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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 · 13 stages, 11 scored
Events
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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: five checks where the approach path is 500 ft above the runway. The 1,000 ft gate was not assessed, because the approach did not join final that far out.
Side view — the last 1,464 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 1,464 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 381 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight began with a departure roll from runway 29 at KSBP San Luis County Regional Airport. The DA40-XLS aircraft accelerated down the runway, reaching a liftoff speed of 55 kt and covering a takeoff distance of 271 m, which accounted for 18% of the runway length. The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 14 °C and a wind speed of 8 kt from a direction of 289 °, resulting in a 2 kt crosswind and an 8 kt headwind.
As the aircraft climbed away from the airport, it began its enroute climb, ascending from an initial altitude of 770 ft above sea level to a height of 1,350 ft, an increase of 580 ft over a distance of 1 nm in just 1 minute. This rapid ascent was followed by a brief enroute level cruise, which lasted for 3 minutes and covered a distance of 2 nm, with the aircraft flying 1 mile southwest of KSBP San Luis County Regional Airport.
The final approach to runway 29 was initiated from a position 1 nm southeast of the airport, with the aircraft heading 302.0 ° and flying at an altitude of 624 ft above ground level. The landing was executed with a threshold speed that was slightly below the target speed of 62 kt, and the touchdown distance was good at 378 m. The touchdown speed was also within acceptable limits at 54 kt, but the touchdown rate was fair at -252 fpm.
The landing was completed on runway 29, which had a length of 1,464 m. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were similar to those at departure, with a temperature of 14 °C and a wind speed of 9 kt from a direction of 290 °, resulting in a 2 kt crosswind and a 9 kt headwind. The runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned from the centreline by 5.6 m. The total landing distance was 492 m, accounting for 34% of the runway length, and the runway rollout alignment was very good.
The total flight distance was 6 nm, and the flight duration was 7 minutes. The aircraft used a total of 3 kg of fuel during the flight.
The DA40-XLS aircraft successfully landed at KSBP San Luis County Regional Airport, achieving a score of 93.1%. The final approach was conducted from the southeast, heading 302.0° at 1 nautical mile and 624 feet above ground level (agl). The aircraft touched down on runway 29, which has a length of 1,464 meters.
The threshold height was satisfactory, but the threshold speed was slightly below the target at 62 knots. However, the touchdown distance of 378 meters was considered good, and the touchdown speed of 54 knots was also within acceptable limits. The touchdown rate of -252 feet per minute (fpm) was fair, indicating a slightly steeper descent than desired.
The runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned from the centerline by 5.6 meters, which may require some adjustments in the approach or landing technique. The local weather conditions at the time of landing included a temperature of 14°C, with a wind speed of 9 knots from 290°. The crosswind component was minimal at 2 knots, while the headwind component was 9 knots, which likely contributed to the slightly below-target threshold speed.
The total landing distance of 492 meters was 34% of the runway length, indicating a relatively short landing roll. The runway rollout alignment was very good, suggesting that the pilot maintained control and alignment during the landing roll. Overall, the landing was considered successful, with some minor areas for improvement.
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