Events
Events
Events
MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Work on the flare
Arrive slow and the sink rate at the threshold is already above schedule, the flare is short because there is no energy to extend it, and the touchdown is hard in a way that feels exactly like a late flare. Diagnosing a slow arrival as a late flare is the catastrophic misread: you respond by flaring earlier, which bleeds more speed, which makes the next one worse. The tiebreaker is threshold speed against VRef, not feel. Never diagnose a flare without it.
Read more in Flare TimingStart to finish · 8 stages, 7 scored
Events
Events
Events
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 5,197 ft runway, to the same scale as the side view.
Touched down 4,203 ft past the threshold — beyond the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight began with a departure roll from runway 36L at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (KCLT). The aircraft, a Cessna C172, required a takeoff distance of 1,534 feet, which was 17% of the runway length. The liftoff speed was achieved at 54 knots, marking the start of the flight.
As the aircraft took to the skies, it began its enroute level cruise, which lasted for 34 minutes and covered a distance of 52 nautical miles. The flight started overhead KCLT, and the local weather conditions were characterized by a temperature of 43°F and a wind speed of 0 knots at 0 degrees. The crosswind and headwind were both zero, providing ideal conditions for the flight.
After completing the enroute level cruise, the aircraft began its descent towards Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport (KSPA), where it was scheduled to land on runway 05. The runway length at KSPA was 5,197 feet, and the threshold height at 103 feet above ground level was excessively over the target. The threshold speed was also well above the target at 80 knots. The touchdown point was 924 feet beyond the touchdown zone, and the touchdown speed was 63 knots, which was considered fast. The touchdown rate was also hard at -403 feet per minute. Furthermore, the runway touchdown position was misaligned by 38 feet from the centreline.
The local weather conditions at KSPA were similar to those at KCLT, with a temperature of 42°F and a wind speed of 0 knots at 0 degrees. The crosswind and headwind were both zero. After landing, the aircraft took 4 minutes to taxi to the parking area, covering a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 53 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 40 minutes. The aircraft used 38 pounds of fuel during the flight.
The Cessna C172 aircraft has landed at KSPA Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport, but the landing was not without its issues. The aircraft scored a 52.7% on this landing, indicating that there is room for improvement. The landing was made on runway 05, which has a length of 5,197 feet. However, the threshold height at 103 feet above ground level (agl) was excessively over the target, suggesting that the pilot may have been too high on final approach.
The threshold speed of 80 knots was also well above the target, which could indicate that the pilot may have been too aggressive on the approach. This, combined with the high threshold height, may have contributed to the pilot's difficulty in achieving a smooth touchdown. The touchdown point was 924 feet beyond the touchdown zone, which is a significant distance and suggests that the pilot may have been too far back on the runway.
The touchdown speed of 63 knots was also fast, which can be a contributing factor to a hard touchdown. The touchdown rate of -403 feet per minute (fpm) was hard, indicating that the pilot may have been too aggressive on the approach and failed to flare the aircraft properly. Additionally, the runway touchdown position was misaligned by 38 feet from the centreline, which can be a safety concern and may have contributed to the pilot's difficulty in achieving a smooth touchdown.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were relatively calm, with a temperature of 42°F and no wind. This suggests that the pilot should have had no difficulty with crosswinds or headwinds, and that the landing should have been relatively straightforward. However, despite the favorable weather conditions, the pilot still struggled to achieve a smooth touchdown, which suggests that there may be some underlying issues with the pilot's technique or decision-making.
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