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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Arrival
Arrest the excessive sink rate on approach promptly with pitch and power to re-establish a stable approach path.
What happened: The approach carried an excessive sink rate at the stabilisation gate, and the aircraft crossed the threshold at 107 kt against a VREF of 100 kt, 7 kt fast. An excessive sink rate on approach usually carries extra speed through to the threshold.
Watch for: Vertical speed indicator: a stable, controlled descent rate on approach
The point is that every knot above it 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 for "the plane just wouldn't come down" is never in the flare. It was decided three miles earlier, on final, at the airspeed indicator.
Read more in Bush Flying 101Start to finish · 14 stages, 12 scored
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The threshold, the flare and the hold-off. The approach that led to it is the stabilisation gates below.
Two stabilised approach gates, each with seven checks, where the approach path is 1,000 ft and 500 ft above the runway. They are the approach's score: the checks passed out of the checks that ran.
At the 500 ft gate: sink rate 1,154 fpm, more than the glideslope needed.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,524 m of the 2,196 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 424 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The ATR-72 taxied from the parking area to runway 10 at TNCM Princess Juliana International Airport in a period of 5 minutes, covering approximately 1 nm.
During the departure roll on runway 10, the aircraft accelerated to a liftoff speed of 117 kt and became airborne after traveling 803 m, which represents 35 % of the runway length. Ambient conditions were 30 °C with a wind of 14 kt from 084°, providing a 14 kt headwind and a 1 kt crosswind component.
The climb commenced over TNCM, with the airplane ascending from 428 ft asl to 8 272 ft asl, a gain of 7 844 ft achieved in 6 minutes while covering 16 nm.
Level cruise began 12 mi southwest of the TFF1 St Barthelemy Seaplane facility and was maintained for 5 minutes, during which the aircraft progressed 21 nm.
Descent operations started 4 mi southeast of Oranjestad (Sint Eustatius), with the aircraft descending from 8 261 ft asl to 1 734 ft asl, a loss of 6 527 ft in 6 minutes and a distance of 22 nm.
The final approach to runway 07 at TKPK Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport was executed from the southwest on a heading of 56.0°, intercepting the glide path at 4 nm and 1 547 ft agl.
Landing on runway 07 was performed with a threshold speed of 108 kt, slightly above the target, and a touchdown distance of 425 m. The aircraft touched down at 100 kt, a little fast, and the vertical speed at touchdown was minus 34 fpm. The runway length is 2 196 m; the total landing distance recorded was 803 m, equivalent to 37 % of the runway, and alignment on touchdown and rollout was reported as very good. Local weather at the time was 31 °C with a wind of 16 kt from 070°, giving a 16 kt headwind and a 4 kt crosswind component.
Runway rollout continued with the aircraft remaining well aligned, confirming the good touchdown alignment noted earlier.
After exiting the runway, the ATR-72 taxied back to the parking area in 2 minutes, covering less than 1 nm.
In total, the flight covered 66 nm, took 27 (units as provided), and consumed 318 kg of fuel.
The final approach to runway 17 at ENBR Bergen Airport was flown from the north on a heading of 170.0° at 4 nm and 1,348 ft agl. Local conditions were 11 °C with a wind from 130° at 15 kt, including a 10 kt cross-wind component and an 11 kt head-wind component. At the 1,000 ft gate the approach was assessed as unstable because the sink rate was too high.
Threshold height was reported as good and the threshold speed was slightly above target at 141 kt. The aircraft crossed the threshold with the indicated parameters and prepared for flare.
Touchdown occurred 70 m beyond the designated touchdown zone. Touchdown speed was a little fast at 130 kt and the vertical speed was fair at minus 286 fpm. Runway touchdown alignment was perfect.
The total landing distance measured 1,427 m, representing 53 % of the 2,709 m runway, and rollout alignment was very good.
To convert the high-sink-rate approach into a stabilized one, reduce the descent rate to meet the 1,000 ft gate criteria. Fine-tuning the approach speed to the target will also bring touchdown speed within the optimal range and further improve the already excellent score of 98.9 %.
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