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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Shorten the long landing
Ground effect becomes significant below about one wingspan of height. A Cessna 172, with a 36 ft span, enters ground effect at flare height - the float it feels in the hold-off is ground effect arriving on cue. An A320, with a span around 117 ft, has been in ground effect since before the threshold and there is no sudden cushion to feel, only a gradual reduction in induced drag that lengthens any float you allow.
Read more in Flare TimingStart to finish · 12 stages, 10 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 6,058 ft of the approach.
Plan view — the first 6,058 ft of the 11,076 ft runway, to the same scale as the side view.
Touched down 3,535 ft past the threshold — beyond the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight began with a departure roll from runway 21 at KSMO Santa Monica Municipal Airport. The aircraft, a P51-D Mustang, accelerated down the runway, covering a distance of 1,881 feet, which was 38% of the runway's length. The liftoff speed was achieved at 108 knots, marking the start of the takeoff phase.
As the aircraft lifted off the ground, it entered a local weather environment characterized by a temperature of 60°F and a wind speed of 7 knots from a direction of 189°. The crosswind component was 4 knots, while the headwind component was 6 knots. These conditions presented a moderate challenge for the pilot, but the aircraft's performance was not significantly affected.
The enroute level cruise phase began approximately 1 mile west of Venice, California, and lasted for 1 minute, covering a distance of 2 nautical miles. This brief period of steady flight allowed the pilot to assess the aircraft's performance and adjust the flight plan accordingly.
The enroute climb phase started overhead Marina del Rey, California, where the aircraft began to ascend from an altitude of 80 feet above sea level to 319 feet above sea level. This climb, which covered a distance of 5 nautical miles, was completed in 3 minutes, resulting in an increase of 240 feet in altitude.
As the aircraft approached its destination, KLAX Los Angeles International Airport, it began its final approach to runway 25L from the east. The pilot aligned the aircraft with the runway, heading 263.0° at an altitude of 180 feet above ground level and a distance of 1 nautical mile from the runway threshold.
The landing phase was marked by a slightly above-target threshold height of 58 feet above ground level and an excessively high threshold speed of 175 knots. The touchdown point was located 2,416 feet beyond the touchdown zone, and the touchdown speed was 109 knots, which was too fast. However, the touchdown rate was excellent at -79 feet per minute, and the runway touchdown alignment was perfect.
The total landing distance was 6,039 feet, which was 55% of the runway's length. The runway rollout alignment was slightly misaligned by 36 feet from the centerline. Despite these minor deviations, the pilot successfully brought the aircraft to a stop, using a total of 0 pounds of fuel throughout the flight.
The total flight distance was 10 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 5 minutes. The aircraft's performance was satisfactory, considering the local weather conditions and the pilot's skillful handling of the aircraft.
The aircraft in question, a P51-D Mustang, has successfully landed at KLAX Los Angeles International Airport, but with some notable areas for improvement. The final approach to runway 25L was initiated from the east, heading 263.0° at 1 nm and 180 ft above ground level (agl). The aircraft's performance during the landing was evaluated, and it scored 77.8%.
One of the notable aspects of this landing was the aircraft's approach to the runway threshold. The threshold height at 58 ft agl was slightly above the target, indicating that the pilot may have been slightly high on the approach. However, this did not seem to have a significant impact on the overall landing performance.
The threshold speed was excessively high at 175 kn, which is above the recommended speed for landing. This may indicate that the pilot was not fully configured for landing or that the aircraft was not properly trimmed. Despite this, the touchdown point was 2,416 ft beyond the touchdown zone, which is a significant distance.
The touchdown speed of 109 kn was also too fast, indicating that the pilot may have been unable to fully arrest the aircraft's descent before touchdown. However, the touchdown rate of -79 fpm was excellent, indicating that the pilot was able to control the aircraft's descent effectively.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were favorable, with a temperature of 60 °F and a wind of 9 kn at 230°. The crosswind was 5 kn, and the headwind was 8 kn, which may have contributed to the high threshold speed.
The total landing distance of 6,039 ft was 55% of the runway length, which is a relatively long distance. However, the runway rollout alignment was slightly misaligned by 36 ft from the centreline, which may indicate that the pilot was not fully focused on maintaining alignment during the rollout.
Overall, while the P51-D Mustang's landing at KLAX Los Angeles International Airport was successful, there are several areas for improvement, including reducing the threshold speed, touchdown speed, and improving the runway rollout alignment.
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