Real world air question or should I say observation!Just arrived back from Orlando on Virgin 747 (Pretty Woman) to Gatwick and as I am into Fs stuff the skymap is my constant companion through the 7.5 hour flight. Sad eh? Still it beat the movies on offer. I cannot watch Shrek or Cat in the Hat!How accurate are these skymaps?Reason I ask is that as we came over Southampton we were a comfortable 18K and bowling along at around 430 ground speed. We landed east/west runway and I think we tutned over Biggen. However the skymap showed us dropping to 8K but ground speed was at 410!Now I did look out window over wing and saw flaps air brakes and I am sure umberellas and parachutes being deployed(lol) all at one time to slow 747 down.Question is, are certain aircraft allowed to break 250mph limit, or was this 747 being allowed a very quick approach turn to be slotted into pattern. Or, is Skymap just a very rough approximation?I am sure I heard a 'Whheeeee' from up front somehwere!(g)

Don't know how accurate these skymaps are, my airline doesn't have any. I think these systems use GPS data, so they must be fairly accurate...I can tell you that on most day's we fly over 250 knots below 10K, mostly early morning or late night arrivals. When ATC tells you; "no speed restrictions" you can forget the 250 limit, you can also request high speed. The only problem is slowing down.... Modern jets are a b*tch to slow down especially if you want to descend as well, I love speed brakes! :-) Disclaimer: I am a Airbus driver, not a 747 driver (yet.... ;-))Mazzl,CD

Mazzi,Thank you for the informed reply.As a FS enthuiast for too many years I read things like the Skymap with great interest. Indeed, as we were zooming along I was thinking that this was going to be a 'fun' approach!!Yeah 430 to 160? landing speed as you turn and drop from 8K at say 15 miles out?Are they just allowing ILS to take control?