Crossing a stepdown fix high

"David Brooks" writes:

Is there any problem with controllers or examiners if I cross a stepdown fix
several hundred feet above the depicted altitude? I believe that, legally,
I can be at any altitude above the crossing minimum, but would this be a
bust of the PTS +/-100 tolerance, or cause a problem for ATC?

There's an interesting article from a 1998 Transport Canada newsletter
called "CFIT - Why are aircraft flying at minimum IFR altitudes?":

http://www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/an...rna/new198.htm

One of the major recommendations is that the only time a pilot should
fly at (rather than above) a minimum IFR altitude is MDA when weather
conditions require; otherwise, leave a healthy safety margin. Of
course, you'll have a hard time convincing a flight test examiner of
this, but in real life, it makes sense to me -- my plane is a lot
slower and can descend at a lot steeper angle than a big airliner, so
I don't need a long, shallow approach slope anyway.

Besides, ATC doesn't always know what approach you're flying anyway.
Are you on the ILS 25, the LOC 25, the LOC/DME 25, the NDB 25, the
NDB/DME 25, or the GPS 25? In my (so-far limited) experience,
sometimes they mention a specific approach and sometimes they do not.


All the best,


David