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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Shorten the long landing
Ground effect becomes significant below about one wingspan of height. A Cessna 172, with a 36 ft span, enters ground effect at flare height - the float it feels in the hold-off is ground effect arriving on cue. An A320, with a span around 117 ft, has been in ground effect since before the threshold and there is no sudden cushion to feel, only a gradual reduction in induced drag that lengthens any float you allow.
Read more in Flare TimingStart to finish · 23 stages, 21 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 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,524 m of the 2,190 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 218 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight began with the Black Square Starship N45FL taxiing from the parking area to the runway at KBOS Logan International Airport, a process that took 27 minutes and covered a distance of 5 nautical miles. The aircraft then departed from runway 27, with a takeoff distance of 1,090 meters, which accounted for 51% of the runway. The liftoff speed was 110 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, with a wind speed of 13 knots at 120 degrees. This resulted in a crosswind of 9 knots and a tailwind of 9 knots. The aircraft then began its enroute climb, starting overhead Boston, Massachusetts, and ascending from 1,027 feet above sea level to 33,017 feet above sea level, an increase of 31,990 feet in 14 minutes and covering a distance of 12 nautical miles.
Following the initial climb, the aircraft entered a level cruise, starting 1 mile south of Norwood, Massachusetts, and lasting 51 minutes, during which it covered a distance of 223 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its first descent, starting 1 mile northeast of West Norriton, Pennsylvania, and descending from 33,209 feet above sea level to 10,342 feet above sea level, a decrease of 22,868 feet in 16 minutes and covering a distance of 75 nautical miles.
The aircraft then entered another level cruise, starting 1 mile east of Butcher's Hill, Maryland, and lasting 20 minutes, during which it covered a distance of 30 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its second descent, starting 1 mile southwest of Derwood, Maryland, and descending from 10,300 feet above sea level to 4,151 feet above sea level, a decrease of 6,149 feet in 5 minutes and covering a distance of 12 nautical miles.
The aircraft then entered another level cruise, starting 1 mile southwest of Chillum, Maryland, and lasting 14 minutes, during which it covered a distance of 7 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its third descent, starting overhead Colesville, Maryland, and descending from 4,548 feet above sea level to 3,399 feet above sea level, a decrease of 1,149 feet in 2 minutes and covering a distance of 5 nautical miles.
The aircraft then entered a final level cruise, starting overhead Chevy Chase, Maryland, and lasting 3 minutes, during which it covered a distance of 6 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its final approach to runway 19 at KDCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, heading 156.0 degrees at 3 nautical miles and 1,904 feet above ground level.
The landing on runway 19 was successful, with a touchdown distance of 218 meters and a touchdown speed of 107 knots. However, the touchdown rate was very heavy at -1,256 feet per minute, and the runway touchdown position was misaligned by 10.5 meters from the centerline. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius.
The total landing distance was 1,291 meters, which accounted for 59% of the runway. The runway rollout alignment was also misaligned by 19.1 meters from the centerline. The aircraft then taxied to the parking area from the runway, a process that took 5 minutes and covered a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 382 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 147 minutes, during which the aircraft used 625 kilograms of fuel.
The aircraft, Black Square Starship N45FL, successfully landed on runway 19 at KDCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The final approach was initiated from the north, heading 156.0° at a distance of 3 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,904 feet above ground level (agl). The aircraft's performance during the landing was evaluated, and it scored 74.2%.
The aircraft's approach to the runway was satisfactory, with a threshold height that was well above the target. This indicates that the aircraft had sufficient altitude to safely touch down on the runway. The threshold speed was also good, at 110 knots, which is a safe speed for landing. The touchdown distance was within acceptable limits, at 218 meters, and the touchdown speed was also good, at 107 knots.
However, there were some areas of concern during the landing. The touchdown rate was very heavy, at -1,256 feet per minute (fpm), which is significantly higher than the recommended rate. This could indicate that the aircraft was touching down too quickly, which can be a safety concern. Additionally, the runway touchdown position was misaligned by 10.5 meters from the centerline, which could have been due to a navigation error or a deviation from the planned approach path.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were hot, with a temperature of 31°C. This could have affected the aircraft's performance and the pilot's ability to control the aircraft during the landing. The total landing distance was 1,291 meters, which is 59% of the runway length. This is a relatively short landing distance, but it could have been affected by the heavy touchdown rate and the misaligned runway touchdown position.
After touchdown, the aircraft's rollout alignment was also misaligned by 19.1 meters from the centerline. This could have been due to a combination of factors, including the heavy touchdown rate and the pilot's ability to control the aircraft during the rollout phase. Overall, while the landing was successful, there were some areas of concern that need to be addressed to improve the aircraft's performance and safety.
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