Landing Performance: Flight Operations Engineering Course
Landing Performance: Flight Operations Engineering Course
Landing Performance: Flight Operations Engineering Course
ENGINEERING COURSE
LANDING PERFORMANCE
JAN, 2009 1
FOR TRAINING PURPOSES ONLY
FLIGHT OPERATIONS
ENGINEERING COURSE
INDEX
1.2 FIELD LENGTH LIMITED LANDING WEIGHT (FAR 121.195 / JAR-OPS 1.515) 3
JAN, 2009 2
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FLIGHT OPERATIONS
ENGINEERING COURSE
The Unfactored Landing Distance is the total horizontal distance from the runway
threshold until the point where the aircraft comes to a complete stop, considering that,
after a stabilized approach, it crosses the runway threshold at a height of 50 ft and at the
landing reference speed VREF.
The unfactored landing distance must be determined with the aircraft in landing
configuration for each weight, altitude and winds within the operational limits and
considering ISA temperature.
Maximum braking capability and ground spoilers are used for calculating the landing
distance, but no reverse thrust credit is allowed.
During the aircraft certification flight tests, the unfactored landing distance is demonstrated
as follows:
• Airplane in landing configuration;
• Airplane crosses the runway threshold at a height of 50 ft and at the landing
reference speed VREF (not less than 1.3VS).
• Non excessive vertical acceleration (Vertical Speed of 6 fps / 3 deg glide);
• Zero slope, smooth, dry, hard surfaced runway;
1.2 FIELD LENGTH LIMITED LANDING WEIGHT (FAR 121.195 / JAR-OPS 1.515)
Landing Field Length regulations require that the landing distance on a dry runway, based
on the landing weight assuming normal fuel consumption, must not exceed 60% of the
available landing distance.
There is another way of interpreting this requirement: given a certain unfactored landing
distance, the required landing distance or dry runway factored distance is equal to
this value multiplied by 1.667 (1/60% = 1.667). The available landing distance must not be
less than the required landing distance.
The Field Length Limited Landing Weight is the maximum weight at which the aircraft is
capable of landing in 60% of the available runway length.
JAN, 2009 3
FOR TRAINING PURPOSES ONLY
FLIGHT OPERATIONS
ENGINEERING COURSE
50 ft
50 ft
Note: For landing performance, thrust reverser effect is not taken into consideration.
JAN, 2009 4
FOR TRAINING PURPOSES ONLY
FLIGHT OPERATIONS
ENGINEERING COURSE
APPROACH CLIMB
LANDING CLIMB
VREF
50 ft
The minimum climb gradients and the aircraft configuration are given in the table below:
Configuration Minimum Gradients
Max Number of engines
Gear Flap Thrust
Speed 2 3 4
1 engine inoperative
Approach Approach
up GA Thrust on 1.5 Vs 2.1% 2.4% 2.7%
Climb position
remaining engines (*) (*)
Landing Landing GA Thrust on all
down 1.3 Vs 3.2% 3.2% 3.2%
Climb position engines
(*) - For JAA certified aircraft, as per JAR-AWO 243, the minimum gradient required for go-around
(approach climb) during a CAT II approach is 2.5%.
JAN, 2009 5
FOR TRAINING PURPOSES ONLY
FLIGHT OPERATIONS
ENGINEERING COURSE
The ECAFM already incorporate these wind adjustments, so that no additional corrections
need to be made.
The Maximum Landing Weight is the lower of these four limiting weights:
• Structural Landing Weight;
• Field Length;
• Approach Climb Gradient;
• Landing Climb Gradient.
The Quick Turn Around Weight (QTAW) is not a landing limiting weight. It is just a
reference weight to define if a brake cooling period is required before a subsequent
takeoff.
During landing the brakes are used and consequently their temperature increases. The
peak brake temperature usually doesn’t occur during the landing itself, but a few minutes
after.
The Quick Turn Around Weight (QTAW) is a reference weight at which it is known that if
the aircraft lands at a weight lighter than the QTAW the brakes will not become
overheated and enough energy margin for a rejected takeoff subsequent to the landing is
available. If the aircraft lands at a weight heavier than the QTAW, a cooling period is
required and a subsequent takeoff is only allowed after the cooling period is expired and
tire fuse plugs are checked not melted.
The Quick Turn Around Weight is calculated based on:
• Maximum Manual Braking
• Idle Thrust (no Reverse Thrust credit is taken)
• Speed Brakes extended
Usually the QTAW is a conservative reference, because the conditions above are not
typical of a normal landing, where normal braking is used and reverse thrust is deployed.
With BTMS the pilot can monitor the actual brake temperature, and a subsequent takeoff
is allowed provided the brakes temperature are in the normal (green) range.
JAN, 2009 6
FOR TRAINING PURPOSES ONLY