MDT ACFT WITH PF; FO ON HIS FIRST LEG OF IOE; WAS CLRED TO DSND FOR A XING RESTR. DUE TO STRONG TAILWIND AND FO INEXPERIENCE; ACFT WAS STARTED DOWN LATE AND HAD TO MAKE A MAX DSCNT RESULTING IN OVERSHOOT AT LEVELOFF.

Narrative

THIS FLT HAPPENED TO BE AN IOE FLT (FIRST TRIP -- FIRST LEG) IN THIS ACFT FOR THIS FO (PF). AT APPROX 90 NM E OF PMM VOR; ON J547; ZOB ISSUED A CLRNC FOR US TO CROSS 65 NM E OF PMM AT FL310. WE WERE CRUISING AT FL390; WITH A TAILWIND OF 35 KTS; AT .80 MACH (APPROX GND SPD OF 485 KTS). THE FO SELECTED PMM FOR DME AND BEGAN TO FIGURE OUT A DSCNT. THE DSCNT WAS INITIATED AT 78 DME FROM PMM. MAX FORWARD SPD WITH FULL SPD BRAKE EXTENSION WERE REQUIRED TO MAKE THE XING. IN DISCOVERING THAT WE MIGHT NOT MAKE THE RESTR I INFORMED CTR WE MIGHT BE HIGH. CTR RESPONDED 'I GAVE YOU THE CLRNC AT LEAST 10 MI BACK;' (OR SOMETHING VERY CLOSE TO THOSE WORDS); NOTHING MORE. AS WE APCHED FL310 THE FO BEGAN TO LEVEL. HIS UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE ACTUAL ACFT PERFORMANCE AND THE QUICKNESS OF THE EVENTS LED TO AN ALTDEV. LOWEST ALT REACHED WAS FL303 WITH AN IMMEDIATE RECOVERY TO FL310. ATC COULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE MORE CONSIDERATE AND GIVEN US MORE DISTANCE TO MAKE THE DSCNT AND XING RESTR. DSNDING FROM FL390 TO FL310 IN 25 NM WITH A 35 KT TAILWIND; A NEW PLT TO THE ACFT; SLOW REACTING FMS; AUTOFLT SYS (IG); ALL CONTRIBUTED IN MAKING THE XING RESTR DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE. LOOKING BACK; ACCEPTING THE CLRNC UNDER THESE CONDITIONS WAS NOT IN OUR BEST INTEREST. ATC'S LACK OF WILLINGNESS TO AMEND THE CLRNC WHEN INFORMED OF OUR STATUS; OUR EFFORT TO ADHERE TO THE XING RESTR; SLOW RETRACTION OF THE SPD BRAKES (NORMAL SYS OPS FOR THIS ACFT) AT HIGH SPDS; AND FO'S UNFAMILIARITY WITH ACFT PERFORMANCE; ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THE ALTDEV.