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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Keep the approach speed on target
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 · 18 stages, 16 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.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,524 m of the 1,771 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 262 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 01 at Quintin Lodge Airstrip, where the aircraft, a Vision Jet, accelerated to a liftoff speed of 88 kt. The takeoff distance was 382 meters, which was 80% of the runway length. The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 1 °C, a wind speed of 4 kt from 147 °, resulting in a crosswind of 2 kt and a tailwind of 3 kt.
As the aircraft climbed away from the airstrip, it began its enroute climb, which started overhead the airstrip. The climb was from 1,308 ft above sea level to 13,801 ft, an increase of 12,493 ft in just 7 minutes, covering a distance of 5 nm. Following the climb, the aircraft entered a level cruise, which lasted for 2 minutes and covered 6 nm, 5 miles north-west of the airstrip.
The enroute descent phase began 4 miles north-east of the airstrip, where the aircraft descended from 13,747 ft to 12,957 ft, a decrease of 790 ft in 2 minutes, covering a distance of 7 nm. The aircraft then entered another level cruise, this time 7 miles south-west of NZ34 Hollyford Track Airstrip, which lasted for 2 minutes and covered less than 1 nm.
The enroute descent phase resumed 7 miles south-west of NZ34 Hollyford Track Airstrip, where the aircraft descended from 12,675 ft to 6,493 ft, a decrease of 6,182 ft in 5 minutes, covering a distance of 19 nm. The aircraft then entered another level cruise, this time 6 miles south of NZGY Glenorchy Airport, which lasted for 2 minutes and covered 6 nm.
The final descent phase began 4 miles west of RB26 Wakatipu Lake Queenstown, where the aircraft descended from 6,044 ft to 1,516 ft, a decrease of 4,528 ft in 2 minutes, covering a distance of 8 nm. The aircraft then began its final approach to runway 05 at NZQN Queenstown International Airport, flying from the west at a heading of 84.0 ° and 1 nm from the threshold.
The landing was made on runway 05, which was 1,771 meters long. The threshold height was slightly above the target, and the threshold speed was excessively high at 102 kt. The touchdown distance was good at 262 meters, but the touchdown speed was excessively fast at 90 kt, and the touchdown rate was hard at -451 fpm. The runway touchdown alignment was very good, and the local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 2 °C, a wind speed of 2 kt from 69 °, resulting in a headwind of 2 kt.
The total landing distance was 558 meters, which was 31% of the runway length. The runway rollout alignment was slightly misaligned by 11.7 meters from the centreline. The total flight distance was 53 nm, and the flight duration was 21 minutes, during which the aircraft used 97 kg of fuel.
The Vision Jet aircraft has successfully landed at Queenstown International Airport, achieving an overall score of 83.2%. The final approach to runway 05 was conducted from the west, with a heading of 84.0° at 1 nautical mile and 351 feet above ground level (agl). The aircraft's approach to the runway was satisfactory, with a good touchdown distance of 262 meters.
However, there were some areas of concern during the landing. The threshold height at 60 feet agl was slightly above the target, indicating that the aircraft may have been slightly high on its approach. Additionally, the threshold speed was excessively high at 102 knots, which could have put the aircraft at risk of overshooting the runway. The touchdown speed of 90 knots was also excessively fast, which may have contributed to the hard touchdown rate of -451 feet per minute (fpm).
Despite these issues, the runway touchdown alignment was very good, indicating that the aircraft was well-aligned with the runway at the moment of touchdown. The local weather conditions were also favorable, with a temperature of 2°C and a gentle headwind of 2 knots at 69°. The crosswind was negligible, with a speed of 0 knots.
The total landing distance of 558 meters was 31% of the runway length, which is within acceptable limits. However, the runway rollout alignment was slightly misaligned by 11.7 meters from the centerline, indicating that the aircraft may have drifted off the centerline during the rollout phase.
Overall, while the Vision Jet aircraft achieved a good score, there are areas for improvement, particularly in terms of approach speed and touchdown rate. With some adjustments to the approach and landing technique, the aircraft could potentially achieve an even higher score.
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