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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Avoid steep turns at low altitude
Below a thousand feet the aeroplane is slow, heavy and close to the ground. A steep turn loses lift, raises the stall speed and flattens the climb just when the gradient matters most. A normal turn on course is a rate one — fifteen degrees or so, twenty-five at the outside, this penalty is to acknowledge when a turn has stopped being a turn and become a manoeuvre.
Read more in Improve Your Take-OffsStart to finish · 16 stages, 14 scored
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The threshold, the flare and the hold-off. The approach that led to it is the stabilisation gates below.
One stabilised approach gate: seven checks where the approach path is 300 ft above the runway. The 1,000 ft gate was not assessed, because the approach did not join final that far out.
At the 300 ft gate: off the centreline and wings not level.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,524 m of the 1,672 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 249 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight began with taxiing from the parking area to the runway, which took 8 minutes and covered a distance of 2 nautical miles. The aircraft, a Kodiak 100, then departed from runway 32 at Grayling Army Air Field (KGOV), with a takeoff distance of 251 meters, which was 16% of the runway length. The liftoff speed was 76 knots.
As the aircraft climbed out of Grayling Army Air Field, it encountered local weather conditions of 18°C temperature and a 3-knot wind at 224°. The crosswind was 3 knots, and the headwind was 0 knots. The enroute climb started overhead the airfield, with the aircraft ascending from 1,725 feet above sea level to 9,735 feet above sea level, an increase of 8,009 feet in 8 minutes, covering a distance of 19 nautical miles.
After reaching the desired altitude, the aircraft entered a level cruise, starting 5 miles southeast of South Boardman, Michigan. This phase of the flight lasted 51 minutes, covering a distance of 31 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its descent, starting 7 miles southeast of Thompsonville Airport (7Y2), descending from 9,476 feet above sea level to 1,544 feet above sea level, a decrease of 7,932 feet in 7 minutes, covering a distance of 17 nautical miles.
The aircraft then entered another level cruise, starting 1 mile north of Manistee County Blacker Airport (KMBL), lasting 2 minutes and covering 2 nautical miles. The final approach to runway 10 at KMBL was made from the west, with a heading of 90.0° at 0 nautical miles and 199 feet above ground level.
The landing on runway 10 at KMBL was successful, with a touchdown distance of 248 meters, which was good. The touchdown speed was 63 knots, which was a little fast, but the touchdown rate was smooth at -119 feet per minute. The runway touchdown alignment was very good, and the local weather conditions were 19°C temperature and a 3-knot wind at 225°, with a 2-knot crosswind and a 2-knot tailwind.
The total landing distance was 881 meters, which was 53% of the runway length. The runway rollout alignment was also very good. After landing, the aircraft taxied to the parking area, which took 2 minutes and covered less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 73 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 32 minutes, using a total of -244 kilograms of fuel.
The aircraft in question, a Kodiak 100, successfully landed at Manistee County Blacker Airport (KMBL) with a score of 98.7%. The final approach to runway 10 was initiated from the west, heading 90.0° at an altitude of 199 feet above ground level (agl) and 0 nautical miles from the runway.
Upon landing, the aircraft demonstrated good threshold height, indicating a smooth and controlled descent. The threshold speed of 71 knots was also satisfactory, suggesting that the pilot maintained a stable approach speed. The touchdown distance of 248 meters was within acceptable limits, further indicating a well-executed landing.
However, the touchdown speed of 63 knots was slightly faster than desired, which may have resulted from a slight overcorrection or a brief loss of control during the final stages of the approach. Despite this, the touchdown rate of -119 feet per minute (fpm) was smooth, indicating that the pilot was able to maintain control and stability during the landing.
The runway touchdown alignment was very good, suggesting that the pilot maintained a stable and aligned approach to the runway. The local weather conditions, with a temperature of 19°C and a wind speed of 3 knots at 225°, were relatively calm, with a minimal crosswind and tailwind component of 2 knots each.
The total landing distance of 881 meters was 53% of the runway length, which is within acceptable limits. The runway rollout alignment was also very good, indicating that the pilot maintained control and stability during the rollout phase of the landing.
Overall, the landing was successful, with the pilot demonstrating good control and stability throughout the approach, touchdown, and rollout phases. However, the slightly fast touchdown speed and minor deviations from ideal performance suggest areas for improvement in future landings.
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