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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 · 17 stages, 15 scored
Events
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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.
Side view — the last 5,000 ft of the approach.
Plan view — the first 5,000 ft of the 7,184 ft runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 592 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 13 minutes and covered a distance of 1 nautical mile. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, then departed from runway 17R at the Orlando International Airport (KMCO). The takeoff distance was 3,834 feet, which accounted for 38% of the runway. The liftoff speed was 97 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 74 degrees Fahrenheit and a wind speed of 12 knots from a direction of 255 degrees. This resulted in a crosswind of 12 knots and a headwind of 3 knots. The aircraft then began its enroute climb, starting 2 miles west of Lake Hart in Florida. The climb took 16 minutes and covered a distance of 83 nautical miles, during which the aircraft ascended from an altitude of 1,095 feet above sea level to 34,757 feet.
Following the initial climb, the aircraft entered a level cruise phase, which started 3 miles south of the FL36 Tocoi Airport in St. Augustine, Florida. This phase lasted for 30 minutes and covered a distance of 252 nautical miles. The aircraft then began another climb, this time starting 5 miles west of the 51J Lake City Muni Cj Evans Field in Lake City, South Carolina. The climb took just 3 minutes and covered a distance of 31 nautical miles, during which the aircraft ascended from an altitude of 34,570 feet to 38,002 feet.
The aircraft then entered another level cruise phase, which started 4 miles northwest of Marion in South Carolina. This phase lasted for 16 minutes and covered a distance of 139 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its descent, starting 7 miles west of Hollister in North Carolina. The descent took 31 minutes and covered a distance of 162 nautical miles, during which the aircraft descended from an altitude of 38,384 feet to 147 feet.
The final approach to runway 19 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) was made from the north, with the aircraft heading 176.0 degrees at an altitude of 126 feet above ground level. The landing was made on runway 19, which had a length of 7,184 feet. The threshold height was good, and the threshold speed was also satisfactory at 135 knots. The touchdown distance was good at 600 feet, but the touchdown speed was a little fast at 135 knots. The touchdown rate was good at -158 feet per minute, and the runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned by 18 feet from the centerline.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 57 degrees Fahrenheit and a wind speed of 5 knots from a direction of 170 degrees. This resulted in a crosswind of 0 knots and a headwind of 5 knots. The total landing distance was 3,969 feet, which accounted for 55% of the runway. The runway rollout alignment was very good.
The taxiing period from the runway to the parking took just 5 minutes and covered a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 672 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 110 minutes. The aircraft used a total of 10,428 pounds of fuel during the flight.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft successfully landed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) on runway 19. The final approach was conducted from the north, with the aircraft heading 176.0° at an altitude of 126 feet above ground level (agl) and 0 nautical miles from the runway. The pilot's performance during the final approach was impressive, with a score of 98.0%.
Upon landing, the aircraft touched down on the runway with a speed of 135 knots, which was slightly above the recommended threshold speed. However, the touchdown distance of 600 feet was within the acceptable range, indicating a well-executed landing. The touchdown rate of -158 feet per minute (fpm) was also good, suggesting a smooth and controlled descent.
One minor issue was noted during the landing, with the runway touchdown position being slightly misaligned by 18 feet from the centreline. Despite this, the runway rollout alignment was very good, indicating that the pilot maintained control of the aircraft during the landing roll.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were favorable, with a temperature of 57°F and a wind speed of 5 knots from 170°. The crosswind component was negligible, while the headwind component was 5 knots, which may have contributed to the slightly fast touchdown speed.
Overall, the landing was successful, with the aircraft coming to a stop within 55% of the runway length of 7,184 feet. The total landing distance was 3,969 feet, which is a respectable performance considering the aircraft's size and weight.
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