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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Know your rotation speed
A typical trainer rotates in the mid-50s of knots - a 172 at around 55 KIAS, climbing out at a Vy in the low 70s, though check your own POH rather than memorising Cessna's numbers - and the transferable rule is that Vr sits just above the stall speed in takeoff configuration. Rotate early because "it felt ready" and the aircraft lifts off inside ground effect, where induced drag is reduced, then climbs out of it into more drag. On a marginal-performance day the result is an aircraft that lifts off and then refuses to climb, sagging back towards the runway.
Read more in Improve Your Take-OffsStart to finish · 23 stages, 21 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 12,322 ft runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 781 ft 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 to the runway, which took 7 minutes and covered a distance of 2 nautical miles. The aircraft, a TBM 930, then departed from runway 18 at Colonel James Jabara Airport, with a takeoff distance of 2,010 feet, which was 33% of the runway length. The liftoff speed was 105 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 96 degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind speed of 12 knots at 160 degrees. This resulted in a crosswind of 5 knots and a headwind of 11 knots. The aircraft climbed from 2,473 feet above sea level to 9,924 feet above sea level, an increase of 7,451 feet, in just 3 minutes and covering a distance of 9 nautical miles.
The enroute level cruise started 1 mile east of Lil Bird Airport and lasted for 35 minutes, covering a distance of 27 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its descent from 10,365 feet above sea level to 8,878 feet above sea level, a decrease of 1,487 feet, in 2 minutes and covering a distance of 1 nautical mile. The descent was followed by a climb from 8,811 feet above sea level to 10,250 feet above sea level, an increase of 1,440 feet, in 2 minutes and covering a distance of 4 nautical miles.
The aircraft then entered another level cruise, this time starting 4 miles north of Peabody and lasting for 2 minutes, covering a distance of 6 nautical miles. The next climb took the aircraft from 10,550 feet above sea level to 12,753 feet above sea level, an increase of 2,202 feet, in 2 minutes and covering a distance of 6 nautical miles. The climb was followed by a descent from 12,756 feet above sea level to 3,472 feet above sea level, a decrease of 9,284 feet, in 7 minutes and covering a distance of 29 nautical miles.
The final approach to runway 17 at Salina Municipal Airport was made from the north, with the aircraft heading 180 degrees at 4 nautical miles and 1,272 feet above ground level. The landing was made on runway 17, which had a length of 12,322 feet. The threshold height was good, but the threshold speed was too high at 86 knots. The touchdown distance was good at 780 feet, but the touchdown speed was too fast at 79 knots. The touchdown rate was firm at -301 feet per minute, and the runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned by 21 feet from the centerline.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 91 degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind speed of 12 knots at 170 degrees. This resulted in a crosswind of 2 knots and a headwind of 12 knots. The total landing distance was 1,829 feet, which was 15% of the runway length. The runway rollout alignment was very good.
The final taxiing period from the runway to the parking took 4 minutes and covered a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 102 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 74 minutes. The aircraft used 388 pounds of fuel during the flight.
The TBM 930 aircraft successfully landed at KSLN Salina Municipal Airport, achieving a score of 94.4%. The final approach was conducted from the north, heading 180.0° at a distance of 4 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,272 feet above ground level (agl). The aircraft touched down on runway 17, which has a length of 12,322 feet.
The threshold height was reported as good, but the threshold speed was too high at 86 knots. This indicates that the pilot may have been able to maintain a higher speed than necessary during the approach, which could have affected the overall performance of the landing. The touchdown distance was good at 780 feet, but the touchdown speed was too fast at 79 knots. This suggests that the pilot may have been able to reduce the speed further during the approach to achieve a more optimal touchdown speed.
The touchdown rate was firm at -301 feet per minute (fpm), which is a relatively high rate. This could indicate that the pilot may have been able to flare the aircraft more aggressively, but it also suggests that the aircraft may have been able to absorb the impact of the touchdown more effectively. The runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned by 21 feet from the centreline, which may have been due to a slight deviation in the pilot's alignment during the approach.
The local weather conditions at the time of the landing were characterized by a temperature of 91°F and a wind speed of 12 knots from 170°. This resulted in a crosswind of 2 knots and a headwind of 12 knots. The total landing distance was 1,829 feet, which is 15% of the runway length. This is a relatively short landing distance, indicating that the pilot was able to maintain control of the aircraft throughout the approach and landing.
The runway rollout alignment was reported as very good, indicating that the pilot was able to maintain a stable and aligned path during the rollout phase of the landing. Overall, the landing was successful, and the pilot was able to achieve a high score despite some minor deviations from optimal performance.
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