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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 1,553 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,553 m of the 3,885 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 339 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight in question was operated by a Boeing 777-323ER aircraft. The pre-flight preparations began with a taxiing period from the parking area to the runway, which took approximately 9 minutes and covered a distance of 2 nautical miles. The aircraft then departed from runway 24L at Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX), with a takeoff distance of 1,905 meters, which accounted for 66% of the runway length. The liftoff speed was recorded at 210 knots.
As the aircraft climbed to its initial cruising altitude, it encountered local weather conditions of 20°C temperature and a wind speed of 18 knots at 260°. The crosswind was minimal at 1 knot, while the headwind was 18 knots. The enroute climb started approximately 2 miles south of Marina del Rey, California, and the aircraft ascended from 2,461 feet above sea level to 34,798 feet above sea level, an increase of 32,337 feet in 20 minutes, covering a distance of 125 nautical miles.
The enroute level cruise phase began 61 miles southwest of San Nicolas Island Nolf Airport (KNSI), and it lasted for 657 minutes, covering a distance of 5,054 nautical miles. The aircraft then encountered another enroute climb phase, this time starting 5 miles east of Futuna Airport (NVVF) on Futuna Island, Vanuatu. The aircraft climbed from 37,820 feet above sea level to 39,237 feet above sea level, an increase of 1,416 feet in 2 minutes, covering a distance of 12 nautical miles.
The enroute level cruise phase resumed 9 miles southwest of Futuna Airport, and it lasted for 175 minutes, covering a distance of 1,233 nautical miles. As the aircraft approached its destination, it began its enroute descent phase, starting 80 miles southeast of Fingal Bay, Australia. The aircraft descended from 38,861 feet above sea level to 3,407 feet above sea level, a decrease of 35,454 feet in 19 minutes, covering a distance of 104 nautical miles.
The enroute level cruise phase was brief, lasting only 5 minutes, as the aircraft covered a distance of 2 nautical miles 7 miles southeast of Bundeena, Australia. The enroute descent phase resumed, and the aircraft descended from 3,410 feet above sea level to 1,299 feet above sea level, a decrease of 2,111 feet in 3 minutes, covering a distance of 9 nautical miles.
The final approach to runway 34L at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (YSSY) was conducted from the south, with a heading of 348.0° at 4 nautical miles and 1,275 feet above ground level. The landing was successful, with a touchdown distance of 341 meters, which was good. However, the touchdown speed was slightly above the target at 149 knots, and the touchdown rate was fair at -279 feet per minute. The runway touchdown position was misaligned by 7.6 meters from the centerline.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were 24°C temperature and a wind speed of 18 knots at 29°. The crosswind was 12 knots, while the headwind was 13 knots. The total landing distance was 1,476 meters, which accounted for 38% of the runway length. The runway rollout alignment was very good.
The post-flight preparations began with a taxiing period from the runway to the parking area, which took approximately 2 minutes and covered a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 6,546 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 896 minutes. The aircraft used a total of 117,761
The aircraft in question, a Boeing 777-323ER, successfully landed at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (YSSY) on runway 34L. The final approach was conducted from the south, with the aircraft heading 348.0° at a distance of 4 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,275 feet above ground level (agl). The landing was executed with a high degree of precision, achieving a score of 96.7%.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft's threshold height was reported to be good, indicating that the aircraft was at the correct height relative to the runway threshold. However, the threshold speed was slightly above the target speed of 148 kt, which is a common occurrence due to the aircraft's descent rate and airspeed management. The touchdown distance of 341 meters was considered good, indicating that the aircraft was able to maintain control and land smoothly.
Despite the good touchdown distance, the touchdown speed of 146 kt was a little fast, which may have contributed to a fair touchdown rate of -279 feet per minute (fpm). A fair touchdown rate suggests that the aircraft's descent was not perfectly controlled, but it was still within acceptable limits.
One notable aspect of the landing was the runway touchdown position, which was misaligned by 7.6 meters from the centerline. This may have been due to a combination of factors, including wind, airspeed, and pilot control. However, the runway rollout alignment was very good, indicating that the aircraft was able to maintain control and align itself with the runway centerline during the rollout phase.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were favorable, with a temperature of 24°C and a wind speed of 18 kt from 29°. The crosswind component was 12 kt, while the headwind component was 13 kt. These conditions would have required the pilots to make adjustments to the aircraft's approach and landing configuration to ensure a safe and stable touchdown.
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