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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.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 5,000 ft of the approach.
Plan view — the first 5,000 ft of the 6,999 ft runway, to the same scale as the side view.
Touched down 2,833 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 approximately 3 minutes and covered less than 1 nautical mile. The aircraft, a Cessna CJ4 Citation, then departed from runway 18L at KDFW Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The takeoff distance was 2,474 feet, which is 18% of the runway length. The liftoff speed was 149 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 61°F and a wind speed of 1 knot from 270°. The crosswind was 1 knot, and the headwind was 0 knots. After departing from KDFW, the aircraft began its enroute climb, which started 1 mile southwest of the airport and reached an altitude of 19,943 feet above sea level. The climb was completed in 7 minutes, covering a distance of 22 nautical miles and an altitude increase of 18,338 feet.
Following the climb, the aircraft entered a level cruise phase, which lasted for 46 minutes and covered a distance of 307 nautical miles. The cruise phase started 2 miles northeast of Frisco, Texas. After the cruise phase, the aircraft began its enroute descent, which started 4 miles south of 9KS7 Miller Airport Harris, Kansas. The descent was from an altitude of 19,994 feet above sea level to 2,298 feet above sea level, a decrease of 17,696 feet in 14 minutes, covering a distance of 48 nautical miles.
The final approach to runway 21 at KFOE Topeka Regional Airport was made from the northeast, heading 220.0° at 4 nautical miles and 1,208 feet above ground level. The landing was made on runway 21, which has a length of 6,999 feet. The threshold height was good, but the threshold speed was excessively high at 148 knots. The touchdown point was 1,965 feet beyond the touchdown zone, and the touchdown speed was 119 knots, which was too fast. However, the touchdown rate was smooth at -117 feet per minute, and the runway touchdown alignment was very good.
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 270°, with a crosswind of 1 knot and a headwind of 1 knot. The total landing distance was 4,980 feet, which is 71% of the runway length. The runway rollout alignment was perfect. After landing, the aircraft taxied to the parking, which took approximately 1 minute and covered less than 1 nautical mile.
The total flight distance was 384 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 73 minutes. The aircraft used 582 pounds of fuel during the flight.
The Cessna CJ4 Citation successfully landed at KFOE Topeka Regional Airport, achieving an overall score of 83.2%. The aircraft approached the runway from the northeast, heading 220.0° at a distance of 4 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,208 feet above ground level (agl).
Upon landing, the aircraft touched down 1,965 feet beyond the designated touchdown zone, which is a significant deviation from the ideal touchdown point. The touchdown speed of 119 kt was also higher than the recommended threshold speed, indicating that the pilot may have been unable to slow the aircraft down sufficiently before touchdown. However, the touchdown rate was smooth, with a descent rate of -117 feet per minute (fpm), which is a positive aspect of the landing.
The runway touchdown alignment was very good, indicating that the pilot maintained a stable and aligned approach to the runway. The local weather conditions were favorable, with a temperature of 59°F and a wind speed of 1 kt from 270°, resulting in a negligible crosswind and headwind component.
The total landing distance of 4,980 feet was 71% of the available runway length, which is a relatively high percentage. This suggests that the pilot may have been unable to slow the aircraft down sufficiently before touchdown, resulting in a longer than necessary landing distance. However, the runway rollout alignment was perfect, indicating that the pilot maintained control of the aircraft during the rollout phase.
Overall, while the landing was not perfect, the pilot demonstrated good control and alignment during the approach and rollout phases. However, there is room for improvement in terms of slowing the aircraft down before touchdown and reducing the landing distance.
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