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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Know your rotation speed
A typical trainer rotates in the mid-50s of knots - a 172 at around 55 KIAS, climbing out at a Vy in the low 70s, though check your own POH rather than memorising Cessna's numbers - and the transferable rule is that Vr sits just above the stall speed in takeoff configuration. Rotate early because "it felt ready" and the aircraft lifts off inside ground effect, where induced drag is reduced, then climbs out of it into more drag. On a marginal-performance day the result is an aircraft that lifts off and then refuses to climb, sagging back towards the runway.
Read more in Improve Your Take-OffsStart to finish · 22 stages, 20 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: 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 1,687 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,687 m of the 3,100 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 452 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight began with the Airbus A320 taxiing from the parking area to the runway at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Peru. This process took 14 minutes and covered a distance of 3 nautical miles. The aircraft then departed from runway 16, with a takeoff distance of 32 meters, which was 1% of the runway length. The liftoff speed was 186 knots.
As the aircraft climbed to a higher altitude, it encountered local weather conditions of 25 degrees Celsius and winds of 8 knots at 20 degrees. The crosswind was 6 knots, while the tailwind was 5 knots. The enroute climb started overhead Carmen De La Legua Reynoso, where the aircraft climbed from 1,171 feet above sea level to 36,462 feet above sea level, an increase of 35,291 feet in 25 minutes, covering a distance of 127 nautical miles.
The enroute level cruise began 2 miles northwest of Rondos, Peru, and lasted for 162 minutes, covering a distance of 1,210 nautical miles. The aircraft then started another enroute climb 20 miles southeast of Macana Airport in Venezuela, where it climbed from 36,982 feet above sea level to 38,556 feet above sea level, an increase of 1,575 feet in 2 minutes, covering a distance of 13 nautical miles.
The enroute level cruise started 18 miles east of Macana Airport and lasted for 57 minutes, covering a distance of 449 nautical miles. As the aircraft continued its journey, it started an enroute descent 90 miles southwest of Mona Airport in Puerto Rico, where it descended from 38,363 feet above sea level to 5,140 feet above sea level, a decrease of 33,223 feet in 21 minutes, covering a distance of 103 nautical miles.
The enroute level cruise started 4 miles northeast of Boca de Yuma, Dominican Republic, and lasted for 2 minutes, covering a distance of 4 nautical miles. The aircraft then started another enroute descent 7 miles east of Baigua Airport, where it descended from 4,828 feet above sea level to 1,473 feet above sea level, a decrease of 3,356 feet in 2 minutes, covering a distance of 6 nautical miles.
The final approach to runway 08 at Punta Cana International Airport was made from the west, with a heading of 74.0 degrees at 4 nautical miles and 1,387 feet above ground level. The landing on runway 08 was successful, with a touchdown distance of 448 meters and a touchdown speed of 134 knots, which was slightly above the target speed. The touchdown rate was smooth at -112 feet per minute, and the runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned by 4.8 meters from the centerline.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were 25 degrees Celsius and winds of 8 knots at 20 degrees, with a crosswind of 6 knots and a headwind of 5 knots. The total landing distance was 1,601 meters, which was 52% of the runway length. The runway rollout alignment was very good.
After landing, the aircraft taxiied to the parking area from the runway, taking 5 minutes and covering a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 1,924 nautical miles, taking a total of 290 minutes, and the aircraft used 11,318 kilograms of fuel during the flight.
The Airbus A320 successfully landed at MDPC Punta Cana International Airport, achieving a high score of 98.1%. The aircraft approached the runway from the west, heading 74.0° at a distance of 4 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,387 feet above ground level (agl). The final approach was executed with precision, and the aircraft landed safely on runway 08, which has a length of 3,100 meters.
The threshold height was good, indicating that the aircraft was at the correct altitude as it approached the runway. However, the threshold speed was slightly above the target speed of 142 kt, which is a minor deviation. The touchdown distance of 448 meters was within the acceptable range, demonstrating the pilot's skill in controlling the aircraft's descent.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft's speed was 134 kt, which is a little fast. Nevertheless, the touchdown rate was smooth at -112 feet per minute (fpm), indicating that the aircraft's descent was well-controlled. The runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned by 4.8 meters from the centerline, which is a minor deviation.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were favorable, with a temperature of 25°C and a wind speed of 8 kt at 20°. The crosswind component was 6 kt, while the headwind component was 5 kt. These conditions did not significantly impact the landing, and the aircraft's performance was satisfactory.
The total landing distance was 1,601 meters, which is 52% of the runway length. This is a reasonable distance, considering the aircraft's size and weight. The runway rollout alignment was very good, indicating that the pilot maintained control of the aircraft during the rollout phase.
Overall, the landing was successful, and the pilot demonstrated good skills and judgment in executing the approach and landing. The minor deviations in threshold speed and touchdown speed did not significantly impact the outcome, and the aircraft landed safely on the runway.
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