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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Improve the landing
Not the biggest loss in points — the one thing on this flight a check pilot would raise first, and the guide passage for it.
Every knot above Vref is stored kinetic energy, and energy stored at the threshold must be dissipated in ground effect before the aeroplane will stop flying. Because kinetic energy scales with the square of speed, the excess you must dissipate grows fast. At a 45-knot approach, five knots hot is over a tenth more speed and roughly a quarter more energy to get rid of in ground effect. This is why the fix is never in the flare. It was decided three miles earlier, on final, at the airspeed indicator.
Read more in Bush Flying 101Start to finish · 15 stages, 13 scored
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Two stabilised approach gates, each with six checks at 1,000 ft and 500 ft above the runway.
Side view — the last 1,511 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 1,511 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
Touched down 871 m past the threshold — beyond the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight began with a taxiing period from the parking area to the runway, which took 7 minutes and covered a distance of 3 nautical miles. The aircraft, a Piper PA-24-250 Comanche, then departed from runway 02L at KSNA John Wayne Orange County International Airport. The takeoff distance was 445 meters, which accounted for 26% of the runway. The liftoff speed was 72 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 16 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 2 knots from a direction of 270 degrees. The crosswind component was 2 knots, while the tailwind component was 1 knot. After a brief enroute level cruise that lasted less than 1 minute and covered less than 1 nautical mile, the aircraft began its enroute climb from an altitude of 480 feet above sea level to 7,727 feet above sea level. This climb, which covered a distance of 8 nautical miles, took 9 minutes and resulted in an increase of 7,247 feet in altitude.
Following the enroute climb, the aircraft entered a level cruise phase that lasted 34 minutes and covered a distance of 77 nautical miles. This cruise phase began 1 mile west of Garden Grove, California. The aircraft then started its enroute descent from an altitude of 7,221 feet above sea level to 733 feet above sea level. This descent, which covered a distance of 7 nautical miles, took 5 minutes and resulted in a decrease of 6,488 feet in altitude. The descent began 2 miles southwest of Rancho Mirage, California.
The final approach to runway 31R at KPSP Palm Springs International Airport was made from the southeast, with a heading of 324.0 degrees. The aircraft touched down on the runway, which had a length of 1,511 meters. The threshold height at 76 feet above ground level was well above the target, while the threshold speed was excessively high at 98 knots. The touchdown point was located very far down the runway, using more than 50% of the available runway. However, the touchdown speed of 59 knots was good, and the touchdown rate of 21 feet per minute was perfect. The runway touchdown alignment was also very good.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 2 knots from a direction of 270 degrees. The crosswind component was 2 knots, while the headwind component was 1 knot. The total landing distance was 1,349 meters, which accounted for 89% of the runway. The runway rollout alignment was also very good. After landing, the aircraft took 3 minutes to taxi to the parking area, covering a distance of less than 1 nautical mile.
In total, the flight covered a distance of 97 nautical miles and took 58 minutes to complete. The aircraft used 35 kilograms of fuel during the flight.
The aircraft in question, a Piper PA-24-250 Comanche, successfully landed at KPSP Palm Springs International Airport on runway 31R. The final approach was initiated from the southeast, heading 324.0° at an altitude of 260 feet above ground level (agl) and 0 nautical miles from the runway threshold.
Upon landing, the aircraft touched down at a speed of 59 knots, which was considered good. The touchdown rate of 21 feet per minute (fpm) was also perfect, indicating a smooth and controlled descent. The runway touchdown alignment was very good, suggesting that the pilot maintained a stable and aligned approach to the runway.
However, there were some areas of concern during the landing. The threshold height at 76 feet agl was well above the target, indicating that the pilot may have been too high on final approach. Additionally, the threshold speed was excessively high at 98 knots, which could have put the aircraft at risk of overshooting the runway.
The touchdown point was also very long, using more than 50% of the available runway. This suggests that the pilot may have been too slow on final approach or may have been unable to maintain a stable and aligned approach. The total landing distance of 1,349 meters was 89% of the runway length, which is slightly above average.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were relatively calm, with a temperature of 15°C and a wind speed of 2 knots from 270°. The crosswind component was 2 knots, while the headwind component was 1 knot. These conditions were not particularly challenging, and the pilot should have been able to maintain a stable and controlled approach to the runway.
Overall, while the landing was successful, there were some areas of concern that the pilot should address in order to improve their performance. With some adjustments to their approach and landing technique, the pilot should be able to achieve a more efficient and controlled landing.
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