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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 · 18 stages, 16 scored
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Two stabilised approach gates, each with six checks at 1,000 ft and 500 ft above the runway.
The approach, gate by gate
Side view — the last 1,477 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 1,477 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 462 m 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 1 nautical mile. The aircraft, a TBM 850, then departed from runway 21 at BIVM Vestmannaeyjar Airport in Iceland. The takeoff distance was 713 meters, which accounted for 61% of the runway length. The liftoff speed was 121 knots.
The local weather conditions at the time of departure were characterized by a temperature of 11 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 20 knots from a direction of 180 degrees. This resulted in a crosswind of 6 knots and a headwind of 19 knots. The aircraft began its enroute climb 1 mile southwest of BIVM Vestmannaeyjar Airport, rising from an altitude of 971 feet above sea level to 2,817 feet above sea level in just 1 minute, covering a distance of 2 nautical miles.
The enroute level cruise phase started 1 mile west of BIVM Vestmannaeyjar Airport and lasted for 36 minutes, during which the aircraft covered a distance of 66 nautical miles. The aircraft then began its enroute descent 3 miles west of Grundarhverfi, Iceland, and descended from an altitude of 2,679 feet above sea level to 1,520 feet above sea level in 3 minutes, covering a distance of 4 nautical miles.
The final approach to runway 19 at BIRK Reykjavik Airport was made from the north, with the aircraft heading 175.0 degrees at an altitude of 1,486 feet above ground level and a distance of 4 nautical miles from the runway. The landing on runway 19 was successful, with a touchdown distance of 461 meters, which was good. However, the touchdown speed of 83 knots was a little fast, and the touchdown rate of -92 feet per minute was excellent.
The local weather conditions at the time of landing were characterized by a temperature of 9 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 21 knots from a direction of 180 degrees, resulting in a crosswind of 2 knots and a headwind of 21 knots. The runway touchdown position was misaligned by 10.3 meters from the centerline, and the runway rollout alignment was slightly misaligned by 10.2 meters from the centerline.
The taxiing period from the runway to the parking took 1 minute and covered a distance of less than 1 nautical mile. The total flight distance was 79 nautical miles, and the flight duration was 49 minutes. The aircraft used 70 kilograms of fuel during the flight.
The TBM 850 aircraft successfully landed at BIRK Reykjavik Airport, achieving a score of 91.8%. The final approach was initiated from the north, heading 175.0° at a distance of 4 nautical miles and an altitude of 1,486 feet above ground level (agl). The aircraft was on a course to land on runway 19, which has a length of 1,477 meters.
Upon reaching the threshold, the aircraft was found to be above the target height at 65 feet agl. However, the threshold speed was significantly higher than the target speed at 95 knots. Despite this, the touchdown distance was satisfactory at 461 meters. The touchdown speed of 83 knots was slightly faster than desired, but the touchdown rate of -92 feet per minute (fpm) was excellent.
The landing was further complicated by the local weather conditions, with a temperature of 9°C and a wind speed of 21 knots from 180°. This resulted in a 2-knot crosswind and a 21-knot headwind. The aircraft's ability to handle these conditions was satisfactory, given the circumstances.
The total landing distance was 636 meters, which accounted for 43% of the runway length. This indicates that the aircraft was able to stop within a reasonable distance after touchdown. However, the runway touchdown position was found to be misaligned by 10.3 meters from the centerline. This misalignment was also observed during the runway rollout alignment, where the aircraft was 10.2 meters off-centerline.
Overall, the landing was successful, but there were some areas for improvement, particularly in terms of speed and alignment. The aircraft's ability to handle the challenging weather conditions was satisfactory, and the touchdown rate was excellent.
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