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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Speed on the slow side
Between four hundred and a thousand feet you're heavy, close to the ground and still carrying flap, and speed is the margin holding all three apart. Slow here doesn't feel like anything — the aeroplane climbs, the nose is up, nothing complains — right up until a turn, a gust or a bank tightens the wing's job and the margin is already gone. The fix is rarely "fly faster", it's lowering the nose a degree and letting the speed build before the next thing you do. Pitch buys altitude, speed buys options, and at this height options are the scarcer of the two.
Read more in Improve Your Take-OffsStart to finish · 15 stages, 13 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. They are the approach's score: the checks passed out of the checks that ran.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,524 m of the 2,433 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
Touched down 516 m past the threshold — beyond the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
Departing Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA), the Airbus A320 began its journey by taxiing from the parking area to the runway, a process that took 13 minutes and covered a distance of 2 nautical miles. As the aircraft reached the end of runway 01, it initiated its departure roll, accelerating down the 1,315-meter stretch of the 2,432-meter runway, which accounted for 60% of its length. The aircraft lifted off at a speed of 147 knots, taking advantage of the 10-knot headwind and 7-knot crosswind conditions, with a temperature of 18 degrees Celsius and a wind direction of 320 degrees.
As the aircraft climbed to its cruising altitude, it passed overhead the Washington Potomac Washington (RB16) area, marking the beginning of its enroute climb phase. The aircraft ascended from 1,006 feet above sea level to 36,005 feet, a vertical increase of 34,999 feet, in just 12 minutes and covering a distance of 110 nautical miles. Following a 27-minute level cruise, during which the aircraft covered 587 nautical miles, it began its enroute descent phase, starting 4 miles northeast of the Cran Bog N Airport (WS84) in Warrens, Wisconsin. The aircraft descended from 36,003 feet to 2,116 feet in 15 minutes and covered 124 nautical miles.
As the Airbus A320 approached Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (KMSP), it initiated its final approach to runway 30R from the southeast, aligning itself with the runway at 4 nautical miles and 1,276 feet above ground level. The aircraft landed on the 2,432-meter runway, with a touchdown point 99 meters beyond the touchdown zone, at a speed of 135 knots. The touchdown rate was fair at -214 feet per minute, and the runway touchdown alignment was perfect. Following a 2-minute taxi to the parking area, the aircraft completed its journey, having covered a total distance of 830 nautical miles and consuming 5,541 kilograms of fuel in the process.
The aircraft touched down on runway 30R at KMSP Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport with a threshold height that met the desired standards. However, the threshold speed was slightly above the target, registering 143 kt, which may have contributed to a slightly faster touchdown speed of 135 kt. The touchdown point was located 99 m beyond the designated touchdown zone, indicating a minor deviation from the ideal landing spot.
Despite the slightly fast touchdown speed, the aircraft maintained a fair touchdown rate of -214 fpm, which is within acceptable limits. The runway touchdown alignment was perfect, with the aircraft centered on the runway's centerline. The local weather conditions, with a temperature of 21 °C and a headwind of 14 kt, likely played a role in the aircraft's performance. The crosswind component was negligible, at 0 kt, which further contributed to the smooth touchdown.
The aircraft's rollout was characterized by perfect alignment with the runway centerline, demonstrating excellent control and precision. The total landing distance of 1,440 m, which accounts for 59% of the runway's length, is within acceptable limits. Overall, the landing was deemed a success, with a score of 99.1%, reflecting the high level of proficiency displayed by the crew.
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