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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 · 12 stages, 10 scored
Events
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Events
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Events
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 1,056 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 1,056 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 309 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 31 at PADU Tom Madsen (Dutch Harbor) Airport, where the Kodiak 100 aircraft took off with a takeoff distance of 535 meters, which is 45% of the runway. The liftoff speed was 112 knots. At the time of departure, the local weather conditions were a temperature of 16 degrees Celsius, with a wind speed of 10 knots at 11 degrees. The crosswind was 8 knots, and the headwind was 6 knots.
As the aircraft climbed, it started its enroute climb 1 mile northwest of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and ascended from an altitude of 260 feet above sea level to 1,472 feet above sea level, an increase of 1,212 feet in just 2 minutes, covering a distance of 5 nautical miles. The enroute level cruise began 5 miles north of PADU Tom Madsen Airport, Unalaska, Alaska, and lasted for 2 minutes, covering a distance of 4 nautical miles.
The enroute descent started 6 miles northeast of PAAM Driftwood Bay Air Force Station Airport, Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and descended from an altitude of 1,519 feet above sea level to 93 feet above sea level, a decrease of 1,426 feet in 3 minutes, covering a distance of 7 nautical miles. The final approach to runway 15 at PAAM Driftwood Bay Air Force Station Airport was made from the northwest, heading 155.0 degrees at an altitude of 69 feet above ground level.
The landing on runway 15 was successful, with a touchdown distance of 305 meters, which is well within the runway length of 1,056 meters. The touchdown speed was 52 knots, and the touchdown rate was firm at -383 feet per minute. However, the runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned by 10.8 meters from the centerline. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, with a wind speed of 10 knots at 11 degrees. The crosswind was 6 knots, and the tailwind was 8 knots.
The total landing distance was 872 meters, which is 83% of the runway. The runway rollout alignment was also slightly misaligned by 13.3 meters from the centerline. The total flight distance was 17 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 9 minutes. The aircraft used a total of 63 kilograms of fuel during the flight.
The aircraft in question is a Kodiak 100, which successfully landed at PAAM Driftwood Bay Air Force Station Airport. The final approach was conducted from the northwest, heading 155.0° at an altitude of 69 feet above ground level (agl) and 0 nautical miles from the runway. The pilot executed a smooth landing on runway 15, which has a length of 1,056 meters.
The threshold height was reported as good, and the threshold speed of 48 knots was well below the target speed, indicating that the pilot was cautious to avoid stalling the aircraft. The touchdown distance was also satisfactory at 305 meters, and the touchdown speed of 52 knots was within acceptable limits. However, the touchdown rate was firm at -383 feet per minute, which may indicate a slightly hard landing.
One notable aspect of the landing was the misalignment of the runway touchdown position, which was off-centerline by 10.8 meters. This may have been due to factors such as crosswind or pilot error. The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 15°C, with a wind speed of 10 knots at 11°. The crosswind component was 6 knots, while the tailwind component was 8 knots.
The total landing distance was 872 meters, which accounted for 83% of the runway length. This is a relatively high percentage, indicating that the pilot may have been able to stop the aircraft more quickly if necessary. The runway rollout alignment was also slightly misaligned by 13.3 meters from the centerline, which may have been due to the same factors that contributed to the initial touchdown position misalignment.
Overall, the landing was successful, but there were some minor issues with alignment and touchdown rate. The pilot's caution in avoiding stalling the aircraft was commendable, and the smooth touchdown distance was a positive aspect of the landing.
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