Landing score
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Every flight in Pilops ends with a landing score: a number from 0 to 100 computed from what the simulator reports at the instant the wheels touch. Rough flying before the landing produces flight alerts, which lower the flight's rating.
What is measured
At touchdown the Pilops Client captures four values and shows them in the result and in the Flight history:
- Normal velocity — the vertical speed at touchdown, in ft/s.
- Pitch angle — the nose attitude, in degrees. Nose-up is the ideal.
- Bank angle — wings level is the ideal.
- G force on touch — 1.0 G is the ideal.
How the score is computed
The score starts at 100 and loses points for each value:
| Value | Penalty | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Vertical speed | 2.5 points per ft/s | 20 |
| Bank angle | 2.5 points per degree | 15 |
| Pitch angle | none while the nose is up at touchdown; the full 15 as soon as the nose is down | 15 |
| G-force | 100 points per 1.0 G away from 1.0 | 50 |
Reading the table: a touchdown at 2 ft/s, wings level, nose up and 1.1 G scores 100 − 5 − 0 − 0 − 10 = 85. The G-force term dominates: a 1.5 G arrival alone costs the full 50 points.
The score is shown as Landing score in the client and as Final Score under Landing Performance on the flight detail page.
Flight alerts
Alerts are raised during the flight by the client:
- G Force exceded
- Triggered when the aircraft sustains more than 0.9 G away from 1.0 G for three consecutive readings. It is a WARNING up to 1.4 G of deviation and CRITICAL beyond that. At most one G-force alert is raised every ten seconds.
- Bad landing quality
- Raised at touchdown when the landing score is below 70: a WARNING above 40, CRITICAL at 40 or below.
Alerts appear in the client while you fly and under Flight Alerts in the flight detail. A clean flight shows "You dont have any alert so far."
What alerts cost
Each flight gets an aircraft rating that starts at 100 and loses 20 points per WARNING and 50 points per CRITICAL, never going below 0. The flight's overall rating is the average of that aircraft rating and the condition of the goods on board. Alerts also count as the "reputation" problems the client warns about.
Tips
- Aim for a gentle sink rate; 1 to 2 ft/s costs almost nothing.
- Keep the wings level in the flare. Crosswind landings are where the bank penalty shows up.
- Flare enough to touch nose-up. Landing flat or nose-down starts the pitch penalty.
- Do not chase the score with a long float: the G-force term is what hurts, not a slightly firm but stable touchdown.