When to descend II

Bee wrote:



But, in essence you are clearing me direct-to-the-FAF.

Irrelevant. A fix is a fix. You're doing the visual approach. We in
the TRACON have determined that sending aircraft over a certain fix
makes separation easier. One problem with using an RNAV approach fix is
a lot of people won't be familair with it before hand. We normally use
a fix here on our ILS that substitutes for the OM and everybody is
familiar with it.



This is not an
en route fix or even an IAF or earlier. Only in limited circumstances
are you allowed to clear me direct to an RNAV IF. I certainly don't see
how you can make me cross a FAF unless you have correctly placed me on
the IAP.

You're doing to the visual approach, it's irrelevant what fix I send you
too. It could be a charted one or one I simply made up out of thin air.