I did an IFR flight from KPDX (Portland, OR) to KLGB (Long Beach, CA) FL 350 in the stock Lear 45.  MY IAS was approx. 275 kts.

 

At approximately 190-200 NM from KLGB, the RC4 controller orders me to begin my descent.  I thought this was unusual as  normally descent begins about 140NM from the field at this altitude and speed.

 

At approximately 80NM from KLGB, the controller tells me to contact Approach.   This usually happens  when I'm 40 NM from the destination airport.

 

Anyone have an idea as to why this occurred?

 

I was flying at normal (1x) sim time.

 

Is there an .ini file I can check?

 

Thanks.

There is no configuration file involved. Center regions (FIR) are defined in one of the RC data files

 

RC calculates its descent based on the 3 in 1 rule. If you are cruising above 12,000 feet there will be a crossing restriction in place at 40 nm out from the destination. This is your case. It is center that is descending you to the crossing restriction of 12,000 or 11,000 feet (or for countries of different transition altitudes FL120 or FL110). The RC TOD is based on the cruising altitude or present altitude to the crossing restriction in in place or surface altitude, that is the difference in altitudes.

 

Be sure you have the correct aircraft type defined in the RC general options as heavy, jet, turboprop, or prop. I think the Lear is normally flown at higher airspeeds above 10,000 feet. You were probably in the Mach zones so your IAS is misleading and your TAS was much higher.

 

Right after meeting the crossing restriction you'll be swiftly transferred to approach getting the assigned runway and first vector at 35 nm out

 

The direct statute mile distance is about 850 miles and increasing route overhead is about 950 statute miles. This is from a filed JetBlue plan on flightaware.com. They reached 570 knots ground speed at 37000 feet. Their filed IAS was 452 knots. A normal LJ45 cruising speed in the flight levels is 441 TAS:

 

http://www.airliners.net/aircraft-data/stats.main?id=127

 

I do not know why you were transferred to Approach at 80 out but you might have been transferred to a lower strata center controller because of the SOCAL area used in your destination area.

OK, thanks Ron.  I recall that my groundspeed, just prior to my initial descent instruction was about 465 kts and I think my TAS was somewhere in that neighborhood also.  My cruise speed was at Mach .78,  just before receiving my initial descent instruction.   My ususal practice is, once I receive my initial descent from ATC, I switch from mach to IAS and adjust IAS to 250kts.     This way, I'm assured of being at 250 kts when I reach 10k feet.

 

I just checked the RC general options and the Lear is designated as "Jet".

 

I was using a Jet Blue plan at the time which I got from Flightaware.com.

 

Possible on the SOCAL but as this is my "home" area, I've flown into there numerous times and have always, in the past, been handed off to Approach at the 40NM mark, give or take a few miles.

 

Anyway, I'll try the flight again to see if this repeats.

 

Bob

I recommend not switching to IAS until below 24,000 feet as I recall. That's about the time IAS trails the real speed in the B737 climb. It has to do with the lower air density as well up there though not usually described.