Got the x and y mixed up
Another way to look at it, if you lost power close the the ground what pitch attitude would you rather be in?
Given the reaction time to do something, I'd rather have the 20 knots extra airspeed and be able to nose over in a smooth maneuver than finding myself nose high on the verge of a stall.
It would be interesting to calculate the total energy vs time for a Vx and Vy climb profile to 1000 feet. I suspect the difference is minor. Might make a fun little flying experiment to time the two profiles.
A second consideration is relative risk. Engine failures on climb out are very rare. So are collisions in the traffic pattern. Both have happened in the area I fly in, but collisions are more frequent. On a TB-20 with a long cowling you have a limited forward view in a nose high attitude, so climbing at a lower rate with a lower pitch gives you some safety margin in terms of visibility.
20driver
- We did have a plane loose power on takeoff at a local field. The cause, I was told, was water in the fuel.