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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 · 17 stages, 16 scored
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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 1,390 m of the approach.
Plan view — the full 1,390 m runway, to the same scale as the side view.
The 162 m touchdown sits inside the full-score zone. The arrival was smooth.
The rest of the report
The flight took off from Dundee Airport's runway 27, utilizing the Cessna Skyhawk aircraft. A departure roll onto runway 27 was executed, and the aircraft lifted off after a takeoff distance of just 86 meters, which accounted for a mere 6% of the runway. This demonstrates the excellent performance of the Cessna Skyhawk aircraft.
The aircraft flew into a local wind of 6 kt at 220 °, with a relatively mild crosswind of 4 kt and a strong headwind of 3 kt blowing into the aircraft. Considering these factors, the pilot successfully implemented the left-hand pattern entry from runway 27. With a brisk wind blowing, pattern execution still maintained good times, and all pattern turns and legs took place smoothly - from the pattern downwind turn, to the base leg turn and the final turn, each was executed as required.
During the crosswind component, the pilot once more demonstrated great flying skills. In particular, the left hand pattern crosswind phase required the aircraft to turn sharply into the wind, but it maintained its composure. In fact, it completed this phase in under 1 nm in 38 seconds.
The pattern downwind turn took place with a 1 nm distance from the runway and an angle of approach at 79.6 °. The final phase of the landing procedure, pattern downwind leg took nearly 1 minute in distance covered of 2 nm.
The subsequent approach phases were carried out with the aircraft being flown smoothly towards the runway. A pattern base leg turn with an angle of 30.5 ° to the runway was executed. The distance covered during this phase was also 2 nm from the runway.
The base leg phase itself only took 24 seconds in total, while the aircraft completed the final turn in under 16 seconds. After the final approach to runway 27 from the east, the aircraft completed a stable approach onto the runway itself from an altitude of 404 feet.
As the aircraft descended down the runway, it touched down at a safe distance and speed of 159 meters and 37 kt, respectively. The aircraft maintained excellent smoothness as it landed with a gentle rate of -111 fpm. However, the aircraft did experience a slight misalignment during its touchdown.
The local weather and its factors once again played an important role in the flight's success. Given the weather conditions of 17 °C and a headwind at 220 °, the aircraft touched down successfully and landed with an impressive total landing distance of 263 meters. The runway touchdown position was slightly misaligned at 6.2 m from the centerline.
Once more, taxiing took the flight under 1 minute to cover the distance and park safely from the runway. This flight also showed itself to be fuel-efficient and had a low total fuel consumption of 2 kilograms. The entire distance of 7 nm was successfully flown in 6 minutes.
The Cessna Skyhawk has successfully landed on runway 27 at Dundee Airport (EGPN) with a final score of 94.3%. The approach began with the aircraft flying from the east at a heading of 265.0 ° and at an altitude of 404 feet above ground level (agl) approximately 1 nautical mile from the runway.
Throughout the final approach, the pilot maintained a good threshold height, which indicates that the plane was in a stable and controlled descent. However, it's worth noting that the threshold speed reached 41 kt, which is below the target speed. This suggests that the pilot needs to take extra caution to avoid stalling during the landing, as stalling can be a critical concern for any aircraft landing.
Upon touchdown, the Cessna Skyhawk touched down at a distance of 159 meters from the start of the runway, which is a good indicator of the pilot's ability to control the aircraft during descent. Moreover, the touchdown speed was 37 kt, which is within acceptable limits, ensuring a smooth and controlled touchdown.
Despite the smooth landing, there was a slight misalignment of the runway touchdown position, with the plane deviating 6.2 meters from the centerline. This can be attributed to the crosswind, which was present at the time of the landing. The crosswind component was 4 kt, while the headwind component was 3 kt. However, the overall wind conditions were relatively calm, considering the temperature was a moderate 17 °C.
Following touchdown, the plane rolled out for a distance of 263 meters, which is equivalent to 19% of the runway length. While this is a relatively short rollout distance, the alignment of the aircraft during this phase was slightly off, with the plane deviating 7.9 meters from the centerline.
Overall, this landing demonstrates good flying skills and control from the pilot, particularly in managing the descent and touchdown speeds. The only areas for improvement would be to maintain a more consistent alignment with the runway centerline, both during the approach and during the rollout phase.
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