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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 · 20 stages, 18 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 5,000 ft of the approach.
Plan view — the first 5,000 ft of the 6,077 ft runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 571 ft touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight began with a taxiing period from the parking to the runway, which took 8 minutes and covered a distance of 2 nautical miles. The aircraft, a TBM 930, then departed from runway 35 at KSLN Salina Municipal Airport. The takeoff distance was 1,922 feet, which accounted for 16% of the runway. The liftoff speed was 108 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 77°F and a wind speed of 7 knots at 20°. The crosswind was 3 knots, while the headwind was 7 knots. The aircraft then began its enroute climb, starting 1 mile north of KSLN Salina Municipal Airport. The climb took 6 minutes and covered a distance of 18 nautical miles, during which the aircraft ascended from 2,184 feet above sea level to 12,601 feet above sea level, an increase of 10,417 feet.
Following the enroute climb, the aircraft entered a level cruise, starting 3 miles east of 23KS Ney Ultralight Flightpark Bonner Springs. This cruise lasted for 3 minutes and covered a distance of 17 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its enroute descent, starting 3 miles northeast of 47K Moundridge Muni Moundridge. The descent took 5 minutes and covered a distance of 25 nautical miles, during which the aircraft descended from 13,124 feet above sea level to 3,600 feet above sea level, a decrease of 9,524 feet.
The aircraft then entered another level cruise, starting 2 miles southwest of Valley Center. This cruise lasted for 6 minutes and covered a distance of 13 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its final descent, starting 1 mile east of KIAB McConnell Air Force Base Wichita. The descent took 2 minutes and covered a distance of 3 nautical miles, during which the aircraft descended from 3,587 feet above sea level to 2,544 feet above sea level, a decrease of 1,043 feet.
The final approach to runway 36 at KAAO Colonel James Jabara Airport was made from the south, with a heading of 7.0° and a distance of 4 nautical miles. The aircraft was at an altitude of 1,141 feet above ground level at this point. The landing was made on runway 36, which had a length of 6,077 feet. The threshold height was good, and the threshold speed was well above the target at 75 knots.
The touchdown distance was good at 569 feet, but the touchdown speed was a little fast at 71 knots. The touchdown rate was fair at -289 feet per minute. The runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned by 13 feet from the centerline. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 75°F and a wind speed of 6 knots at 290°. The crosswind was 6 knots, while the headwind was 1 knot.
The total landing distance was 1,072 feet, which accounted for 18% of the runway. The runway rollout alignment was very good. The taxiing period from the runway to the parking took 1 minute and covered a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 84 nautical miles, and the flight took 32 minutes. The aircraft used 204 pounds of fuel during the flight.
The TBM 930 aircraft successfully landed at Colonel James Jabara Airport (KAAO) with a score of 97.3%. The final approach was conducted from the south, heading 7.0° at 4 nautical miles and 1,141 feet above ground level (agl). The aircraft touched down on runway 36, which has a length of 6,077 feet.
The threshold height was reported as good, indicating that the aircraft was at the correct height as it approached the runway. However, the threshold speed was above the target speed of 75 kt, which may have been due to the aircraft's descent rate or the pilot's decision to maintain a higher speed during the approach. The touchdown distance of 569 feet was considered good, indicating that the aircraft was able to touch down within a reasonable distance from the threshold.
The touchdown speed of 71 kt was slightly faster than the target speed, which may have resulted in a slightly higher touchdown rate of -289 feet per minute (fpm). This is considered fair, but it may indicate that the pilot could have maintained a more gradual descent rate to achieve a smoother touchdown.
The runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned by 13 feet from the centerline, which may have been due to a slight deviation in the aircraft's heading or a miscalculation of the approach path. However, the runway rollout alignment was very good, indicating that the pilot was able to maintain control of the aircraft during the rollout phase.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were favorable, with a temperature of 75°F and a wind speed of 6 kt from 290°. The crosswind component was 6 kt, while the headwind component was 1 kt. The total landing distance of 1,072 feet was 18% of the runway length, which is a reasonable distance considering the aircraft's size and weight. Overall, the landing was considered successful, with the aircraft touching down safely and the pilot maintaining control during the rollout phase.
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