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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 · 25 stages, 23 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 5,000 ft of the approach.
Plan view — the first 5,000 ft of the 10,989 ft runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 391 ft touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight began with a taxiing period from the parking to the runway, which took 10 minutes and covered a distance of 1 nautical mile. The aircraft, a TBM 930, then departed from runway 23 at KSBX Shelby Airport in Shelby, Montana. The takeoff distance was 1,102 meters, which was 72% of the runway length. The liftoff speed was 117 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of departure were a temperature of 10°C, with a wind speed of 12 knots at 159°. The crosswind component was 12 knots, while the headwind component was 1 knot. The aircraft began its enroute climb overhead KSBX Shelby Airport, rising from 3,469 feet above sea level to 5,801 feet in 3 minutes, covering a distance of 9 nautical miles.
The enroute level cruise started 4 miles south of 06MT Torgerson Airport, lasting 6 minutes and covering 26 nautical miles. The aircraft then began another enroute climb, this time from 5,540 feet to 7,855 feet in 4 minutes, covering 16 nautical miles. The climb was followed by a level cruise, which lasted 2 minutes and covered 8 nautical miles.
The aircraft continued to climb, rising from 8,265 feet to 9,018 feet in 2 minutes, covering 8 nautical miles. Another level cruise followed, lasting 2 minutes and covering 8 nautical miles. The enroute descent started 14 miles northeast of 53U Ferndale Airfield, with the aircraft descending from 9,154 feet to 7,001 feet in 4 minutes, covering 17 nautical miles.
The enroute level cruise resumed 2 miles east of 2MT2 Braidwater Farm Airport, lasting 15 minutes and covering 61 nautical miles. The aircraft then began another enroute climb, rising from 6,620 feet to 7,254 feet in 2 minutes, covering 8 nautical miles. A level cruise followed, lasting 6 minutes and covering 25 nautical miles.
The enroute descent started 10 miles east of Hayden Lake, with the aircraft descending from 7,260 feet to 6,451 feet in 2 minutes, covering 8 nautical miles. Another level cruise followed, lasting 4 minutes and covering 17 nautical miles. The enroute descent started 1 mile southwest of Liberty Lake, with the aircraft descending from 6,063 feet to 3,206 feet in 5 minutes, covering 14 nautical miles.
The final approach to runway 21 at KGEG Spokane International Airport was made from the northeast, with the aircraft heading 222.0° at 2 nautical miles and 821 feet above ground level. The landing was made on runway 21, which was 3,349 meters long. The threshold height was good, but the threshold speed was a little below target at 76 knots.
The touchdown distance was good at 113 meters, but the touchdown speed was a little fast at 78 knots. The touchdown rate was fair at -240 feet per minute. The runway touchdown position was misaligned by 10.8 meters from the centerline. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were a temperature of 4°C, with a wind speed of 8 knots at 219°. The crosswind component was 1 knot, while the headwind component was 8 knots.
The total landing distance was 1,251 meters, which was 37% of the runway length. The runway rollout alignment was misaligned by 20.1 meters from the centerline. The taxiing period from the runway to the parking took 4 minutes and covered less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 232
The TBM 930 aircraft successfully landed at KGEG Spokane International Airport, achieving a score of 91.3%. The final approach was initiated from the north-east, heading 222.0° at 2 nautical miles and 821 feet above ground level (agl). The aircraft successfully touched down on runway 21, which has a length of 3,349 meters.
The threshold height was satisfactory, but the threshold speed was slightly below the target at 76 knots. However, the touchdown distance was good at 113 meters, indicating a smooth and controlled descent. The touchdown speed of 78 knots was a little fast, but the touchdown rate of -240 feet per minute (fpm) was fair, suggesting a relatively gentle impact.
Despite the successful touchdown, the runway touchdown position was misaligned by 10.8 meters from the centreline. This may have been due to factors such as crosswind or pilot error. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 4°C and a wind speed of 8 knots from 219°. The crosswind component was minimal at 1 knot, while the headwind component was 8 knots, which may have contributed to the slight misalignment.
The total landing distance was 1,251 meters, which is 37% of the runway length. This is a relatively short landing distance, indicating a well-executed approach and touchdown. However, the runway rollout alignment was misaligned by 20.1 meters from the centreline, which may have been due to the same factors that contributed to the initial touchdown misalignment.
Overall, the landing was successful, but there were some minor issues with alignment and speed. The pilot's skills and experience were likely sufficient to handle the conditions, but there may be opportunities for improvement in terms of precision and control.
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