Events
Events
Events
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.
Read more in VRef ExplainedStart to finish · 16 stages, 14 scored
Events
Events
Events
One stabilised approach gate for a circuit: six checks at the point nearest 500 ft above the runway after the base turn. The 1,000 ft gate is an instrument-approach check and does not apply. These checks are the approach's score.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 906 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 906 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 84 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The Taylorcraft BC-12D taxied to runway 22 at EGHN Isle of Wight / Sandown Airport and commenced the take-off roll, covering 196 m which represents 22 % of the runway. Liftoff was achieved at 43 kt. Ambient conditions were 15 °C with a wind of 2 kt from 270°, including a 1 kt cross-wind component and a 1 kt head-wind component.
After departure, the aircraft entered a right-hand pattern from runway 22, flying a distance of less than 1 nm in 18 seconds to join the circuit.
The right-hand cross-wind leg was flown for less than 1 nm in 12 seconds before turning to the downwind segment.
During the downwind turn the aircraft covered 1 nm while turning 57.3° relative to the runway heading of 45°.
The downwind leg itself was 1 nm long and was completed in 64 seconds.
The base-leg turn was executed over 1 nm with a turn angle of 33.5° relative to the runway heading of 45°.
The base leg was flown for less than 1 nm in 18 seconds before commencing the final turn.
The final turn covered less than 1 nm in 27 seconds, positioning the aircraft for the approach.
On final approach to runway 22 the aircraft descended from 442 ft AGL to 17 ft AGL in 72 seconds, meeting the stabilisation gates.
Touchdown occurred 81 m down the runway at a speed of 25 kt with a vertical speed of minus 45 fpm; the touchdown point was offset 8.0 m from the centreline. The total landing roll measured 121 m, equivalent to 13 % of the 906 m runway, and the rollout alignment was slightly off centreline by 8.1 m.
Overall, the flight covered a distance of 5 nm, took 5 (units as recorded), and consumed 0 kg of fuel.
The final approach to runway 22 at EGHN descended from 442 ft agl to 17 ft agl in 72 seconds and was scored on the stabilisation gates; temperature was 15 °C with a wind of 2 kt from 270°, including a 1 kt cross-wind and a 1 kt head-wind, and the runway length is 906 m.
At threshold the aircraft’s speed of 30 kt was well below the target, a condition noted as requiring care to avoid a stall, and the threshold height was described as good.
Touchdown occurred 81 m down the runway at a speed of 25 kt, which was judged good, with a perfect vertical rate of minus 45 fpm; the touchdown point was misaligned by 8.0 m from the centreline.
The total landing distance was 121 m, representing 13 % of the runway, and the rollout remained slightly misaligned by 8.1 m from the centreline.
Maintain a touchdown speed closer to the target to preserve a safety margin while refining centreline tracking to reduce the 8-metre lateral deviation observed at both touchdown and rollout.
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