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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Fixing the bounce
Fast at the threshold, normal flare, and the runway seems to refuse the aircraft. The instinctive fix - pushing it on - causes the next one. A fast aircraft forced onto the runway touches nosewheel-first or nearly so. The tell is a touchdown that feels soft followed by a bounce that steepens. Pilots fix the bounce recovery; the cause was the 10 knots at the threshold.
Read more in VRef ExplainedStart to finish · 17 stages, 16 scored
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 1,193 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 1,193 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 286 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 26 at EHTE Teuge Airport, where the aircraft, a DA40-XLS, accelerated down the 402-meter runway, covering 34% of its length. The liftoff speed was achieved at 63 knots. At the time of departure, the local weather conditions were characterized by a temperature of 16°C and a gentle headwind of 1 knot from a direction of 270°.
As the aircraft climbed away from the airport, it began its enroute climb, which started overhead Teuge, a location in the Provincie Gelderland, The Netherlands. The climb took the aircraft from an altitude of 394 feet above sea level to 1,457 feet, an increase of 1,063 feet, in just 2 minutes, covering a distance of 1 nautical mile. Following the climb, the aircraft entered a level cruise phase, which lasted for 19 minutes and covered a distance of 1 nautical mile.
The enroute descent phase began overhead Teuge, where the aircraft descended from an altitude of 2,096 feet to 751 feet, a decrease of 1,345 feet, in 2 minutes, covering a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The aircraft then entered a right-hand pattern, which involved a series of turns and descents to prepare for landing.
The pattern began with a downwind turn, where the aircraft turned to the right, covering a distance of 0 nautical miles in 9 seconds, at an angle of 24.7° to the runway. The downwind leg followed, where the aircraft flew for a distance of less than 1 nautical mile in 9 seconds. The base leg turn then took place, where the aircraft turned to the right, covering a distance of 1 nautical mile, at an angle of 0.0° to the runway.
However, instead of landing, the aircraft executed a go-around, climbing to an altitude of 685 feet above ground level. The final approach to runway 08 at EHTE Teuge Airport was then made from the west, heading 86.0°, at a distance of 1 nautical mile and an altitude of 482 feet. The aircraft then landed on the runway, which was 1,193 meters long, with a good threshold height. The touchdown speed was slightly below the target speed of 64 knots, at 46 knots, and the touchdown distance was good at 284 meters.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 15°C and a gentle tailwind of 1 knot from a direction of 281°. The aircraft's performance was excellent, with a touchdown rate of -98 feet per minute and a runway touchdown alignment that was very good. The total flight distance was 9 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 27 minutes, during which the aircraft used 43 kilograms of fuel.
The DA40-XLS aircraft successfully landed at EHTE Teuge Airport on two separate occasions, with varying degrees of success. The first landing, which scored 75.7%, was marked by several issues. The final approach was initiated from the west, heading 86.0° at 1 nm and 482 ft above ground level (agl). However, the aircraft touched down before the threshold, which is not ideal. The touchdown speed of 142 kt was excessively fast, indicating that the pilot may have been unable to slow the aircraft down sufficiently before touchdown. Furthermore, the touchdown rate was very heavy at -1,164 fpm, which can put excessive stress on the aircraft's landing gear.
Additionally, the runway touchdown position was excessively misaligned by 1,856.7 m from the centreline, which can make it difficult for the pilot to control the aircraft during the landing roll. The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were relatively calm, with a temperature of 16 °C and a wind speed of 2 kt at 267°. The crosswind was negligible, but there was a slight tailwind of 2 kt.
In contrast, the second landing was much more successful. The aircraft touched down at a speed of 46 kt, which is well within the target range. The touchdown rate was also excellent at -98 fpm, indicating that the pilot was able to slow the aircraft down smoothly and safely. The runway touchdown alignment was very good, and the touchdown distance was good at 284 m. The local weather conditions were similar to those of the first landing, with a temperature of 15 °C and a wind speed of 1 kt at 281°. The crosswind was again negligible, and there was a slight tailwind of 1 kt.
Overall, the second landing was a significant improvement over the first, and it suggests that the pilot was able to learn from their mistakes and make adjustments to improve the landing. However, the first landing still had several issues that need to be addressed in order to achieve a higher level of success.
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