Steep approaches (in VMC) - do you fly them, and why, or why not?

The number 1 mistake is flying too fast. I was really luck that my first instructor was very precise in this matter (“if you can fly 64 knots then why not fly the correct 63 knots?”)…. and I quickly became a fan of trimming airplanes to correct landing speeds. Very soon i found out that all the GA types land very easily if speed control is precise. I remember the first time my magazine sent me to doa Pilot Report of the Mooney (Ovation) and how some people warned me about the landing characteristics. Well, I had absolutely no problem landing Mooneys, actually I find them just as easy to land as a 152, if not easier …

A PITTS is a hard to land airplane (and I never did that) … but the stuff we fly? I think they all land more or less the same. It’s really all about speed control.

I do steep approaches all the time at Andreas. It makes it easy to land exactly on the spot you have chosen. It keeps me in practise doing that if I do it often, which means I’ve a better chance of getting it right should the engine stop at an awkward moment some day, with nothing but small fields to land in.

I also do shallow approaches at times. For example, going into EGNS there is often faster traffic in the vicinity, and I don’t want to be trundling down final at 50 mph and getting in everyone’s way. So for larger airports I’ll tend to fly a fast 3 degree final on the VASI/PAPIs at cruise power. About 200ft AGL I’ll start bringing the power back, and I usually plan to touch down at a point such that I’ll just be done slowing down to taxi speed on the runway as I get to the exit I want, so I can turn immediately off the runway and not occupy it for any longer than necessary.

Accurate speed control is more critical in a single than a twin, and in a propellor as opposed to a jet.

In a prop driven twin, you get large amounts of instant blown lift from a power increase. In a prop single you get a lesser but still significant amount. In both cases, you get instant extra lift from a power increase before you get any increase in IAS.

In a jet, the only way you can increase lift is by increasing the AOA or IAS. Given that you fly approaches close to the back of the drag curve and engines take time to spool and deliver the demanded power, together with the inertia of a larger aircraft, responses to speed trends have to be faster and more positive, and a late blast of power won’t rescue a late high sink rate like it will in a prop.

Not sure I follow that Josh.
You say it’s more critical to get speed right in a single propeller aeroplane than a multi engine jet, but you correctly point out the reasons why speed must be spot on in a jet, due to spool up delays, inertia, etc. Too fast on a short runway can go badly in a small jet too.

A SEP will slow down or speed up very quickly if you get it wrong.

Can a French speaker translate the dialog on that video?

Judging from the one guy’s frantic, repeated manipulation of the propeller, he is really rattled.

If you are still interested, here is an attempt at a transcript.

Gear horn blaring too loud to hear the initial conversation
P2: Didn’t you lower the gear?
P1: Hell, I was thinking like “we are too fast, we are too fast”
P1: oh, damn it!
P1: oh, yeah
P2: We were so preoccupied with the preceding aircraft
P1: yeah, yeah
P2: and I did not see anything smoking either
P1: I was thinking like “we’re really fast”
P1: Well, this is not a good situation.
P2: No
? God damn

I think we got most of it… But I am sure it was fun to try.

The risk of an engine failure on final is completely negligible compared to the rest of the flight and can be disregarded compared to other risks with landing.

There is a risk that rapid reduction of power can lead to a stuck valve in Lycoming engines.