Events
Events
Events
Events
MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Improve the pattern downwind leg
The 45-degrees-behind-the-wing cue assumes you can turn your head and use peripheral vision. Downwind spacing cues like "put the wingtip halfway up the strut" assume a fixed, known eyepoint. Neither survives a monitor unmodified. If you fly on a fixed monitor, stop pretending and fly a numbers-based circuit.
Read more in Pattern WorkStart to finish · 16 stages, 14 scored
Events
Events
Events
Events
One stabilised approach gate for a circuit: six checks at the point nearest 500 ft above the runway after the base turn. The 1,000 ft gate is an instrument-approach check and does not apply.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,524 m of the 1,814 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 212 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight began with a departure roll from runway 23 at EGPE Inverness Airport, where the DA40-NG aircraft took off with a takeoff distance of 303 meters, which accounted for 17% of the runway. The liftoff speed was 66 knots. At the time of takeoff, the local weather conditions were characterized by a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 2 knots from a direction of 269 degrees. This resulted in a crosswind of 1 knot and a headwind of 2 knots.
As the aircraft entered the left-hand pattern from runway 23, it covered a distance of less than 1 nautical mile in 16 seconds. The subsequent left-hand pattern crosswind leg was completed in 22 seconds, covering a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The pattern downwind turn was made at an angle of 76.1 degrees to the runway, covering a distance of 1 nautical mile. The downwind leg itself was 2 nautical miles long and took 71 seconds to complete.
The pattern base leg turn was made at an angle of 53.5 degrees to the runway, covering a distance of 1 nautical mile. The base leg was less than 1 nautical mile long and took 29 seconds to complete. The final turn was made in less than 1 nautical mile in 26 seconds. The aircraft then began its final approach to runway 23 from the north-east, heading 229.0 degrees at an altitude of 168 feet above ground level.
The landing on runway 23 was successful, with a touchdown distance of 210 meters, which was good. The touchdown speed was 58 knots, also considered good. However, the touchdown rate was fair at -218 feet per minute. The runway touchdown alignment was perfect, and the local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 3 knots from a direction of 222 degrees, resulting in a crosswind of 0 knots and a headwind of 3 knots.
The total landing distance was 549 meters, which accounted for 30% of the runway. The runway rollout alignment was perfect. The total flight distance was 6 nautical miles, which was completed in 5 minutes, and the aircraft used 30 kilograms of fuel during the flight.
The DA40-NG aircraft successfully landed at EGPE Inverness Airport, demonstrating a high level of proficiency in its pilot. The final approach was conducted from the north east, aligning with the runway 23 threshold at a heading of 229.0°. At this point, the aircraft was at 0 nm and 168 ft above ground level (agl), indicating a precise and controlled descent.
Upon landing, the aircraft touched down on the runway at a speed of 66 kt, which was slightly below the target threshold speed. However, this did not compromise the overall performance of the landing, as the touchdown distance of 210 m was considered good. The touchdown speed of 58 kt was also within acceptable limits, indicating a smooth and controlled touchdown.
The touchdown rate of -218 fpm was fair, suggesting that the aircraft could have been brought down more gently. Nevertheless, this did not significantly impact the overall quality of the landing. The runway touchdown alignment was perfect, demonstrating the pilot's ability to accurately control the aircraft's descent and alignment with the runway.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were favorable, with a temperature of 20 °C and a gentle headwind of 3 kt from 222°. The crosswind component was negligible, at 0 kt, which further contributed to the smoothness of the landing. The total landing distance of 549 m was 30% of the runway length, indicating a relatively short landing roll.
The runway rollout alignment was also perfect, demonstrating the pilot's ability to maintain control of the aircraft during the landing roll and bring it to a stop in a safe and controlled manner. Overall, this landing was a testament to the pilot's skill and experience, and the DA40-NG aircraft's capabilities.
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