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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Avoid steep turns at low altitude
Below a thousand feet the aeroplane is slow, heavy and close to the ground. A steep turn loses lift, raises the stall speed and flattens the climb just when the gradient matters most. A normal turn on course is a rate one — fifteen degrees or so, twenty-five at the outside, this penalty is to acknowledge when a turn has stopped being a turn and become a manoeuvre.
Read more in Improve Your Take-OffsStart to finish · 18 stages, 16 scored
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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 6,991 ft runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 1,499 ft touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight began with the aircraft, a Honda HA420, taxiing from the parking area to the runway at KSAR Sparta Community Airport - Hunter Field. This process took approximately 1 minute and covered a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The departure roll took place on runway 36, with the aircraft lifting off after a takeoff distance of 3,060 feet, which accounted for 76% of the runway length. The liftoff speed was 144 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 63°F and a wind speed of 1 knot from a direction of 270°. The crosswind component was 1 knot, while the headwind component was 0 knots. As the aircraft climbed away from the airport, it began its enroute climb, which started 1 mile north of KSAR Sparta Community Airport - Hunter Field. The aircraft climbed from an altitude of 1,501 feet above sea level to 6,507 feet above sea level, an increase of 5,006 feet, in just 3 minutes and covering a distance of 13 nautical miles.
Following the enroute climb, the aircraft entered a level cruise phase, which began 2 miles west of New Athens, Illinois. This phase lasted for 4 minutes and covered a distance of 20 nautical miles. The aircraft then started its enroute descent, which began overhead Lemay, Missouri. The descent took the aircraft from an altitude of 6,506 feet above sea level to 1,743 feet above sea level, a decrease of 4,764 feet, in 5 minutes and covering a distance of 15 nautical miles.
The final approach to runway 26L at KSUS Spirit of St Louis Airport was made from the east, with the aircraft heading 258.0° at a distance of 4 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,271 feet above ground level. The landing took place on a runway with a length of 6,991 feet, and the threshold height was good. The threshold speed was slightly below the target speed at 106 knots. The touchdown distance was good at 1,501 feet, and the touchdown speed was 95 knots, which was also good. The touchdown rate was smooth at -131 feet per minute.
However, the runway touchdown position was misaligned by 27 feet from the centreline. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 59°F and a wind speed of 1 knot from a direction of 269°. The crosswind component was 0 knots, while the headwind component was 1 knot. The total landing distance was 2,556 feet, which accounted for 37% of the runway length. The runway rollout alignment was also slightly misaligned by 27 feet from the centreline.
The final phase of the flight involved taxiing the aircraft from the runway to the parking area, which took approximately 1 minute and covered a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 54 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 18 minutes. Notably, the aircraft used 0 pounds of fuel during the flight.
The Honda HA420 aircraft successfully landed at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport (KSUS) on runway 26L, achieving a score of 97.1%. The final approach was initiated from the east, heading 258.0° at a distance of 4 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,271 feet above ground level (agl). The aircraft maintained a good threshold height, which is a crucial aspect of a safe landing.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft's threshold speed was slightly below the target speed of 106 knots, indicating a controlled descent. The touchdown distance of 1,501 feet was within acceptable limits, and the touchdown speed of 95 knots was also satisfactory. The touchdown rate of -131 feet per minute (fpm) was smooth, indicating a gentle impact on the runway.
However, there were some minor deviations from the ideal landing performance. The runway touchdown position was misaligned by 27 feet from the centreline, which may have been due to a slight miscalculation of the aircraft's position or a minor deviation in the pilot's control inputs. Additionally, the runway rollout alignment was also slightly misaligned by 27 feet from the centreline, which may have been a result of the same factors.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were favorable, with a temperature of 59°F and a wind speed of 1 knot from 269°. The crosswind component was negligible, and the headwind component was minimal, which contributed to a smooth landing. Overall, the Honda HA420 aircraft demonstrated a high level of proficiency in landing at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport, with only minor deviations from the ideal performance.
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