One in, one out when IFR.

[fholbert]

This has changed since I was a controller.

It used to be at an uncontrolled airport only one IFR operation was allowed at a time. At a controlled airport the control tower would separate IFR operations.

However now...
When on a IFR flight plan (clear and 20) into a controlled airport I hear ATC tell me and other pilots that it's one at a time. Why can't tower accept some responsibility for arrivals in trail?

Example in the attached file.

Frank Holbert
http://160knots.com

[atcman23]

I'm not aware that it changed.  It depends on what airport you were flying in to, who the nearest primary airport was (if any), and if the tower had radar.

I know when I was in school, at BVI, under IFR conditions, it was one in and one out.  Under VFR, we never had that problem, but then again, we usually never had more than 1 IFR on an approach at a time.  We also had a CTRD as well, which gave us additional options.

The only other thing I could think of, is that the tower did have radar and it was INOP at the time, and then they had to revert to other techniques.

[sykocus]

The radar controller has a separation responsibility between two IFR arrivals. At most airports the tower doesn't/can't take responsibility for that separation, even if they do have a radar display.

It sounds like you were flying into a area where the radar controller didn't have sufficient radar coverage to apply radar separation. Had the first a/c been on an instrument approach there would have been some non-radar separation rules the controller could have applied to get you cleared for an approach and inbound to the airport. However since the first a/c was cleared for a visual there isn't much the controller can do but keep you in radar coverage or 1000' above until the first a/c was reported down at the airport.