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MY FS FLIGHTS
Flight Score
Know your rotation speed
Next time
Rotate the moment the speed tape reaches 70 kt, not after it.
What happened: Rotation was held until 99 kt, 29 kt past the 70 kt rotation target. Carrying that much extra speed into rotation usually adds unwanted energy right at liftoff.
Watch for: Airspeed indicator against the 70 kt rotation target.
Arrival
Fly the flare as one continuous check of the sink rate from 18 ft, holding back pressure steadily rather than adjusting pitch piecemeal.
What happened: The flare drifted away from its intended profile rather than tracking it smoothly from 18 ft down to touchdown.
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 · 13 stages, 11 scored
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The threshold, the flare and the hold-off. The approach that led to it is the stabilisation gates below.
Two stabilised approach gates, each with seven checks, where the approach path is 1,000 ft and 500 ft above the runway. They are the approach's score: the checks passed out of the checks that ran.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 1,524 m of the approach.
Plan view — the first 1,524 m of the 3,197 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 317 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The Diamond DA42 Twin Star taxied from the parking area to runway 25R at KDAB Daytona Beach International Airport in less than 1 minute, covering less than 1 nm.
The departure roll was performed on runway 25R, requiring a takeoff distance of 712 m (22 % of the runway). Liftoff was achieved at 99 kt. Ambient conditions were temperature 16 °C, wind 12 kt from 270°, with a 5 kt cross-wind component and an 11 kt head-wind component.
Climb commenced overhead KDAB, with altitude increasing from 381 ft asl to 2 022 ft asl-a gain of 1 641 ft in 1 minute while covering 2 nm.
Level cruise was established 1 mile west of Daytona Beach and persisted for 3 minutes, during which 10 nm were traversed.
Descent began 5 miles east of 1FD1 MC1 Heliport Ellenton, descending from 2 501 ft asl to 1 605 ft asl, a loss of 896 ft in 2 minutes and covering 4 nm.
A second level cruise started 5 miles north-east of Daytona Beach Shores, lasting 2 minutes and encompassing 4 nm.
Final approach to runway 25R was flown from the north-east on a heading of 245.0°, at 4 nm and 1 290 ft agl.
Touchdown occurred on runway 25R, whose length is 3 197 m. Threshold speed was recorded at 80 kt, above the target. The aircraft landed 316 m down the runway at 69 kt, with a descent rate of minus 241 fpm, and runway touchdown alignment was very good.
Total landing distance measured 495 m, representing 15 % of the runway, and rollout alignment remained very good.
Overall, the flight covered 24 nm in 12 minutes and used 8 kg of fuel.
The Diamond DA42 Twin Star approached runway 25R at KDAB from the north-east on a heading of 245.0° at 4 nm and 1,290 ft AGL. At the 1,000 ft gate the approach was assessed as stabilised, with gear, flaps, sink rate, glideslope and centreline all within limits.
The aircraft crossed the threshold of runway 25R, whose length is 3,197 m, with a good threshold height. The threshold speed was well above target at 80 kt.
Touchdown occurred 316 m down the runway, a distance described as good. Touchdown speed was 69 kt, a little fast, and the vertical rate was fair at minus 241 fpm. Runway touchdown alignment was very good.
The total landing distance was 495 m, representing 15 % of the runway, and rollout alignment was very good. Local weather was 16 °C with wind 12 kt from 270°, giving a 5 kt crosswind component and an 11 kt headwind component.
To tighten the already strong performance, reduce the threshold and touchdown speeds toward their targets to lessen the slight excess noted, and refine flare timing to achieve a gentler descent rate. Maintaining these adjustments will help keep the touchdown point near the 300 m aim point while preserving the high overall score.
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