Events
Events
Events
Events
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 · 18 stages, 16 scored
Events
Events
Events
Events
Two stabilised approach gates, each with six checks at 1,000 ft and 500 ft above the runway. They are the approach's score: the checks passed out of the checks that ran.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 1,352 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 1,352 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 127 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The Savage Cub departed KTVL Lake Tahoe Airport from runway 36, using a take-off roll of 214 m which represented 11 % of the available runway. Liftoff was achieved at 60 kt. Ambient conditions were 3 °C with a wind from 181° at 2 kt, no cross-wind and a 1 kt tail-wind component.
During the initial climb the aircraft rose from 7,249 ft asl to 7,809 ft asl, gaining 559 ft in 1 minute while covering less than 1 nm, the climb beginning overhead KTVL Lake Tahoe Airport South Lake Tahoe.
The first cruise segment commenced 1 nm south of South Lake Tahoe, lasting 5 minutes and traversing 7 nm at level altitude.
A second climb began 5 nm south of KTVL, where the aircraft increased altitude from 8,040 ft asl to 8,637 ft asl, a gain of 597 ft in 2 minutes while covering 2 nm.
The following cruise leg started 5 nm south of KTVL, persisted for 3 minutes and covered 5 nm at a steady altitude.
The first descent was initiated 6 nm west of M45 Alpine County Markleeville, descending from 8,785 ft asl to 7,841 ft asl, a loss of 944 ft in 3 minutes over a distance of 5 nm.
A brief cruise then occurred 1 nm north-west of M45 Alpine County Markleeville, lasting 2 minutes and covering 2 nm.
The second descent started directly overhead M45 Alpine County Markleeville, dropping from 7,627 ft asl to 6,952 ft asl, a decrease of 675 ft in 2 minutes across 2 nm.
A final level cruise segment was logged overhead M45 Alpine County Markleeville, lasting 2 minutes and covering another 2 nm.
On final approach to runway 17 at M45 Alpine County the aircraft approached from the north on a heading of 184.0° at 1 nm and 433 ft agl, then descended from 609 ft agl to 44 ft agl in 79 seconds, meeting the stabilisation gate criteria.
Landing on runway 17 was completed with a threshold speed of 42 kt, slightly below the target, and a touchdown distance of 123 m. Touchdown speed was 38 kt, a little fast, and the vertical speed was minus 52 fpm. Alignment at touchdown was very good; the runway length is 1,352 m and the total landing roll measured 205 m, representing 15 % of the runway.
Rollout was noted as perfectly aligned with the runway centreline, confirming a clean exit from the landing phase.
In total the flight covered 28 nm, required 20 minutes of elapsed time, and consumed 24 kg of fuel.
The Savage Cub established a final approach to runway 17 at M45 Alpine County, tracking a heading of 184.0° from the north and reaching the final-approach fix at 1 NM and 433 ft agl; the approach was scored on the stabilisation gates.
During the threshold and flare phase the aircraft descended from 609 ft agl to 44 ft agl in 79 seconds, and the threshold height was reported as good.
Touchdown occurred on runway 17, whose length is 1,352 m. The aircraft crossed the threshold at a speed of 42 kt, slightly below the target, and touched down 123 m from the threshold at 38 kt, a little fast. The vertical touchdown rate was minus 52 fpm, rated excellent, and runway-touchdown alignment was very good. Total landing distance was 205 m, representing 15 % of the runway, and the local weather was 16 °C with wind 3 kt from 225°, including a 2 kt crosswind and a 2 kt headwind.
Runway rollout alignment was perfect.
To refine future performances, aim to achieve the target threshold speed and reduce touchdown speed to match the intended VREF, which will bring the touchdown point and speed within the optimal envelope.
Scroll or drag the slider to zoom · double-click to reset · hover for values