Do restrict your altitude to the MEAs enroute too? The stepdowns depict the
minimum altitudes for each segment of the approach. There is nothing regulatory
about flying at those minimums. What you are advocating is what others have
called 'dive and drive', ie decending quickly at each crossing then leveling at
the mda for that segment until hitting the next stepdown fix. This certainly
does increase the workload (you have less time to react to the altitude if it is
decreasing at 1000 fpm instead of 3-500 fpm), as well as the consequences for
being a little bit behind the airplane. It also gives you fewer options
(altitude) should the engine start coughing. Just from the ergonomics
standpoint, it is more stressful to you and your passengers, not to mention to
the engine (shock cooling) and airframe. Most of the time, you've got plenty of
room between the fixes to do a gentle descent and still get you at the final MDA
in plenty of time to find the airport.




--
--Ray Andraka, P.E.
President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc.
401/884-7930 Fax 401/884-7950
email
http://www.andraka.com

"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin, 1759