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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Shorten the long landing
Ground effect becomes significant below about one wingspan of height. A Cessna 172, with a 36 ft span, enters ground effect at flare height - the float it feels in the hold-off is ground effect arriving on cue. An A320, with a span around 117 ft, has been in ground effect since before the threshold and there is no sudden cushion to feel, only a gradual reduction in induced drag that lengthens any float you allow.
Read more in Flare TimingStart to finish · 20 stages, 18 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 610 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 610 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 280 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 34 at KLXV Lake County Airport, a Cessna C172 aircraft taking to the skies. The takeoff distance covered 1,318 meters, which was 68% of the runway length. The aircraft lifted off at a speed of 67 knots, and the local weather conditions at the time were a temperature of -1°C and a wind speed of 2 knots at 229°.
As the aircraft climbed to cruising altitude, it first leveled off 1 mile west of Leadville, Colorado, and remained at that altitude for 1 minute, covering a distance of 1 nautical mile. The aircraft then began its enroute climb, ascending from 10,704 feet above sea level to 13,236 feet above sea level, an increase of 2,532 feet in just 4 minutes, while covering 6 nautical miles.
The aircraft then leveled off again, this time 6 miles northeast of Leadville, and remained at that altitude for 48 minutes, covering a distance of 88 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its enroute descent, descending from 13,734 feet above sea level to 7,400 feet above sea level, a decrease of 6,334 feet in just 7 minutes, while covering 15 nautical miles.
The aircraft then leveled off once more, this time 1 mile west of the Owl Canyon Gliderport in Wellington, Colorado, and remained at that altitude for 7 minutes, covering a distance of 1 nautical mile. The final approach to runway 01L at the Owl Canyon Gliderport was made from the southwest, heading at 22.0°, and the aircraft landed at an altitude of 381 feet above ground level.
The first landing on runway 01L was made with a threshold height that was excessively over target, but the threshold speed was slightly below target at 63 knots. The second landing was made with a good threshold height, but the threshold speed was slightly above target at 74 knots. The third landing was also made with a good threshold height, but the threshold speed was a little below target at 61 knots.
The touchdown distance was good at 279 meters, and the touchdown speed was also good at 50 knots. The touchdown rate was good at -179 feet per minute, and the runway touchdown alignment was very good. The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were a temperature of 6°C and a wind speed of 9 knots at 339°.
The total landing distance was 517 meters, which was 85% of the runway length. The runway rollout alignment was slightly misaligned by 13.9 meters from the centerline. The total flight distance was 119 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 78 minutes. The aircraft used 29 kilograms of fuel during the flight.
The Cessna C172 aircraft successfully landed at the Owl Canyon Gliderport, with a score of 72.2%. The final approach was initiated from the southwest, heading 22.0° at 1 nm and 381 ft above ground level (agl). The aircraft was on a steady course, with a good visual reference to the runway.
Upon landing, the pilot achieved a good threshold height, but the threshold speed was slightly below target at 63 kn. However, this was not a significant issue, as the pilot was able to recover and make adjustments for the subsequent landings. The second and third landings also showed good threshold heights, but the threshold speeds were slightly above and below target, respectively.
The touchdown distance was good at 279 m, and the touchdown speed of 50 kn was also within the acceptable range. The touchdown rate of -179 fpm was good, indicating a smooth and controlled descent. The runway touchdown alignment was very good, indicating that the pilot had a good visual reference to the runway and was able to align the aircraft properly.
The local weather conditions were moderate, with a temperature of 6 °C and a wind speed of 9 kn at 339°. The crosswind and headwind components were both 6 kn, which was relatively light and did not pose a significant challenge to the pilot. The total landing distance was 517 m, which was 85% of the runway length. This indicates that the pilot was able to bring the aircraft to a stop within a reasonable distance.
However, there was a slight issue with the runway rollout alignment, which was misaligned by 13.9 m from the centreline. This may have been due to a slight deviation in the pilot's control inputs or a slight variation in the aircraft's response to the controls. Nevertheless, the pilot was able to bring the aircraft to a stop safely and within the acceptable distance.
Overall, the pilot demonstrated good skills and control during the landing, but there were some minor issues with the threshold speeds and runway rollout alignment. With some adjustments and practice, the pilot should be able to improve their performance and achieve a higher score.
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