Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 35; Flight Crew Total 6626; Flight Crew Type 1100
Time Pressure; Workload
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure
This STAR is notorious for the multiple step-down altitude assignments given by ATC after crossing PIRYT at FL240 inbound to SBA; but today took the cake. Today I was assigned EIGHT step-down altitudes between PIRYT and KWANG; a distance of only 37 miles. Specifically; after crossing PIRYT at FL240 I was assigned FL210; then FL200; then FL180; then 17;000; then 15;000; then 13;000; then 11;000; then 9;000; before finally being handed off to Santa Barbara TRACON (who immediately issued 2;000). This was all in the space of about 10 minutes. It is already challenging enough to have to cross PIRYT at FL240 and make SBA; so one is compelled to use a high rate of descent. When issued these multiple individual step-downs; it is maddening because it seems you get each one only after leveling at the previous one; necessitating autopilot mode changes every time and providing a real rocking horse of a descent for passengers. If you as a pilot try to mitigate this by using a lower rate of descent; and try to guess how many step-downs you'll get; you end up so high over KWANG as to make normal descent into SBA difficult or impossible. (The only crossing altitude on the STAR is FL240 at PIRYT.) Arrival is a busy enough time with all the other required tasks; so injecting EIGHT separate altitude assignments in so short a distance/time really is asking for task overload; especially for single-pilot operators like myself. This can't be much fun for ATC; either; so whatever is compelling ATC to have to resort to this needs to be looked at. Again; this rapid-fire multi-assigned altitude dance seems to be the norm for this STAR; this was just the worst one I have seen yet and it prompted me to file this report. The whole purpose of these RNAV STAR procedures is to eliminate the need for this kind of thing. They're supposed to decrease the burden on both ATC and the pilot; but this one has done the opposite.
Single pilot reported ATC assigns multiple step-down altitudes in a short time and distance on the PITBL STAR.