Some of these threads do get rather interesting ...
A320 carriers documents take air distance as 1500ft or 7sec to touchdown from threshold
Right or wrong, my line observations are that 1500 ft (or a tad less) is a pretty typical "good" distance to touch. My main concern with trying to make the geometry too simple is that we start to neglect the realities of the landing flare. If the aiming point is whatever, then the touchdown has to be further in unless we are talking tailhook operations. The skilled operator can flare the aircraft on with minimal distance lost- most of us can only aspire to that level of judgement except on the occasional landing where it all comes together, usually quite independent of pilot finesse.
The two main hazards with which we must contend are landing in the dirt (I've only done that once as a relative newchum on a light aircraft - my introduction to night ops when a good fog rolls in unexpectedly) or really mishandling the flare and floating and floating where the discipline to call the miss is critical (lots of time on the 722 tended to cure that float problem fairly quickly). Unless the pilot is faced with minimal distance pad, for whatever reason, I see little point in exposing the operation to these hazards as a routine protocol.
but the FAA appears to allow this, EASA not so.
I suspect that I prefer EASA's thinking.
If the FAA requires 50ft TCH then this implies a steeper approach; what approach guidance is required, stabilised approach, etc.
Indeed. If an assumption can be made that tight runways generally are going to be shorter and less well equipped facilities, this just flies in the face of all the wisdom inherent in repetitive stabilised approaches ?
is the reduced air distance taken as a performance improvement.
This is another nail in the coffin. Providing that we can address the float/miss consideration satisfactorily, we are juggling nickels and dimes while walking blindfolded through quicksand grounds. Why expose the operation to a variable increased risk scenario for scant reward in the overall scheme of things ?
all contributing data will be available and accurate, and well judged.
Except on those occasions when it's not ....
As always, the aim is to hit the runway and nothing else.