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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Keep the approach speed on target
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.
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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 1,156 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 1,156 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
Touched down 531 m past the threshold — beyond the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
This flight was conducted in a Piper PA-24-250 Comanche aircraft from Goodwood Aerodrome with departure taking place on runway 32. The aircraft lifted off after 316 meters, which is equivalent to 33% of the runway length. The liftoff speed was 72 knots.
As the aircraft flew away from Goodwood Aerodrome, it climbed from an initial altitude of 679 feet above sea level to 3,543 feet, a vertical distance of 2,863 feet, within a span of 2 minutes and covering 3 nautical miles. The climb was followed by a brief cruise at level altitude, where the aircraft maintained a steady height while covering a further 3 nautical miles.
The aircraft then began descending from 3,698 feet asl to 558 feet asl, a drop of 3,140 feet over the next 3 minutes, while covering 7 nautical miles. The descent led to a further level cruise over South Hayling, this time lasting for 5 minutes and covering a distance of 8 nautical miles.
As the aircraft approached Solent Airport, it initiated a final approach to runway 23, which is positioned at a heading of 229.0 degrees. The landing took place with the aircraft flying from the north-east, with a local temperature of 20°C and wind conditions of 10 knots at 171 degrees. The crosswind was 8 knots, while the headwind contributed 6 knots to the overall airflow.
Although the touch down speed was high at 102 knots and the threshold height and speed were both off-target, the aircraft landed on runway 23, with the touchdown point located 119 meters beyond the designated touchdown zone. The runway touchdown position was slightly off-centerline, while the landing speed was firm at 74 knots.
After landing, the aircraft taxied for less than a minute, covering less than 1 nautical mile, before arriving at the designated parking area. In total, the flight covered a distance of 23 nautical miles and consumed 11 kilograms of fuel, while lasting 13 minutes in duration.
The Piper PA-24-250 Comanche's landing at EGHF Solent Airport has been evaluated, resulting in a score of 73.0%. The final approach was initiated from the north-east, heading 229.0 degrees at a distance of 0 nautical miles from the runway. The approach was made at an altitude of 258 feet above ground level.
Upon landing on runway 23, it was observed that the threshold height was above the target height, indicating a slight deviation from the ideal approach trajectory. More critically, the threshold speed was excessively high at 102 knots, suggesting an overly aggressive approach that increased the risk of a high-energy landing. Furthermore, the touchdown point was located 119 meters beyond the touchdown zone, indicating a prolonged landing roll.
The touchdown speed of 74 knots was also found to be faster than recommended, resulting in a firm touchdown rate of -362 feet per minute. Additionally, the runways' centerline was misaligned by 9 meters, which could have contributed to the prolonged landing roll and increased the risk of a veer-off or excursion during rollout.
Weather conditions were relatively calm during the landing, with a temperature of 20°C and wind speeds of 10 knots at 171 degrees, which resulted in a crosswind component of 8 knots and a headwind component of 6 knots. The relatively low runway length of 1,156 meters and the pilots inability to slow the aircraft adequately in time for a proper touch down, contributed to a total landing distance of 890 meters, which equates to 77% of the runway length. However, the roll-out after landing was very good with regards to runway alignment.
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