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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Shorten the long landing
Ground effect becomes significant below about one wingspan of height. A Cessna 172, with a 36 ft span, enters ground effect at flare height - the float it feels in the hold-off is ground effect arriving on cue. An A320, with a span around 117 ft, has been in ground effect since before the threshold and there is no sudden cushion to feel, only a gradual reduction in induced drag that lengthens any float you allow.
Read more in Flare TimingStart to finish · 14 stages, 13 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 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,524 m of the 2,254 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
Touched down 930 m 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 33 at MSSS Ilopango International Airport, a small airport in El Salvador. The aircraft, a PA28 Warrior II, accelerated down the runway and lifted off at a speed of 71 kt, covering a distance of 447 m, which was 20% of the runway length. The local weather conditions at the time of takeoff were characterized by a temperature of 16 °C and a gentle wind blowing at 2 kt from a direction of 270 °, resulting in a negligible crosswind and a slight headwind of 1 kt.
As the aircraft climbed away from the airport, it began its enroute climb 1 mile north of Soyapango, a nearby town in the Departamento de San Salvador. The climb was steep, with the aircraft ascending from an altitude of 2,913 ft asl to 5,084 ft asl in just 3 minutes, covering a distance of 3 nm. This rapid ascent was followed by a level cruise, which lasted for 221 minutes and covered a distance of 11 nm. The aircraft cruised at a steady altitude, 1 mile north east of Ilopango, another nearby town in the Departamento de San Salvador.
As the flight continued, the aircraft began its enroute descent 2 miles north east of Tenancingo, a town in the Departamento de Cuscatlan. The descent was equally steep, with the aircraft descending from an altitude of 5,301 ft asl to 2,094 ft asl in just 2 minutes, covering a distance of 4 nm. Following the descent, the aircraft entered another level cruise, this time lasting for just 3 minutes and covering a distance of 6 nm. The aircraft cruised at a steady altitude, 1 mile south of Tenancingo.
The flight then entered its final approach phase, with the aircraft performing a go-around at MSSS Ilopango International Airport, runway 33. The go-around was initiated at an altitude of 0 ft agl, and the aircraft then began its final approach from the north east, heading 292.0 ° at an altitude of 115 ft agl. The approach was followed by a landing on runway 33, which was 2,254 m long. However, the landing was not without issues, as the threshold height was excessively over target, and the threshold speed was excessively high at 86 kt.
The touchdown point was also significantly long, using more than 50% of the available runway. However, the touchdown speed of 54 kt was good, and the touchdown rate of -157 fpm was also satisfactory. Unfortunately, the runway touchdown position was significantly misaligned by 16.1 m from the centreline. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were similar to those at takeoff, with a temperature of 15 °C and a gentle wind blowing at 2 kt from a direction of 270 °, resulting in a negligible crosswind and a slight headwind of 1 kt.
In total, the flight covered a distance of 33 nm and lasted for 52 minutes, using a total of -47 kg of fuel.
The PA28 Warrior II aircraft experienced a challenging landing at MSSS Ilopango International Airport, with a score of 52.7%. The final approach was initiated from the north-east, heading 292.0° at 0 nm and 115 ft above ground level (agl). Unfortunately, the aircraft touched down before the threshold, which is a critical error in landing procedures.
The touchdown speed of 97 kt was excessively fast, indicating that the pilot may have lost control or failed to properly configure the aircraft for landing. The high touchdown speed resulted in a heavy touchdown rate of -642 fpm, which can cause significant stress on the aircraft's landing gear and potentially lead to damage. Furthermore, the runway touchdown position was excessively misaligned by 10,183.8 m from the centreline, which can compromise the aircraft's stability and control during the landing roll.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were relatively calm, with a temperature of 17 °C and a wind speed of 3 kt at 270°. However, the crosswind and headwind components were minimal, with 2 kt and 1 kt respectively. The runway length was 2,254 m, which is a relatively short runway, and the threshold height was excessively over target at 2,101 ft agl. The threshold speed was also excessively high at 86 kt, indicating that the pilot may have failed to properly configure the aircraft for landing.
In a subsequent landing attempt, the pilot was able to achieve a better touchdown speed of 54 kt, which is within the recommended range for a safe landing. The touchdown rate was also good at -157 fpm, indicating that the pilot had regained control of the aircraft. However, the runway touchdown position was still significantly misaligned by 16.1 m from the centreline, which can compromise the aircraft's stability and control during the landing roll. The local weather conditions were similar to the previous landing attempt, with a temperature of 15 °C and a wind speed of 2 kt at 270°.
Overall, the pilot's performance during the landing attempts was inconsistent, with significant errors in the first attempt and a better performance in the second attempt. The pilot needs to work on improving their landing skills, particularly in terms of touchdown speed, touchdown rate, and runway alignment.
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