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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.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 746 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 746 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 69 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 17 at Stamps Field, 3TE5, in a PC-12 aircraft. The takeoff distance was 339 meters, which accounted for 66% of the runway. The liftoff speed was 90 knots. At the time of departure, the local weather conditions were characterized by a temperature of 29 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 22 knots from a direction of 205 degrees. This resulted in a crosswind of 11 knots and a headwind of 19 knots.
As the aircraft climbed away from the airport, it began its enroute climb overhead Stamps Field in Panhandle, Texas. The climb started from an altitude of 4,445 feet above sea level and reached 4,501 feet in less than a minute, covering a distance of less than a nautical mile. This marked the beginning of a long and varied flight.
The enroute descent started approximately one mile south of Panhandle, with the aircraft descending from 4,525 feet to 2,628 feet in two minutes, covering a distance of 546 nautical miles. This significant descent was followed by another enroute climb, which began two miles north of SD21 Hayes Emergency Airstrip in Hayes, South Dakota. The climb from 2,656 feet to 3,451 feet in two minutes covered a distance of two nautical miles.
The enroute descent from the climb over SD21 Hayes Emergency Airstrip was initiated overhead the airstrip, with the aircraft descending from 3,433 feet to 2,095 feet in three minutes, covering a distance of less than a nautical mile. The final approach to runway 15 at SD21 Hayes Emergency Airstrip was made from the northwest, with the aircraft heading 154.0 degrees at an altitude of 109 feet above ground level and a distance of zero nautical miles from the runway.
The landing on runway 15 was successful, with the aircraft touching down at a speed of 86 knots, which was slightly above the target speed. The touchdown distance was 65 meters, and the touchdown rate was fair at -284 feet per minute. The runway touchdown alignment was very good, and the local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 28 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 2 knots from a direction of 90 degrees.
The total landing distance was 257 meters, which accounted for 34% of the runway. The runway rollout alignment was perfect, indicating a smooth and controlled landing. The total flight distance was 551 nautical miles, and the flight duration was eight hours. The aircraft used 315 kilograms of fuel during the flight.
The PC-12 aircraft successfully landed at the SD21 Hayes Emergency Airstrip, achieving a high score of 99.3%. The final approach was conducted from the north-west, heading 154.0° at an altitude of 109 feet above ground level (agl) and 0 nautical miles from the runway. The aircraft maintained a good alignment with the runway during the approach.
Upon landing, the aircraft touched down on the runway at a speed of 86 knots, which was slightly above the target threshold speed of 87 knots. However, the touchdown distance of 65 meters was considered good, indicating a smooth and controlled descent. The touchdown rate of -284 feet per minute (fpm) was fair, suggesting that the aircraft could have been slowed down more efficiently during the landing.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were favorable, with a temperature of 28°C and a light wind of 2 knots at 90°. The crosswind component was minimal at 1 knot, and the headwind component was also 1 knot, which helped to stabilize the aircraft during the landing. The runway length of 746 meters was sufficient for the aircraft to come to a stop, with a total landing distance of 257 meters, which accounted for only 34% of the runway.
The runway rollout alignment was perfect, indicating that the pilot maintained control of the aircraft during the landing and was able to bring it to a stop in a straight line. Overall, the landing was considered successful, with the aircraft coming to a stop safely and efficiently.
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