Instrument Approach Speed

[denverpilot]

I usually have been pointing the nose down and going 109mph on the approaches which is about 20 mph above what I cruise at due to the stol kit I have on the C150. I was just really wandering if I should slow down more on approach. Thanks!

Fly the approach at whatever speed you’re comfortable at. All the bickering aside, how often are you truly in solid IMC and holding up three bizjets at some crazy busy IMC airport? Probably as close to never without being zero as you can get, as a total amount of your flight time. Right?

Plus how often are you shooting approaches to minimums in truly awful weather in your 150? Again I suspect not often. So you can adjust to conditions. If you’re going to break out at 800’-1000’ fly faster if you like. You’ll have plenty of time to sort out a speed on final. If you’re expecting to break out at minimums, fly whatever you’re comfortable doing and also transitioning to a missed from.

I doubt you’re getting into the conga line at TEB with a pile of biz jets on any regular basis. So consider everything, and be PIC and you’ll be fine, no matter what all the arguers are arguing.

My 182 has a similar problem to your airplane. It’s a solid IFR performer and approaches are comfortable at 90+ knots. The STOL kit limits flap deployment to 95. No faster speed for the first 10 degrees. And it’ll land at 40 or so indicated. So even a nice comfortable 90 knots still needs 50 bled off somewhere prior to touchdown if full flaps are brought in. And I’m a believer in slower is better on crappy snowy / icy runways or other standing precip.

Unstable? No. It doesn’t have to be but you have to manage the energy.

Mine flies wonderfully around 110 on an approach. But if I know it’s going to be a low breakout I can’t do that because I’ll need idle and level off to get it below flap speed or I’ll be landing WAY fast for the airframe. If I’m breaking out up high? Fine. Use the visibility to slow up.

If low, nope. I’m getting the flaps out at the FAF and slowing up to keep it inside flap speed so I can add the remaining flaps at the end.

So there’s other things folks haven’t mentioned that affect the real world planning for an airplane that needs to land slow. And you’re not going to be out in extreme low conditions in the 150 that often.

You SHOULD train for both however. Figure out speeds and configurations that work to your airplane’s best advantage and fly ‘em all in practice. Don’t forget to do some practice with a tailwind on the approaches, too.

And land out of practice approaches besides the usual going missed so you can see how the speeds actually work out. See how far you’ll float beyond the touchdown zone if you need that extra speed and have to bleed it off from 200’ AGL to the runway.

 

[MauleSkinner]

Fly the approach at whatever speed you’re comfortable at. All the bickering aside, how often are you truly in solid IMC and holding up three bizjets at some crazy busy IMC airport? Probably as close to never without being zero as you can get, as a total amount of your flight time. Right?

Plus, a good controller could work it in with very minimal delay.

 

[unsafervguy]

Oh cupcake, I guess seeing how we launched chimps into space it's not too surprising how you don't get this.

Just wondering, when was the last time you cleaned a human carcass off the ground with the snow shovel?

If greenhorn in the 172 deems he shouldn't shoot that approach over 85kts, I'm more fine with that than pressuring him out of where he feels safe.

Where is the ignore moron button?

 

[James331]

Where is the ignore moron button?

Under your dragging knuckles

Fly the approach at whatever speed you’re comfortable at. All the bickering aside, how often are you truly in solid IMC and holding up three bizjets at some crazy busy IMC airport? Probably as close to never without being zero as you can get, as a total amount of your flight time. Right?

Plus how often are you shouting approaches to minimums in truly awful weather in your 150? Again I suspect not often. So you can adjust to conditions. If you’re going to break out at 800’-1000’ fly faster if you like. You’ll have plenty of time to sort out a speed on final. If you’re expecting to break out at minimums, fly whatever you’re comfortable doing and also transitioning to a missed from.

I doubt you’re getting into the conga line at TEB with a pile of biz jets on any regular basis. So consider everything, and be PIC and you’ll be fine, no matter what all the arguers are arguing.

My 182 has a similar problem to your airplane. It’s a solid IFR performer and approaches are comfortable at 90+ knots. The STOL kit limits flap deployment to 95. No faster speed for the first 10 degrees. And it’ll land at 40 or so indicated. So even a nice comfortable 90 knots still needs 50 bled off somewhere prior to touchdown if full flaps are brought in. And I’m a believer in slower is better on crappy snowy / icy runways or other standing precip.

Unstable? No. It doesn’t have to be but you have to manage the energy.

Mine flies wonderfully around 110 on an approach. But if I know it’s going to be a low breakout I can’t do that because I’ll need idle and level off to get it below flap speed or I’ll be landing WAY fast for the airframe. If I’m breaking out up high? Fine. Use the visibility to slow up.

If low, nope. I’m getting the flaps out at the FAF and slowing up to keep it inside flap speed so I can add the remaining flaps at the end.

So there’s other things folks haven’t mentioned that affect the real world planning for an airplane that needs to land slow. And you’re not going to be out in extreme low conditions in the 150 that often.

You SHOULD train for both however. Figure out speeds and configurations that work to your airplane’s best advantage and fly ‘em all in practice. Don’t forget to do some practice with a tailwind on the approaches, too.

And land out of practice approaches besides the usual going missed so you can see how the speeds actually work out. See how far you’ll float beyond the touchdown zone if you need that extra speed and have to bleed it off from 200’ AGL to the runway.

As someone who has been on the line in IMC @ TEB, I'd still rather a greenhorn in a 172 stay within his margins vs screw the pooch shooting a approach.

Just do your thing and don't let other push you around

 

[denverpilot]

I’ll add... it’s like any skill. It’ll be easier to learn slowly and deliberately. If you need to shoot slow approaches right now, then shoot slow.

Just like real shooting. Start slow. Get accurate. You’ll naturally be able to speed up with time and experience.

Then do that. Practice at different speeds AFTER you have the basics and mechanics right.

Shooting (real shooting) fast isn’t where anyone starts. Not anyone that gets really good at it, anyway.

The funniest comment you see out of Instrument pilots is when they realize all they had to do was slow down to get back ahead of the airplane.

They forget the throttle is there for a reason.

We’ve all done it, too.

“Man, I was way behind on that approach.”
“Is there something you could have done to get caught up?”
“Oh. Slow down. Duh. That was dumb.”
“Yup. Ha. How about we go try that again?”

 

[flyingron]

Next time lax tells me to maintain 210 to the marker I will tell them unable.

Well 210 is above Vne so I'd have to tell them that. I once had IAD ask if I could maintain 160 which I could do in a descent (and was), and I told them "until I hit the ground."