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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Know your rotation speed
A typical trainer rotates in the mid-50s of knots - a 172 at around 55 KIAS, climbing out at a Vy in the low 70s, though check your own POH rather than memorising Cessna's numbers - and the transferable rule is that Vr sits just above the stall speed in takeoff configuration. Rotate early because "it felt ready" and the aircraft lifts off inside ground effect, where induced drag is reduced, then climbs out of it into more drag. On a marginal-performance day the result is an aircraft that lifts off and then refuses to climb, sagging back towards the runway.
Read more in Improve Your Take-OffsStart to finish · 18 stages, 16 scored
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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 5,000 ft of the approach.
Plan view — the first 5,000 ft of the 6,959 ft runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 1,112 ft 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 4 minutes and covered less than 1 nautical mile. The aircraft, a Cessna CJ4 Citation, then departed from runway 32 at KSBO Emanuel County Airport, located in Swainsboro, Georgia. The takeoff distance was 1,983 feet, which accounted for 33% of the runway. The liftoff speed was 150 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 61°F and a wind speed of 2 knots from a direction of 270°. The crosswind was 1 knot, while the headwind was 2 knots. The aircraft then began its enroute climb, starting 1 mile northwest of KSBO Emanuel County Airport. The climb took 11 minutes and covered 49 nautical miles, during which the aircraft ascended from an altitude of 1,332 feet above sea level to 30,101 feet above sea level, an increase of 28,769 feet.
Following the enroute climb, the aircraft entered a level cruise phase, which started 3 miles south of KDNL Daniel Field Augusta in Georgia. This phase lasted for 67 minutes and covered a distance of 514 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its enroute descent, starting 6 miles southeast of South Renovo in Pennsylvania. The descent took 19 minutes and covered 92 nautical miles, during which the aircraft descended from an altitude of 30,114 feet above sea level to 2,265 feet above sea level, a decrease of 27,848 feet.
The final approach to runway 14 at KITH Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport was made from the northwest, with a heading of 133.0° at a distance of 4 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,177 feet above ground level. The landing was made on runway 14, which had a length of 6,959 feet. The threshold height was good, but the threshold speed was excessively high at 124 knots. The touchdown distance was good at 1,105 feet, but the touchdown speed was too fast at 112 knots. The touchdown rate was firm at -362 feet per minute, and the runway touchdown alignment was perfect.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 59°F and a wind speed of 2 knots from a direction of 270°. The crosswind was 1 knot, while the tailwind was 1 knot. The total landing distance was 2,686 feet, which accounted for 39% of the runway. The runway rollout alignment was also perfect. The taxiing period from the runway to the parking took less than 1 minute and covered less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 662 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 104 minutes. Notably, the aircraft used 0 pounds of fuel during the flight.
The Cessna CJ4 Citation successfully landed at KITH Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, achieving a score of 93.0%. The aircraft approached the runway from the northwest, heading 133.0° at a distance of 4 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,177 feet above ground level (agl).
Upon landing, the aircraft touched down on runway 14, which has a length of 6,959 feet. The threshold height was reported as good, indicating that the aircraft was at the correct height as it approached the runway. However, the threshold speed was excessively high at 124 knots, which may have been a result of the aircraft's approach speed being too high.
The touchdown distance was good at 1,105 feet, indicating that the aircraft was able to slow down effectively after touchdown. However, the touchdown speed of 112 knots was too fast, which may have put additional stress on the aircraft's landing gear. The touchdown rate was firm at -362 feet per minute (fpm), which is within a safe range.
The runway touchdown alignment was perfect, indicating that the aircraft was aligned with the runway centerline as it touched down. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were favorable, with a temperature of 59°F and a wind speed of 2 knots from 270°. The crosswind and tailwind components were minimal, at 1 kt each.
The total landing distance was 2,686 feet, which is 39% of the runway length. This indicates that the aircraft was able to stop effectively after touchdown. The runway rollout alignment was also perfect, indicating that the aircraft was aligned with the runway centerline as it rolled out after touchdown.
Overall, the landing was successful, with the aircraft achieving a good touchdown distance and rollout alignment. However, there were some areas for improvement, including the excessively high threshold speed and the too-fast touchdown speed.
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