Like I said, not the smartest or safest thing to be doing. But let's look again at real world example: Teterboro. Landing on 19. In the grand scheme of things, all you are doing is reducing your threshold crossing height from 50 feet, to something closer to zero. I would much rather explain to an FAA inspector why I touched down just past the displaced threshold, than to an accident investigator, why I ran off the runway (like more than one professional pilot has done at TEB).
In any case, it does not appear to be in violation of the FAR's to cross the threshold at a height less than 50ft. If the AFM numbers say the runway is sufficient, then reducing your threshold crossing height will decrease your actual landing distance. There are some that will argue (I won't) that a steeper approach will yield a shorter landing distance than a shallower one. If you were inclined to fly a steeper angle to the runway, I would guess that you would be talking less than 2 tenths of a degree difference, certainly within the parameters of a "stabilized approach"
Just to be clear, I am not advocating that this is some industry best practice, but I don't think it is reckless or illegal.
Last edited:
