E110 FLT CREW VECTORED FOR VISUAL APCH AT PHL EXPRESSED CONCERN REGARDING ATC HANDLING.

Narrative

APPROX 10 NM SSW PHL ARPT; WX RPTED 6 NM VISIBILITY (AS I RECALL) AND EXPECTING ILS RWY 27R AS APCH CTLR HAD TOLD US THAT WE WERE ON VECTORS FOR THAT. TURNED OVER TO FINAL CTLR WHO TOLD NOW TO EXPECT VISUAL TO RWY 35; A MUCH SHORTER (5450 FT) RWY WITH NO ILS. DIRECTED BY APCH CTL TO MAINTAIN 2000 FT/190 KTS AND TO PROCEED DIRECT TO THE RWY. THE ARPT WAS STILL NOT IN SIGHT; NOR HAD I CALLED IT SO. APCH CTL DIRECTED TO 'KEEP THE SPD UP' AS HE WAS WORKING ME INTO THE XING RWY TO RWY 27R WITH TFC ON FINAL. I QUICKLY PROGRAMMED THE FMS FOR GPS RWY 35 AS AN AWARENESS BACKUP. AS I APCHED 6 NM FROM THE ARPT; AT 2000 FT; I STILL COULD NOT SEE THE RWY IN THE HAZE. AS I CONFIGURED FOR LNDG AND BEGAN SLOWING TO 165 KTS THE CTLR AGAIN ADMONISHED TO KEEP THE SPD UP AND CALL RWY IN SIGHT. I KEPT THE SPD AT 160 KTS AND CONFIGURED FOR LNDG WITH FINAL FLAPS. WHEN JUST ABEAM THE FAF I WAS ABLE TO BEGIN TO RESOLVE THE RWY IN THE HAZE AT 6 NM AND CALLED IT. CTLR SAID TO 'KEEP THE SPD UP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE; CLRED FOR VISUAL APCH.' I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT; DSNDED AND TENDED TO KEEP THE SPD HIGHER THAN NORMAL FOR A SHORT TIME WHILE NOT CLARIFYING A MISSED APCH COORD. WE WERE XFERRED TO TWR CTL. AS I RESOLVED THE RWY BETTER AND SLOWED THE ACFT FOR FINAL APCH; IT BECAME APPARENT THAT I WOULD BE SOMEWHAT HIGH; THE FO STATED THAT WE LOOKED HIGH FOR THE APCH. I INCREASED THE DSCNT RATE AND ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS INCREASING DSCNT TEMPORARILY. AS I PASSED 1000 FT AGL I ANNOUNCED 'CORRECTING' BACK TO NORMAL DSCNT RATE. IT WAS APPARENT THAT I WAS STILL SOMEWHAT ABOVE THE DESIRABLE GLIDE PATH AND ALSO HAD NOT DECREASED TO PRESCRIBED APCH SPD. I CALLED OUT AND EXECUTED A 'GAR.' FO CALLED IT ON THE TWR FREQ. THERE ARE MANY STEPS IN THE FULL FLAP GAR AND WHILE DOING THIS THE TWR DID NOT RESPOND TO THE GAR CALL. I DIRECTED FO TO GET A HDG AND ALT DIRECTION FROM TWR FOR THE GO; BUT THE TWR CTLR RESPONDED WITH SOMETHING LIKE; 'WHO IS CALLING FOR GAR?' (I CANNOT REMEMBER THE EXACT RESPONSE; BUT WE WERE NOT GETTING INSTRUCTIONS IN THE RESPONSE.) AS THE FO WAS CONCENTRATING ON TRYING TO RESPOND TO MY GAR CONFIGN CALLOUTS WHILE CONCURRENTLY ATTEMPTING TO GET TWR DIRECTION; I WAS ATTEMPTING TO ACCOMPLISH THE GAR WITHIN PARAMETERS AND AT THE SAME TIME MONITOR THE FO/TWR COM FOR A CLRNC TO FOLLOW. THIS DIVISION OF ATTN CAUSED ME TO COME CLOSE TO FLAP LIMITING SPDS AND SLOWED THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF PROC STEPS IN A TIMELY MANNER. A DIFFERENT CTLR'S VOICE CAME ON AND DIRECTED TO MAINTAIN 2000 FT AND TURN R TO 085 DEGS. I WAS STILL WORKING THROUGH THE STEPS OF FLAP RETRACTION AS WE WERE LEVELING AND TURNING. FROM NOW ON; ALTHOUGH IN SIMULATOR TRAINING I HAD BEEN FLYING GAR'S MANUALLY THROUGH INITIAL LEVELOFF FOR CLEAN-UP; USE OF THE AUTOPLT IS AN AVAILABLE OPTION WHICH I WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AT A MUCH LOWER ALT. I WILL NOW INTEGRATE AN EARLY AUTOPLT ENGAGEMENT INTO MY GAR PLAN TO GAIN THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCE DURING A FAST-PACED SIT (TRAINING IS TYPICALLY DONE AT HIGHER GROSS WTS WHICH HAS THE EFFECT OF SLOWING THE WHOLE PROCESS DOWN). NOW WHEN ISSUED A LATE CLRNC FOR A VISUAL APCH AND I CANNOT SEE THE ARPT; I WILL NOT ACCEPT.