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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Keep the approach speed on target
Every knot above Vref is stored kinetic energy, and energy stored at the threshold must be dissipated in ground effect before the aeroplane will stop flying. Because kinetic energy scales with the square of speed, the excess you must dissipate grows fast. At a 45-knot approach, five knots hot is over a tenth more speed and roughly a quarter more energy to get rid of in ground effect. This is why the fix is never in the flare. It was decided three miles earlier, on final, at the airspeed indicator.
Read more in Bush Flying 101Start to finish · 18 stages, 16 scored
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Two stabilised approach gates, each with six checks at 1,000 ft and 500 ft above the runway.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 5,000 ft of the approach.
Plan view — the first 5,000 ft of the 9,420 ft runway, to the same scale as the side view.
Touched down 2,098 ft 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 5 minutes and covered a distance of 1 nautical mile. The aircraft, a Beechcraft King Air 350, then departed from runway 09 at the Del Caribe Santiago Mariño International Airport. The takeoff distance was 1,964 feet, which is 20% of the runway length. The liftoff speed was 108 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of takeoff were characterized by a temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit and a wind speed of 4 knots at 100 degrees. The crosswind was 2 knots, while the headwind was 4 knots. After a short enroute level cruise that lasted less than 1 minute and covered less than 1 nautical mile, the aircraft began its enroute climb from 399 feet above sea level to 13,927 feet above sea level. This climb, which covered a distance of 47 nautical miles, took 17 minutes and resulted in an increase of 13,528 feet in altitude.
Following the enroute climb, the aircraft entered another enroute level cruise, this time lasting 23 minutes and covering a distance of 100 nautical miles. The cruise took place 26 miles northwest of Cumana, Venezuela. The aircraft then began its enroute descent from 13,908 feet above sea level to 1,811 feet above sea level, a decrease of 12,097 feet in altitude. This descent, which covered a distance of 41 nautical miles, took 10 minutes.
The final approach to runway 27 at the Simón Bolívar International Airport was made from the east, with the aircraft heading 242.0 degrees at a distance of 3 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,578 feet above ground level. The landing on runway 27 took place on a runway with a length of 9,420 feet. The threshold height at 69 feet above ground level was above the target, while the threshold speed was excessively high at 156 knots.
The touchdown point was 762 feet beyond the touchdown zone, and the touchdown speed was excessively fast at 136 knots. The touchdown rate was firm at -325 feet per minute. The runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned by 18 feet from the centreline. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 89 degrees Fahrenheit and a wind speed of 3 knots at 360 degrees. The crosswind was 3 knots, while the tailwind was 1 knot.
The total landing distance was 3,372 feet, which is 36% of the runway length. The runway rollout alignment was misaligned by 72 feet from the centreline. The taxiing period from the runway to the parking took 6 minutes and covered a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 209 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 70 minutes. The aircraft used 780 pounds of fuel during the flight.
The Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft successfully landed at Simón Bolívar International Airport, but the landing was not without its issues. The final approach to runway 27 from the east was initiated at a height of 1,578 feet above ground level (agl) and a distance of 3 nautical miles from the runway. The aircraft was heading 242.0° at the time of the approach.
Upon landing, the aircraft touched down 762 feet beyond the touchdown zone, which is a significant deviation from the target. The touchdown speed of 136 knots was also excessively high, indicating that the pilot may have been unable to slow the aircraft down sufficiently before touchdown. The touchdown rate of -325 feet per minute (fpm) was firm, suggesting that the aircraft was not able to absorb the impact of landing smoothly.
The runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned by 18 feet from the centreline, which may have contributed to the difficulties experienced during the landing. The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were characterized by a temperature of 89°F and a wind speed of 3 knots from 360°. The crosswind component was minimal at 3 knots, while the tailwind component was 1 knot.
The total landing distance of 3,372 feet was 36% of the available runway length, which is a relatively short distance. However, the runway rollout alignment was misaligned by 72 feet from the centreline, which may have contributed to the difficulties experienced during the landing. Overall, the landing was not ideal, and the pilot may need to work on improving their skills to achieve a smoother and more controlled landing.
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