Too high/fast on final

[Piotr]

I have just went in B737-800 to Palm Springs Int. The end was, maybe not embarrassing, but definitively not as smooth as I'd like. I was arriving to PSP on V137. Because of the mountains I've entered the valley at about 10'000 feet. I asked for visual approach and vectors for descent. Controller basically made me fly around the valley, I ended at sth like distant base for 13R at 5'000 (close to end of the valley) and cleared for visual app. I was at my maximum-drag configuration- full flight spoilers, gear down, flaps in amber bar for current speed. I should have slowed down by this point to circa 150knots and I'd probably make a nice approach. But I didn't . I was at about 180knots and I was unable to descent for landing at approach speed (or reaching approach speed on short final). I figured if I made a circle over the airport and go back to final for 13R I'll be good with speed. Apparently I've been using some made-up phraseology as I had problems with communicating my intentions to controller at this point. I asked for sth like 'visual circle over the airport', which was not understood, then I precised that I want to do a "visual circle over the airport and go back for 13R', which still was apparently understandable only for me. At this point it stroked me that this essentially is a traffic pattern so asked for 'missed app and entering left traffic for 13R', for which I was cleared and finally landed fine.

So the question is what should I have done/said to communicate my intentions clearly. After this experience I'd say that it would be saying that i want to enter departure leg for left traffic at TPA. Right?

Could I have also asked for a 360deg turn while being too high on final?

[Keith Smith]

The visual approach doesn't preclude you from making s-turns on final. If you point the nose at the runway and you have max drag and the speed isn't where you want it to be, then that's the speed you're going to arrive at unless you change something. You could level out, slow it down and then increase the descent gradient, or you could fly a longer path to the airport. A couple of s-turns would do it, or you could ask for a 360 if you're WAY high.

Regarding the phraseology for being high over the airport, a "visual circle over the airport" doesn't mean much, as you found out. Much better to say, "we're too high, going around request left/right traffic." There is no 'missed approach' on the visual, so it's more accurate to say you're going around.