Definition
The flight condition that produces the greatest gain in altitude over the shortest horizontal distance, flown at the airspeed known as Vx. It is achieved by the airspeed at which the difference between thrust available and thrust required is greatest.
Plain English
The way of climbing that gets the airplane the highest in the shortest distance across the ground, even though it takes longer to reach a given altitude than a normal climb.
Context Anchor
Seen during short-field takeoff and maximum performance climb discussions, especially when clearing trees, wires, or other obstacles after liftoff.
Derivation
‘Angle’ here refers to the slope of the climb path through the air — how steeply the airplane rises compared to how far it travels forward. ‘Steepest’ means the configuration and speed that make that slope as sharp as possible.
Why Pilots Care
Determines whether the airplane can clear nearby obstacles on a short runway without striking terrain or structures.
Grounding Statement
Picture lifting off from a short runway with trees ahead: the goal is not to cover ground quickly, but to gain height before reaching the trees.
Intuition Check
Do not read “steepest” as simply “pull the nose up as much as possible.” Too much nose-up can slow the airplane too much; the steepest angle of climb comes from flying the correct speed for maximum height gain over distance.
Example Sentence 1
After lift-off from the short field, the pilot held the airplane at the steepest angle of climb until clear of the tree line at the departure end.
Example Sentence 2
Higher density altitude reduced the steepest angle of climb available, requiring a longer ground roll before the airplane could safely depart.