Narrative:

Air carrier flight to vld. Assigned route: pzd direct harke direct otk direct vld. Descent clearance was issued to 11000 ft and we were told 'expect harke at 7000 ft.' this was followed by 'descend to one, one, eleven thousand, traffic a baron, at ten thousand.' after passing the traffic at 11000 ft, we were told 'cross harke at 7000 ft.' at this point, we were too close to harke intersection to meet the crossing restr, even at flight idle and with the flight spoilers fully deployed. At this time, we received our next frequency (still valdosta approach) and this controller said 'reaching 7000 ft, cleared direct valdosta.' this was already our clearance! Pzd..harke..otk. Since we were past harke, we were already direct valdosta, even though we were not at 7000 ft. These military controllers need to understand that there are limits to the descent rates achievable in passenger-carrying transport category airplanes. Additionally, the second valdosta approach controller told us that we should have continued on a heading sbound until reaching 7000 ft. This is absolutely incorrect when our clearance was pzd..harke..otk..vld. Our obligation is to follow our current clearance, not guess what heading they might want when we cannot meet an unreasonable clearance.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CL65 ACR CREW ENRTE TO VLD ARE UNABLE TO MAKE DSCNTS ISSUED BY A MIL APCH CTLR AND FELT THE CLRNCS WERE UNREASONABLE.

Narrative: ACR FLT TO VLD. ASSIGNED RTE: PZD DIRECT HARKE DIRECT OTK DIRECT VLD. DSCNT CLRNC WAS ISSUED TO 11000 FT AND WE WERE TOLD 'EXPECT HARKE AT 7000 FT.' THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY 'DSND TO ONE, ONE, ELEVEN THOUSAND, TFC A BARON, AT TEN THOUSAND.' AFTER PASSING THE TFC AT 11000 FT, WE WERE TOLD 'CROSS HARKE AT 7000 FT.' AT THIS POINT, WE WERE TOO CLOSE TO HARKE INTXN TO MEET THE XING RESTR, EVEN AT FLT IDLE AND WITH THE FLT SPOILERS FULLY DEPLOYED. AT THIS TIME, WE RECEIVED OUR NEXT FREQ (STILL VALDOSTA APCH) AND THIS CTLR SAID 'REACHING 7000 FT, CLRED DIRECT VALDOSTA.' THIS WAS ALREADY OUR CLRNC! PZD..HARKE..OTK. SINCE WE WERE PAST HARKE, WE WERE ALREADY DIRECT VALDOSTA, EVEN THOUGH WE WERE NOT AT 7000 FT. THESE MIL CTLRS NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE LIMITS TO THE DSCNT RATES ACHIEVABLE IN PAX-CARRYING TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES. ADDITIONALLY, THE SECOND VALDOSTA APCH CTLR TOLD US THAT WE SHOULD HAVE CONTINUED ON A HDG SBOUND UNTIL REACHING 7000 FT. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INCORRECT WHEN OUR CLRNC WAS PZD..HARKE..OTK..VLD. OUR OBLIGATION IS TO FOLLOW OUR CURRENT CLRNC, NOT GUESS WHAT HDG THEY MIGHT WANT WHEN WE CANNOT MEET AN UNREASONABLE CLRNC.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.