Free Overkill by James Barrington

QNH two nine decimal eight one inches. Confirm you are now subsonic.’
    ‘Three Four is subsonic and in the drop to two thousand on twenty-nine eighty-one.’
    Passing ten thousand feet, the Blackbird crew unsealed their visors and raised the faceplates. As usual, the cockpit smelt of burnt metal. At fifteen miles range, the squall that had been
gathering to the west of the field finally hit, reducing visibility to under a mile.
    ‘Aspen Three Four, Director. We’ve been hit by a squall and visibility is under one mile with full cover cloud at three hundred feet. This will be a precision approach to runway two
three. Turn left heading two five zero.’
    The Director broke off as the Radar Supervisor touched his shoulder and spoke to him. Rather than risk losing contact with the aircraft on a frequency change, the Supervisor had decided that the
talk-down would be carried out on the Director’s frequency.
    ‘Aspen Three Four, you have twelve miles to run to the field. Confirm you are now level at two thousand feet.’
    ‘Confirmed. Level at two.’
    ‘Roger. Squawk standby, carry out final landing checks and listen out on this frequency for your Final Controller.’
    Twelve miles out, the profile of the Blackbird altered as the landing gear was extended, and the aircraft adopted a pronounced nose-high attitude.
    ‘Aspen Three Four, this is Lossiemouth Final Controller. I hold you on precision radar at range ten. Turn left heading two four five.’
    ‘Two four five, Three Four.’
    Unlike the clipped and precise instructions given by all other controllers, a precision approach has almost a conversational style about it. This is at least partly due to the fact that the
controller talks constantly to the pilot from just before the aircraft starts its final descent until it reaches the runway. ‘You’re slightly left of the centreline, closing gently on a
heading of two four five. Approximately one mile to run to the descent point.’
    The talk-down controller paused for a few seconds, then pressed the transmit key forward into the locked position, and began talking. ‘Aspen Three Four, seven miles from touchdown, and
approaching the descent point. Heading two four five. Slightly left of centreline, closing gently. You need not acknowledge further transmissions unless requested.’
    On the twin precision radar displays the Blackbird’s return was small and painting faintly, but it was visible. Still below the electronic glide path, the right-hand edge of the return was
nearly touching the centreline. The controller watched the return on the elevation screen touch the glide path. The trick was to start the aircraft in descent a little before the centre of the
return intersected the glide path. This allowed for delays in the pilot’s reactions and the physical time taken by the aircraft to transition from level flight into a descent.
    ‘Six and three-quarter miles from touchdown. Begin your descent now for a three-degree glide path.’ The standard three-degree glide path meant that the aircraft descended at the rate
of three hundred feet for every track mile flown. ‘Six miles from touchdown. Turn left five degrees heading two four zero. You’re now on the centreline, but still very slightly above
the glide path.’
    By five miles out, the Blackbird had settled down on the glide path, and the controller had no need to give descent corrections. As the aircraft got closer to the ground, however, the gusty wind
made frequent heading changes necessary. ‘Three miles from touchdown, heading two three five, very slightly right of centreline but on the glide path. Confirm final landing checks complete
– Aspen Three Four acknowledge.’
    ‘Three Four has checks complete.’
    ‘Roger. Heading two three five, on the glide path. You have been cleared to land on runway two three.’
    Passing one mile and three hundred feet above runway elevation, the controller broke transmission. ‘Aspen Three Four inside