"Requesting lower"

So here's the deal. You're at 11,000 feet doing say 120 knots over the
ground and your sea level destination is 100 nm ahead. It's late, ATC
is quiet, very little traffic, CAVU, you're pretty sure centger will
give you whatever you ask for.

What would you ask for?

I figure something like this: If I go downhill at 200 feet a minute at
my cruising speed it's going to take 5 minutes a thousand feet or 50
minutes to get to pattern altitude. "Hey Center, Mooney XYZ requesting
lower -- can you give me cruise at 5000?"

If they say yes I'll back off the throttle, the airplane is already
trimmed for the right speed, and start down. Close to 5000 feet I'll
ask for lower and continue down, maintaining my en route cruise. I'd
for sure be managing airpseed, CHT, mixture, and so forth -- I look at
those things every time the altimeter unwinds another 500 feet.

What would you do?

Tony wrote:
So here's the deal. You're at 11,000 feet doing say 120 knots over the
ground and your sea level destination is 100 nm ahead. It's late, ATC
is quiet, very little traffic, CAVU, you're pretty sure centger will
give you whatever you ask for.

What would you ask for?

I figure something like this: If I go downhill at 200 feet a minute at
my cruising speed it's going to take 5 minutes a thousand feet or 50
minutes to get to pattern altitude. "Hey Center, Mooney XYZ requesting
lower -- can you give me cruise at 5000?"

If they say yes I'll back off the throttle, the airplane is already
trimmed for the right speed, and start down. Close to 5000 feet I'll
ask for lower and continue down, maintaining my en route cruise. I'd
for sure be managing airpseed, CHT, mixture, and so forth -- I look at
those things every time the altimeter unwinds another 500 feet.

What would you do?

I believe you will also have to tell them your going to descend at 200
FPM as they expect a higher rate. I'm betting they will allow it but
best to let them know. I know you have to tell them if you can't climb
at 500 FPM and I think they expect the same on descent.

In article Zbqrh.14754$Ch1.9592@trndny04,
John Theune wrote:

Tony wrote:
So here's the deal. You're at 11,000 feet doing say 120 knots over the
ground and your sea level destination is 100 nm ahead. It's late, ATC
is quiet, very little traffic, CAVU, you're pretty sure centger will
give you whatever you ask for.

What would you ask for?

I figure something like this: If I go downhill at 200 feet a minute at
my cruising speed it's going to take 5 minutes a thousand feet or 50
minutes to get to pattern altitude. "Hey Center, Mooney XYZ requesting
lower -- can you give me cruise at 5000?"

If they say yes I'll back off the throttle, the airplane is already
trimmed for the right speed, and start down. Close to 5000 feet I'll
ask for lower and continue down, maintaining my en route cruise. I'd
for sure be managing airpseed, CHT, mixture, and so forth -- I look at
those things every time the altimeter unwinds another 500 feet.

What would you do?

I believe you will also have to tell them your going to descend at 200
FPM as they expect a higher rate. I'm betting they will allow it but
best to let them know. I know you have to tell them if you can't climb
at 500 FPM and I think they expect the same on descent.

If there really is nothing going on, they probably don't care how fast or
slow you go down. But, to be more correct about it, you could ask for
"pilot's discretion down to 3000" or whatever.

I ask for PD when I'm on top of a broken layer where I suspect there's ice
in the clouds. PD gives me the freedom to pick the hole I like and dive
through it.

Roy Smith wrote:
If there really is nothing going on, they probably don't care how fast or
slow you go down. But, to be more correct about it, you could ask for
"pilot's discretion down to 3000" or whatever.


I like this answer better than any of the others. I'd be very reluctant to
cancel IFR at night 100 miles from my destination. He's already said it's quiet
so there's no reason to expect Center to run him all over the countryside.

Once I had the clearance, I'd nose over to get the descent rate and then manage
the throttle as required to keep power setting appropriate. A 200 fpm descent
is unlikely to put me near airspeed redline at cruise power but I would come off
the power if I started getting into turbulence down lower.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

If you get "cruise at" from center, it's up to you how you get there. I
do agree with those who say other than that center expects standard
rates from pilots.

On Jan 17, 9:15 am, John Theune wrote:
Tony wrote:
So here's the deal. You're at 11,000 feet doing say 120 knots over the
ground and your sea level destination is 100 nm ahead. It's late, ATC
is quiet, very little traffic, CAVU, you're pretty sure centger will
give you whatever you ask for.

What would you ask for?

I figure something like this: If I go downhill at 200 feet a minute at
my cruising speed it's going to take 5 minutes a thousand feet or 50
minutes to get to pattern altitude. "Hey Center, Mooney XYZ requesting
lower -- can you give me cruise at 5000?"

If they say yes I'll back off the throttle, the airplane is already
trimmed for the right speed, and start down. Close to 5000 feet I'll
ask for lower and continue down, maintaining my en route cruise. I'd
for sure be managing airpseed, CHT, mixture, and so forth -- I look at
those things every time the altimeter unwinds another 500 feet.

What would you do?I believe you will also have to tell them your going to descend at 200
FPM as they expect a higher rate. I'm betting they will allow it but
best to let them know. I know you have to tell them if you can't climb
at 500 FPM and I think they expect the same on descent.- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

In article .com,
"Tony" wrote:

So here's the deal. You're at 11,000 feet doing say 120 knots over the
ground and your sea level destination is 100 nm ahead. It's late, ATC
is quiet, very little traffic, CAVU, you're pretty sure centger will
give you whatever you ask for.

What would you ask for?

How about, "Cancel IFR"?

Roy Smith wrote:
In article .com,
"Tony" wrote:

So here's the deal. You're at 11,000 feet doing say 120 knots over the
ground and your sea level destination is 100 nm ahead. It's late, ATC
is quiet, very little traffic, CAVU, you're pretty sure centger will
give you whatever you ask for.

What would you ask for?

How about, "Cancel IFR"?

Cancel IFR 100nm out? At 120 knots that's almost an hour outside your
destination.

-Robert

Robert M. Gary writes:

Cancel IFR 100nm out? At 120 knots that's almost an hour outside your
destination.

So?

--
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Mxsmanic wrote:
Robert M. Gary writes:

Cancel IFR 100nm out? At 120 knots that's almost an hour outside your
destination.

So?

So what' s the point of filing IFR if you're going to cancel an hour
outside your destination just because you want lower?

-Robert, CFII

Robert M. Gary writes:

So what' s the point of filing IFR if you're going to cancel an hour
outside your destination just because you want lower?

Because you had to fly through IMC to get that far, and you want to
fly VFR once the weather permits?

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