day, and 150 knots works fine when the runway is literally miles long. Probably the longest ever for me.

On the flip side, I once had a very junior USAF controller try to put me in front of an inbound C-21 (military Lear 35) in a race to the runway at Maxwell. The punchline? I was 2 mile left base, inbound to the airshow in a scale JN-4C...war emergency power, 60 mph. He called the Lear at 10 miles, and did I see it? "Negative" made him squeaky. He went up an octave at 1 and 7.

I was thinking, hmm, C-21, visiting brass, who's gonna explain the go-around, when a more senior voice took the mike and asked for a right 360.
 
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