Doug wrote:

Not being descended soon enough is one of the biggest complaints the
airline captains have on Approach. ATC seems to think we have a
helicopter out there.

Some of the pilots at the carrier I used to work for had a standard speech
for center or TRACON controllers when they rode the jump seat on "fam"
trips: The captain would place his hand on the speed brake handle and say,
"This is to correct my mistakes, not your's."

Cute, but I don't think it did much good.

With a light piston, it seems to me the old rule about not dropping below
15 inches of manifold pressure (except on short final) was a pretty sound
rule, IMC or VMC.