Southwest Pilots!

[Donald]

I had a captain drop the gear at 12,000 ft once. Going into ONT from the north. We were held high due to traffic. It was either that or enjoy some 360s. Gear + speed brakes (no flaps) makes great drag.

 

[TriStar_drvr]

I had a captain drop the gear at 12,000 ft once. Going into ONT from the north. We were held high due to traffic. It was either that or enjoy some 360s. Gear + speed brakes (no flaps) makes great drag.

I was about to bring up ONT. As a commuter going into there, I got to see some interesting stuff riding jumpseats. Now, I have the pleasure of operating into there myself. Cross HITOP at 13,000 and watch the antics begin...

 

[GuppyWN]

Antics? It's called flying the jet. The company took all of our options away with the speedbrake restrictions. Now if you press the field you dump the gear.

250 on the g/s clean to 12nm. Dump the gear and get a dot ahead of the g/s and life is good.

Gup

 

[flatspin7]

I had to drop the gear witha clean wing going into ATL the other day in a 737 (yes I was the pilot..just avoiding wise arses).. They kept us high and fast and turned us on the Loc and Slope while they still wanted us to maintain 250 until told to slow... The speedbrakes were cutting it so down go the rollers. Flaps 1-2 speed in the 737-classics is 230. The NGs are 250 but company limits it down to avoid confusion.

Just a note to people whom have never thrown a jet... Purdy little sim profiles only work when ATC is nice enough to give you speed at your own descretion and leave you level for a few miles before you hit the glide slope. After that you just have to do everything you can with the limitations on the aircraft to get that bad boy slowed down.

The 737 requires much more planning to get slowed down then the ERJ... In the 145-XR you can almost do 250 to the marker and be stable by 1000 feet. The 737 you really don't like more than 180-190 to the marker and in the -800 really need to have flaps 10 out there to maintain 180 on the Loc, any less than that the airplane will just accelerate.

 

[leenick]

I believe it's all about the man and the machine. If your green and behind the power curve, then you might want to slow it down early. There are others who have been flying for years, and they may smoke it in at 220kts to the FAF before doing anything. So, it's all about experience and limitations on the A/C.

 

[flatspin7]

Its also about being stable at 1000 feet.

 

[Hpilot]

We do it too

In defense of Southwest pilots. The 737 clean doesn't slow and descend well at the same time. Often times coming into Vegas from the west ATC will have you fast and decide to turn you in on a tight base for 25L. Automatic response, "gear down". When we have guys come off the 320 or 757 and upgrade into the 737 they're always high at first and you have to say politely, "you may want to put the gear down boss"

 

[ils2minimums]

I regularly use the gear to slow to a reasonable flap extension speed. Generally it's when we're number one for the airport on a visual approach and we're on a long final. I like to hit somewhere around 8-10 miles out at 3000-2500 feet and 250 knots. Put the gear down, and within a few seconds I'm ready to start gettin' the flaps out. It's kinda noisy at for a little while, but the time saved is worth it. If ATC and the situation permits, I'm able to plan my descent so that the throttles are often at idle from 10,000 feet to about 1000 feet, thus saving gas too. I generally brief the captain about my intentions so that they aren't reaching for the flap handle to give me the "hint" to slow down.

So far we haven't been banned from using the spoilers with flaps on our 737's... The MD-80's though, are another story. In the winter you really have to plan to get down if you have your anti-ice stuff on. You can't pull the power to idle because you have to keep the power up to provide enough heat. Several times going into ORD in the winter time, you're held high, then told to descend and slow! I've seen more than one guy get pretty creative to get down.

 

[GuppyWN]

Its also about being stable at 1000 feet.

That's funny. My FOM says something like "stableISH" at a grand.

Gup

 

[johnnyV]

In defense of Southwest pilots. "

What defense? It is just getting the job done...safely & effectively!