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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 · 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.
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 1,317 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 1,317 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 131 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
This flight was conducted on an Airbus A320 aircraft, departing from runway 20L at Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The taxiing process from the parking area to the runway took approximately 2 minutes and covered a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The aircraft then began its departure roll, taking off from the runway with a takeoff distance of 706 meters, which accounted for 54% of the runway's length. The liftoff speed was recorded at 142 knots.
During takeoff, the aircraft encountered local weather conditions with a temperature of 27°C and wind speeds of 10 knots at 140°. The crosswind component was 6 knots, while the headwind component was 8 knots. After taking off, the aircraft initiated its enroute climb, starting from an altitude of 739 feet above sea level and increasing to 1,580 feet above sea level in less than 1 minute, covering a distance of 1 nautical mile.
The enroute climb phase was followed by a level cruise, which began 1 mile southeast of the airport and lasted for 3 minutes, covering a distance of 3 nautical miles. The aircraft then started its final approach to runway 20L, heading in a northerly direction at an altitude of 419 feet above ground level and 1 nautical mile from the runway.
Upon landing, the aircraft touched down on the runway with a touchdown speed of 112 knots, which was slightly below the target speed. The touchdown distance was recorded at 133 meters, and the touchdown rate was firm at -303 feet per minute. However, the runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned from the centerline by 4.4 meters. The local weather conditions during landing were characterized by a temperature of 25°C and wind speeds of 12 knots at 140°, with a crosswind component of 7 knots and a headwind component of 10 knots.
The total landing distance was 900 meters, accounting for 68% of the runway's length. The runway rollout alignment was very good, indicating a smooth and controlled descent. The total flight distance was 6 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 4 minutes. The aircraft used a total of 208 kilograms of fuel during the flight.
The Airbus A320 successfully landed at SBRJ Santos Dumont Airport, achieving a high score of 98.4%. The aircraft was approaching the runway from the north, heading 176.0° at 1 nautical mile and 419 feet above ground level (agl). The final approach was executed with precision, and the aircraft landed safely on runway 20L, which has a length of 1,317 meters.
The threshold height was good, indicating that the aircraft was at the correct altitude as it approached the runway. However, the threshold speed was slightly below the target speed of 113 knots, which may have been due to the aircraft's descent rate or the pilot's decision to flare earlier than expected. Despite this, the touchdown distance was good at 133 meters, and the touchdown speed of 112 knots was also within acceptable limits.
The touchdown rate was firm at -303 feet per minute (fpm), which is a typical value for a commercial airliner. However, the runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned by 4.4 meters from the centerline, which may have been due to a slight deviation in the aircraft's heading or a miscalculation of the wind drift.
The local weather conditions were favorable, with a temperature of 25°C and a wind speed of 12 knots at 140°. The crosswind component was 7 knots, while the headwind component was 10 knots. These conditions would have required the pilots to make adjustments to the aircraft's heading and pitch to maintain a stable approach.
The total landing distance was 900 meters, which is 68% of the runway length. This is a relatively short landing distance, indicating that the pilots were able to control the aircraft's descent and touchdown speed effectively. The runway rollout alignment was very good, indicating that the pilots were able to maintain control of the aircraft during the rollout phase and bring it to a stop safely.
Overall, the landing was executed with precision and control, and the aircraft was able to touch down safely on the runway. The slight deviations in threshold speed and runway touchdown position were minor and did not affect the overall safety of the landing.
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