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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Improve the pattern base leg turn
Bank angle in the pattern is conventionally kept to 20 to 30 degrees, and the base-to-final turn is where that convention earns its keep. Stall speed rises with bank because the wing must produce more lift in a turn. Roughly 7 per cent higher at 30 degrees, about 19 per cent at 45, and around 40 per cent at 60. At 65 kt on base you don't have much margin to spend steepening a turn to salvage an overshoot.
Read more in Pattern WorkStart to finish · 13 stages, 11 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 for a circuit: five checks where the approach path is 500 ft above the runway. The 1,000 ft gate is an instrument-approach check and does not apply.
Side view — the last 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,524 m of the 2,986 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 209 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 24R at LTFJ Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport. The Cessna CJ4 Citation took off with a takeoff distance of 379 meters, which accounted for 13% of the runway. The liftoff speed was 114 knots, and the aircraft was able to lift off the ground quickly.
As the aircraft entered the local area, it encountered a temperature of -4°C and a wind speed of 4 knots at 49 degrees. The crosswind was minimal at 1 knot, while the tailwind was 4 knots. The pilot navigated the aircraft into a left-hand pattern, entering the turn from the runway 24R in less than 1 nautical mile in 11 seconds. The subsequent crosswind turn was completed in less than 1 nautical mile in 15 seconds.
The aircraft then proceeded to the downwind leg, where it turned at an angle of 45 degrees to the runway, covering a distance of 1 nautical mile. The downwind leg itself was 2 nautical miles long and took 43 seconds to complete. The pilot then initiated the base leg turn, which was also at an angle of 45 degrees to the runway, covering a distance of 2 nautical miles.
The final approach to runway 24R was made from the north-east, with a heading of 243.0 degrees at an altitude of 220 feet above ground level. The aircraft touched down on the runway with a touchdown distance of 209 meters, which was 24% of the runway length. The touchdown speed was slightly fast at 93 knots, but the touchdown rate was smooth at -124 feet per minute.
The runway touchdown alignment was very good, and the runway rollout alignment was perfect. The total landing distance was 713 meters, and the aircraft used a total of -296 kilograms of fuel for the flight. The total flight distance was 6 nautical miles, and the flight took approximately 3 minutes to complete.
The Cessna CJ4 Citation successfully landed on runway 24R at LTFJ Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, achieving a high score of 97.2%. The aircraft approached the runway from the north east, heading 243.0° at 0 nm and 220 ft above ground level (agl). This indicates a precise and controlled descent into the final approach phase.
Upon landing, the aircraft demonstrated good threshold height, which is a critical factor in ensuring a safe and stable touchdown. The threshold speed of 98 kt was also within the acceptable range, indicating that the pilot had effectively managed the aircraft's speed during the final approach. The touchdown distance of 209 m was also satisfactory, suggesting that the pilot had maintained control of the aircraft's descent and had not allowed it to sink too quickly.
However, the touchdown speed of 93 kt was slightly faster than the recommended speed, which may have resulted in a slightly longer rollout distance. Nevertheless, the touchdown rate of -124 fpm was smooth, indicating that the pilot had effectively managed the aircraft's descent and had not subjected the passengers to excessive deceleration forces.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of -3 °C and a wind speed of 4 kt from a direction of 50°. This resulted in a crosswind of 1 kt and a tailwind of 4 kt, which the pilot effectively managed during the landing. The total landing distance of 713 m was 24% of the runway length, indicating that the pilot had maintained control of the aircraft throughout the landing and had not allowed it to over-run the runway.
The runway rollout alignment was perfect, indicating that the pilot had effectively managed the aircraft's deceleration and had maintained control of the aircraft throughout the landing. Overall, the landing was a success, with the pilot demonstrating excellent skills and control throughout the final approach and landing phases.
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