ZOB CTLR QUESTIONS E145 FLC FOR 'SLOW FLT.'

Narrative

WE WERE FLYING AT FL200 AT AN INDICATED AIRSPD OF 250 KTS. WE HAD BEEN IN CRUISE FLT FOR SOME TIME AFTER DEPARTING BUF ENRTE TO CLE. ABOUT HALFWAY BTWN JHW VOR AND CXR VOR; WE WERE ASKED TO SAY SPD BY THE CTR CTLR. WE INFORMED HIM 'WE WERE INDICATING 250 KTS. WHAT SPD DID WE NEED.' HE INFORMED US HE NEEDED 300 KTS; WHICH WE IMMEDIATELY ACCELERATED TO. HE THEN ASKED US WHY WE WERE GOING SO SLOW. I TOLD HIM WE HAD NO REASON. HE THEN INFORMED US THAT HE THOUGHT WE WERE A TURBOPROP! HE ALSO SAID THAT THERE WAS AN FAR THAT REQUIRES US TO NOTIFY HIM IF WE WERE FLYING SLOW. I ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE WAS RIGHT THAT IS AN FAR. WE DID FORGET TO INFORM HIM THAT WE WERE NOT FLYING AT OUR REDLINE SPD WHICH I FEEL HE WAS EXPECTING US TO FLY AT BUT AT A MUCH SLOWER SPD. WE WERE IN HIS SECTOR FOR SOME TIME BUT HE DIDN'T ONCE ASK US OUR SPD UNTIL IT POSSIBLY CAUSED A CONFLICT WITH A FASTER ACFT BEHIND US. I FEEL ALTHOUGH WE DID NOT RPT OUR SLOW SPD WHICH IS THE PRIMARY FACTOR IN THIS RPT; HE ASSUMED WE WOULD FLY AS FAST AS WE COULD. ALSO OUR DISPATCH FILED US AT OUR REDLINE AIRSPD WHICH IS NOT EASY TO MAINTAIN BECAUSE OF THE OVERSPD PROTECTION AND LACK OF AUTOTHROTTLES IN THE PLANE.