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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Know your rotation speed
A typical trainer rotates in the mid-50s of knots - a 172 at around 55 KIAS, climbing out at a Vy in the low 70s, though check your own POH rather than memorising Cessna's numbers - and the transferable rule is that Vr sits just above the stall speed in takeoff configuration. Rotate early because "it felt ready" and the aircraft lifts off inside ground effect, where induced drag is reduced, then climbs out of it into more drag. On a marginal-performance day the result is an aircraft that lifts off and then refuses to climb, sagging back towards the runway.
Read more in Improve Your Take-OffsStart to finish · 15 stages, 13 scored
Events
Events
Events
Events
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: 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 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,524 m of the 2,441 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 493 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight in the Cessna Skyhawk began with a 5-minute taxi from the parking area to the runway, covering less than 1 nm. The departure roll was from runway 29 at KSBP San Luis County Regional Airport, with a takeoff distance of 642 ft, representing 13% of the total runway length. The liftoff speed was 53 kn. The local weather at the time of departure indicated a temperature of 65 °F, with a wind speed of 8 kn coming from 299 °. This resulted in a crosswind of 1 kn and a headwind of 8 kn.
The enroute climb phase started overhead KSBP San Luis County Regional Airport, with the aircraft climbing from 859 ft asl to 1,719 ft asl, reaching an altitude increase of 860 ft in 2 minutes and covering 2 nm. Following the climb, the aircraft entered a level cruise phase 1 mile south of KSBP, which lasted for 4 minutes and covered 6 nm.
The landing took place on runway 30 at KSMX Santa Maria Public Airport, with a runway length of 8,010 ft. The height at threshold was 32 ft agl, and the speed at threshold was 67 kn. The touchdown occurred 1,610 ft from the threshold with a touchdown speed of 48 kn and a VSI of -256 ft/m. The local weather at the time of landing indicated a temperature of 70 °F, with a wind speed of 15 kn at 10 °, resulting in a crosswind of 12 kn and a headwind of 9 kn. The total landing distance was 2,170 ft, representing 27% of the runway length.
After landing, the aircraft taxied to the parking area from the runway in 1 minute, covering less than 1 nm. The total flight distance for this journey was 27 nm, with a total flight time of 38 minutes. The flight consumed 22 lbs of fuel.
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