Events
Events
MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Improve the pattern downwind leg
The 45-degrees-behind-the-wing cue assumes you can turn your head and use peripheral vision. Downwind spacing cues like "put the wingtip halfway up the strut" assume a fixed, known eyepoint. Neither survives a monitor unmodified. If you fly on a fixed monitor, stop pretending and fly a numbers-based circuit.
Read more in Pattern WorkStart to finish · 14 stages, 11 in the score
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 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,524 m of the 1,814 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 448 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight in question was conducted in a RANS S6S bush trike, a lightweight aircraft designed for short takeoff and landing capabilities. The aircraft taxied from the parking area to the runway in under a minute, covering a distance of less than one nautical mile.
Departure from Inverness Airport (EGPE) took place on runway 05, with a takeoff distance of 203 meters, which accounted for only 11% of the runway's total length. The aircraft lifted off at a speed of 58 knots, and the local weather conditions at the time were characterized by a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius and a gentle wind of 2 knots from a direction of 270 degrees. The crosswind component was minimal, at 1 knot, while the tailwind component was 2 knots.
The pilot then entered a right-hand pattern from runway 05, navigating a distance of less than one nautical mile in 133 seconds. The pattern crosswind leg was completed in a similarly short time of 40 seconds, covering a distance of less than one nautical mile. The downwind turn was executed at an angle of 45 degrees to the runway, with a distance of one nautical mile covered in the process.
The downwind leg itself took 73 seconds to complete, covering a distance of one nautical mile. At this point, the pilot initiated a go-around procedure from a height of 0 feet above ground level (agl) on runway 05. The landing was subsequently conducted on the same runway, which had a length of 1,814 meters. The threshold height was good, and the threshold speed was 56 knots.
The touchdown distance was satisfactory, at 452 meters, with a touchdown speed of 36 knots. The touchdown rate was excellent, at -78 feet per minute (fpm), and the runway touchdown alignment was very good. The local weather conditions remained the same, with a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius and a wind of 2 knots from a direction of 270 degrees. The crosswind component was 1 knot, while the tailwind component was 2 knots.
The total landing distance was 735 meters, which accounted for 41% of the runway's total length. The runway rollout alignment was also very good. The total flight distance was 5 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 8 minutes. Notably, the aircraft used no fuel during the flight.
The RANS S6S bush trike successfully landed on runway 05 at EGPE Inverness Airport, achieving a high score of 98.2%. The aircraft demonstrated excellent control and precision throughout the landing process. The threshold height was reported as good, allowing the pilot to maintain a safe and controlled approach.
The threshold speed of 56 kt was achieved, indicating that the pilot had properly configured the aircraft for landing. The touchdown distance of 452 m was also good, demonstrating the pilot's ability to control the aircraft's descent and touch down at a safe distance from the runway threshold. The touchdown speed of 36 kt was well within the acceptable range, and the touchdown rate of -78 fpm was excellent, indicating a smooth and controlled touchdown.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were favorable, with a temperature of 15 °C and a light wind of 2 kt at 270 °. The crosswind component was minimal at 1 kt, and the tailwind component was 2 kt, which had a negligible effect on the landing. The runway length of 1,814 m was more than sufficient to accommodate the aircraft's landing distance of 735 m, which was only 41% of the runway length.
The runway touchdown alignment was very good, indicating that the pilot had maintained a stable and controlled approach. The runway rollout alignment was also very good, demonstrating the pilot's ability to maintain control of the aircraft during the rollout phase. Overall, the landing was a success, with the pilot demonstrating excellent skills and control throughout the process.
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