Events
Events
MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Fixing the bounce
Fast at the threshold, normal flare, and the runway seems to refuse the aircraft. The instinctive fix - pushing it on - causes the next one. A fast aircraft forced onto the runway touches nosewheel-first or nearly so. The tell is a touchdown that feels soft followed by a bounce that steepens. Pilots fix the bounce recovery; the cause was the 10 knots at the threshold.
Read more in VRef ExplainedStart to finish · 16 stages, 14 scored
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 for a circuit: five checks where the approach path is 500 ft above the runway. The 1,000 ft gate is an instrument-approach check and does not apply.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 1,230 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 1,230 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 176 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 18 at EDFB Reichelsheim Airfield, where the aircraft, a Pitts, took off with a takeoff distance of 174 meters, which accounted for 14% of the runway. The liftoff speed was 47 knots. At the time of takeoff, the local weather conditions were characterized by a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 6 knots at 113 degrees, resulting in a 6-knot crosswind and a 3-knot headwind.
As the aircraft entered the left-hand pattern from runway 18, it covered a distance of less than 1 nautical mile in 12 seconds. The left-hand pattern crosswind leg was slightly longer, covering 2 nautical miles in 48 seconds. The pilot then executed a pattern downwind turn, which covered 3 nautical miles and had an angle to the runway of 83.2 degrees. The downwind leg itself was 2 nautical miles long and took 40 seconds to complete.
The base leg turn was another 3-nautical-mile segment, with an angle to the runway of 57.8 degrees. The base leg was 2 nautical miles long and took 40 seconds to complete. The final turn, which brought the aircraft onto the final approach, covered 1 nautical mile in 38 seconds. The final approach was made to runway 18 from the north, with a heading of 174.0 degrees at an altitude of 111 feet above ground level.
The landing on runway 18 was characterized by a threshold speed that was excessively high at 82 knots. The touchdown distance was good, however, at 175 meters. The touchdown speed was fast at 70 knots, and the touchdown rate was firm at -382 feet per minute. Unfortunately, the runway touchdown position was excessively misaligned by 30.8 meters from the centerline. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were similar to those at takeoff, with a temperature of 5 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 7 knots at 114 degrees, resulting in a 6-knot crosswind and a 3-knot headwind.
The total landing distance was 664 meters, which accounted for 54% of the runway. The runway rollout alignment was also misaligned by 21.5 meters from the centerline. The total flight distance was 10 nautical miles, and the flight took 5 minutes to complete. The aircraft used 3 kilograms of fuel during the flight.
The aircraft in question, a Pitts, successfully landed on runway 18 at EDFB Reichelsheim Airfield, but there were several areas for improvement. The pilot's final approach to the runway from the north, heading 174.0°, was at 0 nm and 111 ft above ground level (agl), indicating a precise and controlled descent.
Upon landing, the pilot touched down on the runway at a speed of 82 kt, which was excessively high. The threshold speed is typically lower to ensure a smoother and safer landing. However, the touchdown distance of 175 m was good, indicating that the pilot had sufficient control over the aircraft's descent.
The touchdown speed of 70 kt was also fast, and the touchdown rate of -382 fpm was firm, suggesting that the pilot may have been applying too much force during the landing. This could have put additional stress on the aircraft's landing gear and potentially caused damage.
One of the most notable issues with this landing was the runway touchdown position, which was excessively misaligned by 30.8 m from the centreline. This could have made it difficult for the pilot to maintain control of the aircraft during the rollout and may have increased the risk of a loss of directional control.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were relatively calm, with a temperature of 5°C and winds of 7 kt at 114°. The crosswind was 6 kt, and the headwind was 3 kt, which may have contributed to the pilot's difficulty in maintaining a straight course during the landing.
The total landing distance of 664 m was 54% of the runway length, which is within a reasonable range. However, the runway rollout alignment was also misaligned by 21.5 m from the centreline, indicating that the pilot may have struggled to maintain control of the aircraft during the rollout.
Overall, while the pilot successfully landed the aircraft, there were several areas for improvement, including reducing the threshold speed, touchdown speed, and touchdown rate, as well as improving the runway touchdown position and runway rollout alignment.
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