AN EMB120 FLIES AT EXCESSIVE SPD AS IT APCHS EVV; IN; DURING ITS APCH.

Narrative

ON THE FIRST LEG OF THE DAY; THE CAPT INFORMED ME PRIOR TO DEP THAT HE WOULD BEGIN THE DAY AS THE PF AND THAT WE WOULD SWAP DUTIES AT THE OUT-STATIONS. ACCORDING TO THAT SCHEDULE; I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE PNF DURING THE THIRD LEG OF THE DAY AND HAD ALREADY PLACED MYSELF MENTALLY INTO THAT MODE WHEN THE CAPT INFORMED ME DURING THE TKOF/DEP BRIEFING JUST MOMENTS BEFORE TKOF THAT THIS WOULD BE MY LEG TO FLY. FROM THAT MOMENT; I FELT SOMEWHAT BEHIND DURING THE FLT. I AM NEW TO THE COMPANY; HAVE NO PREVIOUS AIRLINE EXPERIENCE; AND AM NOT YET AS FAMILIAR WITH THE RTES AS THE CAPT. ALSO; ON THE PREVIOUS LEG; WHEN I WAS PF; ATC HAD US PERFORM AN ABNORMALLY FAST APCH FOR THEIR SEQUENCING NEEDS. IT WAS SAFE AND WELL WITHIN THE ACFT'S CAPABILITIES; BUT MUCH FASTER THAN I AM ACCUSTOMED TO. DURING THAT THIRD LEG OF THE DAY; ATC BEGAN OUR DSCNT FROM CRUISE ALT RATHER CLOSE TO THE ARPT. I HELD NEARLY 2000 FPM UNTIL A PITCH UP WAS REQUIRED LATER FOR SPD REDUCTION. AS WE DSNDED; RECEIVING VECTORS FOR THE VISUAL APCH; PWR WAS NEARLY FLT IDLE AND AIRSPD WAS KEPT LESS THAN 250 KTS. WE FINALLY RPTED THE CLASS C ARPT IN SIGHT AND WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH APPROX 9 MI FROM THE ARPT. ABOUT THAT TIME; I OVERHEARD ATC TALKING TO ANOTHER APCHING ACFT ABOUT SEQUENCING/SPDS. AND I BELIEVE THIS MAY HAVE ALERTED MY CAPT BECAUSE HE POINTED OUT THAT WE WERE STILL IN NEED OF A SPD REDUCTION PRIOR TO PENETRATING THE '200 KT RESTR' AIRSPACE AROUND THE ARPT. I IMMEDIATELY WENT THE SHORT DISTANCE BACK TO FLT IDLE AND COMMANDED THE AUTOPLT TO PITCH UP SO AS TO SLOW US DOWN. THE AUTOPLT; AS PROGRAMMED; REACTS MORE SLOWLY THAN WHAT A HUMAN WOULD. AND IF I HAD IT TO DO OVER AGAIN; NOT ONLY WOULD I HAVE SLOWED SOONER; I ALSO WOULD HAVE TAKEN OVER MANUALLY TO PITCH UP MORE QUICKLY THEREFORE SLOWING THE ACFT. ATC NEVER QUERIED OUR FLT ABOUT AIRSPD; ETC.