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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Shorten the long landing
Every knot above Vref is stored kinetic energy, and energy stored at the threshold must be dissipated in ground effect before the aeroplane will stop flying. Because kinetic energy scales with the square of speed, the excess you must dissipate grows fast. At a 45-knot approach, five knots hot is over a tenth more speed and roughly a quarter more energy to get rid of in ground effect. This is why the fix is never in the flare. It was decided three miles earlier, on final, at the airspeed indicator.
Read more in Bush Flying 101Start to finish · 33 stages, 32 scored
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Two stabilised approach gates, each with six checks at 1,000 ft and 500 ft above the runway.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,524 m of the 1,654 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
Touched down 629 m past the threshold — beyond the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight in question was conducted using the VL-3 915 aircraft, departing from runway 32 at the Rogue Valley International Medford Airport (KMFR) in Medford, Oregon, United States. The takeoff distance was 210 meters, which accounted for 8% of the runway. The aircraft lifted off at a speed of 74 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 2 knots from a direction of 269 degrees. This resulted in a crosswind of 2 knots and a headwind of 1 knot.
After departing from KMFR, the aircraft began its enroute climb, starting 1 mile north of the airport and climbing to an altitude of 6,753 feet above sea level (asl). This climb phase covered a distance of 13 nautical miles and took 6 minutes to complete. The aircraft then began its descent, starting overhead the Mucky Flat Airport (89OR) in Eagle Point, Oregon, and descending to an altitude of 2,064 ft asl. This descent phase covered a distance of 10 nautical miles and took 5 minutes to complete.
The flight continued with multiple enroute climbs and descents, with the aircraft reaching altitudes of up to 10,393 ft asl and covering distances of up to 13 nautical miles. The flight also included several level cruise phases, lasting between 2 and 6 minutes, and covering distances of up to 4 nautical miles.
The final approach to runway 07 at the Christmas Valley Airport (62S) was conducted from the west, with the aircraft heading 85.0 degrees and flying at an altitude of 619 feet above ground level (agl). The landing was made on runway 07, which had a length of 1,654 meters. The touchdown point was 221 meters beyond the touchdown zone, and the touchdown speed was 69 knots, which was considered excessively fast.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 2 knots from a direction of 269 degrees. This resulted in a crosswind of 0 knots and a tailwind of 2 knots.
The total landing distance was 1,032 meters, which accounted for 62% of the runway. The runway rollout alignment was very good, and the taxiing to the parking from the runway took less than 1 minute and covered less than 1 nautical mile.
The total flight distance was 130 nautical miles, and the flight took 58 minutes to complete. The aircraft used 19 kilograms of fuel during the flight.
The aircraft, VL-3 915, successfully landed at 62S Christmas Valley, but with some notable areas for improvement. The final approach was initiated from the west, heading 85.0° at 4 nautical miles and 619 feet above ground level (agl). The aircraft touched down on runway 07, which has a length of 1,654 meters.
Upon review, it appears that the threshold speed was excessively high at 85 knots, indicating that the pilot may have been able to slow down more efficiently before touchdown. Additionally, the touchdown speed of 69 knots was also excessively fast, suggesting that the pilot may have been able to flare the aircraft more effectively to reduce the rate of descent.
Despite these issues, the touchdown rate was excellent at -84 feet per minute (fpm), indicating that the pilot was able to control the aircraft's descent effectively. However, the touchdown point was 221 meters beyond the touchdown zone, which may have been due to the slightly misaligned runway touchdown position, being 4.5 meters off-centerline.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were relatively calm, with a temperature of 15°C and a wind speed of 2 knots from 269°. This resulted in a negligible crosswind and a slight tailwind of 2 knots. The total landing distance was 1,032 meters, which is 62% of the runway length.
In terms of rollout alignment, the aircraft performed very well, with a good alignment on the runway. Overall, while the landing was successful, there are areas for improvement in terms of speed management and touchdown point accuracy.
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