chuks;
It is just that, as you are no doubt aware, a student pilot should be taught about a lot more than just keeping the airspeed above a certain critical value so that one really cannot say that "Airspeed is Everything," and leave it at that.
I make the assumption here that I am writing to colleagues - to professionals who have an overall comprehension of aviation if they indicate they are licensed, and if licensed in the airline/heavy transport industry I assume experience in doing the work. I read in your bio that you had an ATPL so presumed that you would understand what is meant by the phrase I used and the way I used it.
Clearly, there is a wide variety of skills involved in flying an airplane, but it is a fundamental principle as you know, that keeping one's airspeed on the right side of the ledger is key to everything else, but that such primaries do not sacrifice everything else that one does to keep an airplane aloft and safe.
It is from that POV that I make the observation that for a professional crew to permit airspeed of an airliner to drop below Vref under any circumstances other than complete incapacitation or hijack, and down to near the 80kt range (I am led to believe), is, to put it mildly, something to examine and discover why.
I think the points you make in your response are really worth making - I have had the same experience - the 320, 330 and 340 all "sit on Vapp (Vref+5) and its a natural reaction when the airspeed is "right on bug" to wonder about the margin but your assessment is spot on. That said, at the risk of a bit of drift, I wouldn't hang on the bug in turbulent weather or with a tailwind in a 320 or 321 - its a recipe for a hard landing or a tailstrike, interestingly - it's in the data, but given your remarks I suspect you know this. Thanks for the comeback.
PJ2