Originally Posted by
EMAW
OK. So I assumed and early descent because it’s happened to me before that way. Either way the question and answer is the same, whether you were cruising lower at 300 kts or given “descend and mantain” a lower altitude earlier that would allow you to maintain 300 KTS.
No, it is not the same.
If an aircraft departs, climbs to a cruise altitude of FL240, and crosses KOZAR as part of a filed or cleared arrival, the KLYNK3, The first speed restriction applicable on that arrival is found at EEEZI.
If ATC desires a different speed, ATC will need to assign the speed. If the pilot is in doubt of the clearance, he is required to query ATC. This is a regulatory requirement.
A wise pilot will enquire.
"I asked my ATC buddies" does not cut it. What is applicable is the clearance. If cleared for the arrival, any speed restrictions on that arrival will apply, unless an amended clearance is received. An aircraft which never climbed above FL240, and thus is not descending to that altitude, will never be reaching a mach cruise number. If the aircraft is cruising at 300 knots, there is no procedural note for the KLYNK3 arrival which dictates slowing from 300 knots to 280 knots, until EEEZI.
An astute pilot may note that an arrival at 300 knots will potentially place one faster than traffic descending into the arrival, and may query ATC to ask about speed, if a speed has not been assigned. One should NOT assume ATC intent, or guess at the speed. One should not arbitrarily reduce speed, because the procedure does not call for it. If ATC has not assigned a speed reduction prior to that established by the STAR, then it's entirely possible that ATC is using the speed difference for spacing. What "ATC buddies" think does not trump what is printed on the arrival, nor a clearance issued by the controller working that aircraft and that arrival. One must fly the arrival as published, and fly the clearance as given, or as amended.
The KLYNK3 arrival does not provide a speed reduction or speed restriction until EEEZI, except that aircraft descending from an altitude at which a mach number is in use, will maintain 280 as that airspeed is reached in the descent. There is no procedural note requiring or directing arriving aircraft to reduce airspeed speed to 280 knots until arrival at EEEZI.
It should be noted that an aircraft that transitions from mach to an indicated airspeed is not making an airspeed reduction. The procedural requirement is to maintain 280 knots when that speed is reached; an aircraft descending on a mach number is actually increasing airspeed until 280 knots is achieved. Think about it.