Maneuver Analysis & Scoring
To analyze your flight maneuvers as you fly, Shirley needs to know when they start and end. Simply tell Shirley to mark the start of your takeoffs, steep turns, and landings, then mark their ends after you're finished. With these markers, Shirley can accurately score your performance to ACS standards and provide results in real time.
All analysis results appear in your logbook at Logbook, including historical trends, detailed scoring breakdowns, performance graphs, and flight transcripts. You'll also receive automatic email summaries after each flight.
With Shirley's Memory feature, you can ask about your past maneuvers at any time — "How have my steep turns improved?" or "What was my best landing score last week?"
The Marker System
Markers define the boundaries of each maneuver. You can set markers by verbally telling Shirley (e.g., "mark the start of my landing" or "mark the end") or using the marker controls in the UI. Markers can even be moved or adjusted by voice command after your flight has ended, allowing you to fine-tune your analysis windows.
Once markers are placed, Shirley analyzes the flight data between them, scoring your performance against FAA Airman Certification Standards (ACS) tolerances. Each maneuver type has specific requirements and parameters.
Supported Maneuvers
Steep turns require no special parameters or setup. Simply be on your target heading before marking the start, then mark the end when you've completed the maneuver. Multiple turns (e.g., left and right) can be performed between a single pair of start and end markers.
- Required Parameters: None
- How to Mark: Be on heading before marking start, mark end when complete
- Note: Multiple turns allowed between start/end markers
Takeoff analysis requires runway information and aircraft performance data. The runway waypoint can be set via voice command or the UI, and V-speeds (rotation speed, best angle of climb, and best rate of climb) are automatically provided from your aircraft profile. Currently supported aircraft are the Cessna 172 and Lancair Evolution Turbine. Contact us for support via custom profile for other aircraft.
- Required Parameters:
- Runway waypoint (set via voice command)
- Aircraft V-speeds (Vr, Vx, Vy) - provided automatically from aircraft profile
- How to Mark: Mark start from a full stop, mark end after climbing to at least 700 ft AGL
- Variants:
- Normal: Standard takeoff procedure with ground roll, rotation, and climb to 700 ft AGL
- Soft: Early rotation into ground effect to minimize ground contact time (rotation speed not scored)
- Short: Includes Vx (best angle) climb scoring from 50-300 ft AGL, then transition to Vy through obstacle clearance altitude
- Short-Soft: Combines both soft field and short field requirements
Landing analysis evaluates your approach stabilization, touchdown accuracy, and rollout. Shirley needs to know your runway and approach speed (including gust factor). If you haven't set the approach speed, Shirley will prompt you for it. Landing analysis currently requires aiming for the runway numbers.
- Required Parameters:
- Runway waypoint (set via voice command)
- Approach speed (vApp) including gust factor - Shirley will ask if not provided
- How to Mark: Mark start at or above 500 ft AGL on approach, mark end when slowed below 15 kts
- Variants:
- Normal: Standard landing with touchdown within 400 ft of the aiming point
- Soft: Includes soft touchdown descent rate and gentle taxi speed scoring
- Short: Requires touchdown within 200 ft of the aiming point
- Short-Soft: Combines both soft and short field requirements
Analysis Results
After completing a maneuver with proper markers, Shirley analyzes the telemetry data and provides:
- Real-time Feedback: Post-maneuver scoring during or after your flight
- ACS Standards Comparison: Your performance compared to FAA standards
- Detailed Scoring Breakdown: Component-by-component scores
- Historical Trend Graphs: Track your progress over time
- Flight Transcripts: Full conversation history
All analyses are stored in your logbook and can be reviewed at any time. The logbook includes interactive charts showing your maneuver performance trends, making it easy to see improvement over multiple flights.
Getting Started
Ready to start analyzing your maneuvers? Head to flight center to begin a flight with Shirley. During your flight, simply tell Shirley when you're starting and ending each maneuver, and they'll take care of the rest.
Have questions or feature requests for the analysis system? Join our Discord community or reach out at contact@airplane.team. The development team is actively expanding the analysis system with more maneuvers and enhanced scoring capabilities!
Want to try for yourself? Take advantage of our free trial!
Have Suggestions, Requests or Questions?
We welcome all your questions or input on our Discord or by Email!
Last updated: February 3, 2026