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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Avoid steep turns at low altitude
Below a thousand feet the aeroplane is slow, heavy and close to the ground. A steep turn loses lift, raises the stall speed and flattens the climb just when the gradient matters most. A normal turn on course is a rate one — fifteen degrees or so, twenty-five at the outside, this penalty is to acknowledge when a turn has stopped being a turn and become a manoeuvre.
Read more in Improve Your Take-OffsStart to finish · 24 stages, 22 scored
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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 1,545 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,545 m of the 2,404 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 147 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 6 minutes and covered less than 1 nautical mile. The aircraft, an A321-253NX, then departed from runway 28R at Dublin Airport, EIDW. The takeoff distance was 1,685 meters, which accounted for 54% of the runway. The liftoff speed was 164 knots.
As the aircraft climbed out of Dublin Airport, it encountered local weather conditions of 18°C temperature and a 1-knot headwind at 277°. The enroute climb started 1 mile northwest of the airport, where the aircraft climbed from 1,220 feet above sea level to 8,996 feet above sea level, an increase of 7,777 feet in 3 minutes, covering 8 nautical miles.
The aircraft then entered a level cruise phase, starting overhead Dolly's Grove Maynooth, and lasted for 2 minutes, covering 8 nautical miles. This was followed by another climb phase, starting overhead Casement Air Base Baldonnel, where the aircraft climbed from 9,020 feet above sea level to 18,996 feet above sea level, an increase of 9,976 feet in 5 minutes, covering 30 nautical miles.
The aircraft continued to climb, starting 1 mile southwest of Courtown, where it climbed from 18,994 feet above sea level to 34,976 feet above sea level, an increase of 15,982 feet in 12 minutes, covering 82 nautical miles. The aircraft then entered a level cruise phase, starting 45 miles southwest of Milford Haven, and lasted for 55 minutes, covering 375 nautical miles.
The aircraft then climbed again, starting 83 miles north of Cervo, where it climbed from 35,126 feet above sea level to 36,511 feet above sea level, an increase of 1,384 feet in 2 minutes, covering 12 nautical miles. This was followed by another level cruise phase, starting 70 miles north of Cervo, and lasted for 51 minutes, covering 364 nautical miles.
As the aircraft began its descent, it started 9 miles north of LPEO Pista da Nossa Senhora de Machede Evora, and descended from 36,987 feet above sea level to 1,213 feet above sea level, a decrease of 35,774 feet in 24 minutes, covering 104 nautical miles.
The final approach to runway 10 at Faro Airport, LPFR, was made from the west, heading 100.0° at 4 nautical miles and 1,183 feet above ground level. The landing was made on runway 10, which had a length of 2,404 meters. The threshold height was good, and the threshold speed was also good at 136 knots.
The touchdown distance was good at 144 meters, and the touchdown speed was 135 knots, which was also good. However, the touchdown rate was very hard at -530 feet per minute. The runway touchdown position was misaligned by 10.7 meters from the centerline. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were 33°C temperature and a 11-knot headwind at 93°.
The total landing distance was 1,461 meters, which accounted for 61% of the runway. The runway rollout alignment was slightly misaligned by 12.0 meters from the centerline. The taxiing period from the runway to the parking took 1 minute and covered less than 1 nautical mile.
The total flight distance was 1,000 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 164 minutes. The aircraft used 6,469 kilograms of fuel during the flight.
The aircraft in question, an A321-253NX, successfully landed at LPFR Faro Airport, with a final approach from the west. The aircraft's approach was executed at a heading of 100.0°, approximately 4 nautical miles from the runway, at an altitude of 1,183 feet above ground level (agl). The pilot's performance during the final approach was satisfactory, with a threshold speed of 136 knots, which is within the acceptable range.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft's performance was also satisfactory, with a touchdown distance of 144 meters, which is within the acceptable range. The touchdown speed of 135 knots was also within the acceptable range. However, the touchdown rate was quite hard, at -530 feet per minute (fpm), which may indicate a slightly aggressive approach or a need for further pilot training.
One notable issue during the landing was the misalignment of the runway touchdown position, which was off-centerline by 10.7 meters. This may be due to a variety of factors, including wind conditions, pilot error, or a combination of both. The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were characterized by a temperature of 33°C and a wind speed of 11 knots from a direction of 93°. The crosswind component was minimal, at 1 knot, while the headwind component was 11 knots.
The total landing distance of 1,461 meters was 61% of the runway length, which is within the acceptable range. However, the runway rollout alignment was slightly misaligned, by 12.0 meters from the centerline. This may indicate a need for further pilot training or a review of the aircraft's performance during the landing roll.
Overall, the landing was satisfactory, with some minor issues that may require further attention. The pilot's performance during the final approach and touchdown was satisfactory, but the hard touchdown rate and misaligned runway touchdown position may indicate a need for further training or review.
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