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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Shorten the long landing
Every knot above Vref is stored kinetic energy, and energy stored at the threshold must be dissipated in ground effect before the aeroplane will stop flying. Because kinetic energy scales with the square of speed, the excess you must dissipate grows fast. At a 45-knot approach, five knots hot is over a tenth more speed and roughly a quarter more energy to get rid of in ground effect. This is why the fix is never in the flare. It was decided three miles earlier, on final, at the airspeed indicator.
Read more in VRef ExplainedStart to finish · 14 stages, 12 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.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 1,524 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 167 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The XCub aircraft departed from Quintin Lodge Airstrip, located in Southland, New Zealand, with a departure roll on runway 01 at T004. The takeoff distance was 284 meters, which is 60% of the runway length. The aircraft lifted off at a speed of 66 knots.
As the aircraft climbed, it started to ascend from an altitude of 1,546 feet above sea level to 6,026 feet above sea level, an increase of 4,480 feet in just 5 minutes, covering a distance of 5 nautical miles. The enroute climb was completed overhead the Quintin Lodge Airstrip.
Following the climb, the aircraft entered a level cruise phase, which lasted for 2 minutes and covered a distance of 3 nautical miles. This phase was initiated 5 miles east of the Quintin Lodge Airstrip.
The aircraft then began its descent from 5,926 feet above sea level to 1,270 feet above sea level, a decrease of 4,656 feet in just 3 minutes, covering a distance of 5 nautical miles. The descent phase was initiated 8 miles southeast of the Quintin Lodge Airstrip.
After the descent, the aircraft entered another level cruise phase, which lasted for 2 minutes and covered a distance of 2 nautical miles. This phase was initiated 11 miles southeast of the Quintin Lodge Airstrip.
The final approach to landing was initiated 9 miles south of the Quintin Lodge Airstrip, and the aircraft descended from 1 nautical mile to 1 nautical mile at an altitude of 94 feet above ground level.
As the aircraft approached touchdown, it descended from 47 feet above ground level to 0 feet above ground level in just 3 seconds. The touchdown speed was excessively fast at 84 knots, and the touchdown rate was very heavy at -729 feet per minute. However, the touchdown distance was good at 167 meters.
Following touchdown, the aircraft entered the landing rollout phase, which lasted for a distance of 124 meters. The aircraft's altitude during this phase was 698 feet above sea level.
The total flight distance was 16 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 13 minutes. The aircraft used 5 kilograms of fuel during the flight. The local weather conditions during the flight were characterized by a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 4 knots at 318 degrees. The crosswind was 1 knot, and the tailwind was 4 knots.
The XCub aircraft successfully landed 9 miles south of the Quintin Lodge Airstrip in Southland, New Zealand, with a score of 80.5%. The final approach to landing was conducted from 1 nautical mile to 1 nautical mile at an altitude of 94 feet above ground level (agl). As the aircraft approached the touchdown point, it descended from 47 feet agl to 0 feet agl in a mere 3 seconds, indicating a steep and potentially aggressive descent.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft's speed was recorded at 84 knots, which was considered excessively fast. This excessive speed resulted in a very heavy touchdown rate of -729 feet per minute (fpm), indicating a significant impact on the aircraft's landing gear. However, the touchdown distance was reported as good, measuring 167 meters.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were characterized by a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 4 knots from a direction of 318 degrees. This resulted in a crosswind of 1 knot and a tailwind of 4 knots, which may have contributed to the aircraft's excessive speed during touchdown.
Following the touchdown, the aircraft's landing rollout was conducted at an altitude of 698 feet above sea level (asl), covering a distance of 124 meters. Overall, while the landing was successful, there were some areas for improvement, particularly in terms of speed control and touchdown rate.
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