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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 VRef ExplainedStart 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 1,046 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 1,046 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 83 m 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 area to the runway, which took approximately 2 minutes and covered less than 1 nautical mile. The aircraft, a Cessna C172, then departed from runway 16 at KLNA Palm Beach County Park Airport. The takeoff distance was 296 meters, which accounted for 28% of the runway length. The liftoff speed was 59 knots, and the local weather conditions were characterized by a temperature of 15°C, with no wind at 142°.
After takeoff, the aircraft entered a level cruise, starting overhead Hypoluxo, Florida. This phase of the flight lasted for 1 minute and covered a distance of 2 nautical miles. The enroute descent began overhead Lantana, Florida, and involved a decrease in altitude from 1,128 feet above sea level to 267 feet above sea level, a drop of 861 feet in 2 minutes and covering 1 nautical mile.
The final approach to runway 16 at KLNA Palm Beach County Park Airport was made from the northwest, with a heading of 154.0° at an altitude of 242 feet above ground level. The aircraft then landed on the runway, with the first landing experiencing a threshold height significantly above the target, but a threshold speed well below the target, requiring caution to avoid stalling.
The second landing had a threshold height excessively over the target, but a threshold speed also well below the target, necessitating careful control to prevent stalling. The third landing had a good threshold height, but a threshold speed still well below the target, requiring attention to avoid stalling. The touchdown distance was good at 80 meters, with a touchdown speed of 43 knots and a firm touchdown rate of -325 feet per minute. The runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned by 3.4 meters from the centerline.
The local weather conditions remained the same, with a temperature of 15°C and no wind at 141°. The total landing distance was 253 meters, accounting for 24% of the runway length. The runway rollout alignment was perfect. The taxiing period from the runway to the parking area took approximately 1 minute and covered less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 8 nautical miles, taking 34 minutes, and the aircraft used 14 kilograms of fuel.
The Cessna C172 aircraft successfully landed on runway 16 at KLNA Palm Beach County Park Airport, achieving a score of 73.8%. The final approach was initiated from the northwest, heading 154.0° at 0 nm and 242 ft above ground level (agl). The aircraft's performance during the landing was closely monitored, with specific attention paid to the threshold height and speed.
Upon initial assessment, the threshold height at 86 ft agl was found to be significantly above the target, while the threshold speed of 56 kn was well below the target. This necessitated caution to avoid stalling the aircraft. However, the subsequent landing attempts showed improvement, with a good threshold height achieved. Nevertheless, the threshold speed remained below target, with a speed of 47 kn recorded, which still posed a risk of stalling.
The touchdown distance was satisfactory at 80 m, and the touchdown speed of 43 kn was also within acceptable limits. The touchdown rate was firm at -325 fpm, indicating a controlled descent. However, the runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned by 3.4 m from the centreline. The local weather conditions were favorable, with a temperature of 15 °C and a wind speed of 0 kn at 141°.
The total landing distance of 253 m accounted for 24% of the runway length, which is a relatively short distance. The runway rollout alignment was perfect, indicating a smooth and controlled rollout. Overall, while the landing performance was satisfactory, there were areas for improvement, particularly in terms of maintaining a target threshold speed to avoid stalling.
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