In a message to Jim Sanders  Wr Michelson wrote:
 WM> am able to shed a bit of light on this one.  It is common practice in
 WM> the US for big airport towers to issue a landing clearance to a
 WM> flight that may be 4 miles or so back, with a plane still not clear
 WM> of the runway or even with one still over the approach lights.
Mitch.  I'm certainly no authority, but I believe the rational I have heard 
is "the avionics, aircraft, and pilots are better" and therefore they can 
conduct operations on intersecting runways and clear two airborne planes to 
land on the same runway.  Actions that would have given controller of the 
past nightmares.  --  I don't agree with any of it, but the FAA has yet to 
ask me anything except for one time when I was standing near an exit at 
quitting time and one of them asked if I wanted to move or get run over.      
                                 Best regards, ... Bob
.
... Some days you're the windshield and some days you're the bug :-)
--- QuickBBS 2.81 Ovr
---------------