Events
Events
Events
Events
MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Avoid steep turns at low altitude
Below a thousand feet the aeroplane is slow, heavy and close to the ground. A steep turn loses lift, raises the stall speed and flattens the climb just when the gradient matters most. A normal turn on course is a rate one — fifteen degrees or so, twenty-five at the outside, this penalty is to acknowledge when a turn has stopped being a turn and become a manoeuvre.
Read more in Improve Your Take-OffsStart to finish · 15 stages, 13 scored
Events
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: seven checks where the approach path is 300 ft above the runway. The 1,000 ft gate was not assessed, because the approach did not join final that far out.
At the 300 ft gate: off the centreline and speed below the reference speed.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 740 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 740 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 170 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 07 at ELNT Wiltz-Noertrange Airfield, a small airfield in Luxembourg. The Cessna C172 aircraft accelerated down the runway, reaching a liftoff speed of 60 kt and covering a takeoff distance of 48 meters, which was 7% of the runway length. The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 11 °C.
As the aircraft climbed away from the airfield, it began its enroute climb, ascending from an initial altitude of 2,046 feet above sea level to 3,177 feet above sea level. This climb, which took place over the town of Winseler in Luxembourg, resulted in an increase of 1,132 feet in just 2 minutes, covering a distance of 3 nautical miles. The aircraft then leveled off and entered a cruise phase, flying at a steady altitude for 9 minutes as it covered a distance of 14 nautical miles.
The enroute climb phase resumed as the aircraft flew over the town of Habscheid in Germany, with the aircraft ascending from 3,072 feet above sea level to 3,534 feet above sea level. This climb, which took 2 minutes to complete, covered a distance of 3 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its descent, flying over the town of Winterspelt in Germany and descending from 3,560 feet above sea level to 3,097 feet above sea level. This descent, which took 2 minutes to complete, covered a distance of 3 nautical miles.
The aircraft then entered another level cruise phase, flying at a steady altitude for 12 minutes as it covered a distance of 21 nautical miles. This phase of the flight took place 2 miles north of the town of Winterspelt in Germany. The enroute descent phase resumed once again as the aircraft flew over the town of Theux in Belgium, with the aircraft descending from 3,030 feet above sea level to 1,170 feet above sea level. This descent, which took 5 minutes to complete, covered a distance of just 1 nautical mile.
As the aircraft approached the destination airfield, EBTX Theux (Verviers) Airfield, it began its final approach to runway 06, flying from the southwest and heading 54.0 degrees at an altitude of 68 feet above ground level. The aircraft then landed on the runway, touching down at a speed of 46 kt and covering a touchdown distance of 155 meters. The touchdown speed was slightly below the target speed, but the touchdown distance was good, and the touchdown rate was perfect at -35 feet per minute.
The aircraft landed on the runway, but the runway touchdown position was misaligned by 9.2 meters from the centerline. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were the same as at the time of departure, with a temperature of 11 °C. The total flight distance was 45 nautical miles, and the flight took 34 minutes to complete, using 16 kilograms of fuel.
The Cessna C172 aircraft successfully landed at EBTX Theux (Verviers) Airfield, achieving a high score of 98.6%. The final approach to runway 06 was conducted from the south-west, with a heading of 54.0° at an altitude of 68 feet above ground level (agl) and a distance of 0 nautical miles from the runway.
The pilot executed a precise landing, with the threshold height being good. However, the threshold speed was slightly below the target at 55 knots, indicating a slight deviation from the ideal landing speed. Despite this, the touchdown distance was good at 155 meters, and the touchdown speed of 46 knots was also within acceptable limits.
One notable aspect of the landing was the touchdown rate, which was perfect at -35 feet per minute (fpm). This indicates that the aircraft touched down smoothly and without any excessive deceleration. However, the runway touchdown position was misaligned by 9.2 meters from the centreline, which may require attention from the pilot to improve future landings.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were characterized by a temperature of 11°C, which is relatively mild. Overall, the landing was successful, with the pilot demonstrating good control and precision in executing the approach and touchdown.
Scroll or drag the slider to zoom · double-click to reset · hover for values