Events
Events
Events
Events
Events
Events
Events
Events
Events
MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Shorten the long landing
Ground effect becomes significant below about one wingspan of height. A Cessna 172, with a 36 ft span, enters ground effect at flare height - the float it feels in the hold-off is ground effect arriving on cue. An A320, with a span around 117 ft, has been in ground effect since before the threshold and there is no sudden cushion to feel, only a gradual reduction in induced drag that lengthens any float you allow.
Read more in Flare TimingStart to finish · 20 stages, 18 scored
Events
Events
Events
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.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,524 m of the 2,997 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 473 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight began with a taxiing period from the parking to the runway, which took approximately 3 minutes and covered less than 1 nautical mile. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, then departed from runway 34 at Wellington International Airport (NZWN). The takeoff distance was 1,156 meters, which accounted for 64% of the runway. The liftoff speed was 156 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 6 knots from a direction of 359 degrees. This resulted in a headwind of 6 knots and a crosswind of 0 knots. The aircraft began its enroute climb overhead SB14 Wellington, ascending from an altitude of 1,023 feet above sea level to 38,723 feet above sea level, an increase of 37,700 feet in 39 minutes, covering a distance of 267 nautical miles.
Following the initial climb, the aircraft entered a level cruise phase, which started 2 miles north of Pakuranga, Auckland, New Zealand. This phase lasted for 188 minutes, covering a distance of 1,402 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its enroute descent, starting 49 miles east of NFTP Kuini Lavenia Airport, Niuatoputapu, Tonga. The descent from 38,974 feet above sea level to 3,012 feet above sea level, a decrease of 35,963 feet in 9 minutes, covered a distance of 136 nautical miles.
The aircraft then entered another level cruise phase, which started 9 miles south of Tafua, Palauli, Samoa, and lasted for 2 minutes, covering a distance of 6 nautical miles. The final descent phase began 4 miles south-east of Tafua, with the aircraft descending from 2,502 feet above sea level to 1,337 feet above sea level, a decrease of 1,165 feet in 2 minutes, covering a distance of 7 nautical miles.
The final approach to runway 08 at Faleolo International Airport (NSFA) was made from the west, with the aircraft heading 89.0 degrees at a distance of 4 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,286 feet above ground level. The landing on runway 08 was successful, with the touchdown point being 57 meters beyond the touchdown zone. The touchdown speed was 129 knots, which was considered good, while the touchdown rate was fair at -276 feet per minute.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 23 degrees Celsius. The total landing distance was 1,362 meters, which accounted for 45% of the runway. The runway rollout alignment was perfect, and the taxiing period from the runway to the parking took approximately 1 minute, covering less than 1 nautical mile.
The total flight distance was 1,824 nautical miles, taking a total of 229 minutes, and the aircraft used 10,487 kilograms of fuel during the flight.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft successfully landed at NSFA Faleolo International Airport, achieving a high score of 99.4%. The final approach to runway 08 was conducted from the west, with a heading of 89.0° at a distance of 4 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,286 feet above ground level (agl).
The aircraft touched down on the runway, with a threshold speed of 137 knots being well within the acceptable range. The touchdown point was located 57 meters beyond the designated touchdown zone, which is a relatively minor deviation. The touchdown speed of 129 knots was also within the acceptable range, indicating a smooth and controlled descent.
However, the touchdown rate of -276 feet per minute (fpm) was only fair, suggesting that the aircraft may have experienced a slightly higher-than-desired rate of descent during the final stages of the approach. Despite this, the runway touchdown alignment was very good, indicating that the aircraft was properly aligned with the runway centerline at the moment of touchdown.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were favorable, with a temperature of 23°C. The total landing distance of 1,362 meters was 45% of the runway length, which is a relatively short distance considering the aircraft's size and weight.
The runway rollout alignment was perfect, indicating that the aircraft was properly aligned with the runway centerline during the rollout phase. Overall, the landing was successful, with the aircraft achieving a high score and demonstrating good control and precision during the final approach and touchdown phases.
Scroll or drag the slider to zoom · double-click to reset · hover for values