Abstract: An air bearing slider for a magnetic head is defined by a leading edge and a trailing edge and has a central longitudinal axis extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge. A pair of side pads, and a center pad between the side pads that is disposed substantially on the center axis, are formed on the air bearing surface of the slider. A first central recess having a T-shaped configuration is etched to a first depth, preferably in the range of 5-30 micro-inches with reference to the air bearing surface. A second major recess portion is etched to a second depth in the range of 60-150 micro-inches. The air bearing surface is configured for high load applications and maintains a flat flying height profile. The configured slider is particularly useful with small size sliders, such as picosliders.