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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Arrival
Apply steady, continuous back pressure through the flare to arrest the sink smoothly and hold the normal profile, rather than letting it drift.
What happened: The flare did not hold its target profile, with the sink most arrested at 5.2 ft, and this flight then touched down at 337 fpm of sink - a firm arrival. An unsettled flare profile like this usually carries through to a firmer touchdown.
Watch for: Vertical speed indicator: a smooth, steadily decreasing sink rate through the flare to touchdown.
Arrive slow and the sink rate at the threshold is already above schedule, the flare is short because there is no energy to extend it, and the touchdown is hard in a way that feels exactly like a late flare. Diagnosing a slow arrival as a late flare is the catastrophic misread: you respond by flaring earlier, which bleeds more speed, which makes the next one worse. The tiebreaker is threshold speed against VRef, not feel. Never diagnose a flare without it.
Read more in Flare TimingStart to finish · 20 stages, 18 scored
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The threshold, the flare and the hold-off. The approach that led to it is the stabilisation gates below.
Two stabilised approach gates, each with seven checks, where the approach path is 1,000 ft and 500 ft above the runway.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 1,672 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,672 m of the 3,588 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
Touched down 603 m past the threshold — beyond 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 7 minutes and covered less than 1 nautical mile. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, then departed from runway 29 at LCPH Paphos International Airport. The takeoff distance was 1,749 meters, which accounted for 65% of the runway. The liftoff speed was 159 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius, with a wind speed of 3 knots at 77 degrees. The crosswind was 2 knots, while the tailwind was also 2 knots. The aircraft then began its enroute climb, starting 1 mile south of Koloni in the Paphos District of Cyprus. The climb took 18 minutes and covered 105 nautical miles, with the aircraft rising from 1,007 feet above sea level to 33,520 feet.
Following the initial climb, the aircraft entered a level cruise phase, which started 52 miles south of Beykonak in Antalya, Turkey. This phase lasted for 38 minutes and covered 286 nautical miles. The aircraft then began another climb, this time starting 3 miles south of Plomari in the North Aegean region of Greece. The climb took 5 minutes and covered 40 nautical miles, with the aircraft rising from 33,347 feet to 37,528 feet.
The aircraft then entered another level cruise phase, which started 18 miles northwest of Eresos in the North Aegean region of Greece. This phase lasted for 19 minutes and covered 146 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its descent, starting 6 miles south of Dospat in the Oblast Smolyan region of Bulgaria. The descent took 22 minutes and covered 79 nautical miles, with the aircraft descending from 37,256 feet to 3,084 feet.
The final approach to runway 09 at LBSF Sofia Airport was made from the west, with the aircraft heading 95.0 degrees at 4 nautical miles and 1,334 feet above ground level. The landing was made on runway 09, which had a length of 3,588 meters. The threshold height was above the target, while the threshold speed was slightly above target at 149 knots.
The touchdown point was 192 meters beyond the touchdown zone, with the touchdown speed being a little fast at 141 knots. The touchdown rate was fair at -294 feet per minute, while the runway touchdown alignment was perfect. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 21 degrees Celsius, with a wind speed of 10 knots at 90 degrees. The crosswind was 1 knot, while the headwind was 10 knots.
The total landing distance was 1,596 meters, which accounted for 44% of the runway. The runway rollout alignment was very good. The taxiing period from the runway to the parking took 5 minutes and covered less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 665 nautical miles, which was covered in 122 minutes. The aircraft used 5,273 kilograms of fuel during the flight.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft successfully landed at LBSF Sofia Airport, achieving a score of 91.3%. The final approach to runway 09 was initiated from the west, with a heading of 95.0° at a distance of 4 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,334 feet above ground level (agl).
Upon landing, the aircraft touched down on the runway, with the threshold height being above the target at 65 feet agl. The threshold speed was slightly above the target at 149 knots, indicating a slight deviation from the ideal landing speed. The touchdown point was located 192 meters beyond the touchdown zone, which is a relatively minor deviation.
The touchdown speed of 141 knots was a little fast, suggesting that the pilot may have been able to reduce the speed further to achieve a more optimal landing. However, the touchdown rate of -294 feet per minute (fpm) was considered fair, indicating a relatively smooth descent.
The runway touchdown alignment was perfect, demonstrating the pilot's skill and control during the landing. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were favorable, with a temperature of 21°C and a wind speed of 10 knots at 90°. The crosswind component was minimal at 1 knot, while the headwind component was 10 knots, which helped to reduce the landing distance.
The total landing distance of 1,596 meters was 44% of the runway length, indicating a relatively short landing distance. The runway rollout alignment was very good, demonstrating the pilot's ability to maintain control and stability during the landing roll.
Overall, the landing was considered successful, with the pilot achieving a high score of 91.3%. However, there were some minor deviations from the ideal landing parameters, including a slightly fast touchdown speed and a touchdown point beyond the touchdown zone.
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