August 29 Flight Record
Garmin-recorded flight data used to examine the timing and precision of the approach concerns later cited by Jose Eduardo Capellan (Pilot, Flight Instructor, CFI/CFII/IGI).
Flight findings at a glance
- KCLL: The selected segment does not resolve whether a brief slow event or instructor intervention occurred.
- KAXH: The data suggests a late high approach and does not rebut every aspect of the stated concern.
- Ground speed is not indicated airspeed. These data do not establish cockpit speech, independent solo proficiency, or motive.
Source integrity
Original GPX size: 2,399,851 bytes
SHA-256: A0C994C0F682B1989426AADF2F0D329F1D8AB92D3B38FA2EA62E8FCD807FD778
The public site does not contain the original GPX or a download link. The file contains detailed location history and remains offline.
The displayed route uses 72 time-spaced samples rounded to three decimal places. The original 7,158-point GPX is not served by this site. Map tiles are provided by OpenStreetMap.
What the flight record shows
Explore the 3D reconstruction and additional telemetry
The reconstructed view, heart rate, and weather-bounded speed estimate do not establish approach safety or solo readiness.
KCLL, Easterwood Field, RWY 17
The reconstruction now begins at the first stable recorded segment near pattern altitude for each airport. It follows the GPX through pattern-area maneuvering, downwind, base, final, and the recorded post-threshold track. The leg labels are interpretations of the geographic track, not a record of ATC instructions or cockpit calls. KCLL continues through the touch-and-go and initial climb. KAXH continues through the ground-level altitude trace, runway rollout, and two taxi-speed points. The GPX does not independently identify the precise moment of wheel touchdown.
The orange path and displayed measurements are derived from the analyzed GPX. During playback, position, altitude, distance, time, and ground speed are linearly interpolated between the published measurements. Heart rate uses the nearest published sample. The ground uses expanded USGS The National Map aerial imagery aligned to public airport coordinates and sized to contain the displayed pattern and runway track. A neutral land-colored surface continues beyond the image only to prevent the finite image boundary from appearing as water. That outer surface contains no geographic detail. The scene is shown on a flat local reference plane, not a 3D elevation model. The imagery is geographic context, not evidence of weather, visibility, temporary obstacles, runway conditions, or cockpit view on August 29. The aircraft model, lighting, and camera are illustrative. G/S means ground speed, not indicated airspeed.
The pattern-area and post-threshold samples extend the visualization only. The final-approach conclusions below continue to use only the separately published runway-aligned analysis points. Smooth playback linearly interpolates position, altitude, distance, time, and ground speed between approximately five-second GPX-derived samples. Heart rate uses the nearest displayed sample. The possible air-mass-speed band applies only the nearby reported wind magnitude to the displayed ground speed. Wind direction was variable or not sufficiently precise, and the observation was not made at the aircraft. The band is not indicated airspeed. Heart rate describes the watch wearer's physiology and does not establish workload, stress, aircraft performance, or approach safety.
| Distance | Time CDT | Raw altitude | Normalized altitude | Ground speed | Heart rate | Inspect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 NM | 10:54:20 | 578 ft | 383 ft | 70.3 kt | 97 bpm | |
| 0.76 NM | 10:54:33 | 509 ft | 314 ft | 69.7 kt | 97 bpm | |
| 0.50 NM | 10:54:46 | 429 ft | 234 ft | 70.8 kt | 103 bpm | |
| 0.25 NM | 10:54:59 | 354 ft | 159 ft | 71.6 kt | 100 bpm | |
| 0.11 NM | 10:55:06 | 297 ft | 102 ft | 73.4 kt | 100 bpm | |
| Threshold | 10:55:11 | 255 ft | 60 ft | 73.5 kt | 101 bpm |
KCLL conclusion
The analyzed KCLL segment has an approximately 70.5-knot median calculated ground speed using centered ten-second windows. Jose Eduardo Capellan described becoming slow on approach, without specifying a duration or exact point. These smoothed measurements do not resolve a brief slow event, an event outside the selected segment, or an instructor intervention. Ground speed is not indicated airspeed; the file does not establish angle of attack, stall margin, aircraft configuration, or solo readiness.
KAXH training context
During the August 29 return to KAXH, while we were in the traffic pattern preparing to land, Jose Eduardo Capellan covered my airspeed indicator as part of the instructional exercise. I recall him describing my height as “perfect,” or words to that effect, during the downwind-to-base turn.
No cockpit audio currently corroborates the recalled statement about my height. The quoted wording is not presented as a verbatim recorded quotation.
The Garmin analysis suggests the airplane was high later in the approach. Those facts are not necessarily inconsistent. An aircraft may be appropriately positioned during the downwind-to-base turn and become high later during base or final. The data therefore does not disprove Jose Eduardo Capellan's high-approach criticism. Instead, it helps narrow when the high condition appears to have developed.
I do not recall Jose Eduardo Capellan telling me during the August 29 postflight debrief that this approach meant he no longer considered me ready for local solo flight, and I have not located a contemporaneous written record reflecting such a statement. The approach became one of the principal stated reasons for withholding solo only after the August 30 disagreement.
What the Garmin data adds
- The analyzed KCLL segment shows an approximately 70.5-knot median calculated ground speed. It does not resolve whether a brief slow event or instructor intervention occurred.
- The KAXH data suggests a late high and steep convergence and therefore does not rebut every aspect of Jose Eduardo Capellan (Pilot, Flight Instructor, CFI/CFII/IGI)'s criticism.
- The covered airspeed indicator provides relevant training context for KAXH.
- The Garmin record does not prove that I was technically safe in every respect.
- It does not prove Jose Eduardo Capellan (Pilot, Flight Instructor, CFI/CFII/IGI) lied or fabricated a safety concern.
- It does not prove retaliation.
- It cannot verify cockpit speech, indicated airspeed, aircraft configuration, control inputs, angle of attack, or continuous instructor coaching.
- The GPX includes heart-rate values from the watch. Those readings do not establish workload, stress, aircraft performance, or approach safety.
The strongest use of the Garmin record is not to declare one side right and the other wrong. It is to test the precision, timing, and later presentation of the concerns that became central to the August 30 solo decision.
Methodology
The computation used only the approach segments needed to evaluate KCLL RWY 17 and KAXH RWY 09. It did not publish the complete route history.
- Runway threshold reference points
- KCLL RWY 17: 30.59663942, -96.36285458. KAXH RWY 09: 29.50664175, -95.48475069. These fixed reference points were taken from published runway-end data for the analysis.
- Final alignment
- Track position and course were compared with each runway centerline. Only portions sufficiently aligned with the runway were used for final-approach summaries. KCLL analysis extends from approximately 1.0 NM to 0.07 NM. Usable KAXH final alignment begins at approximately 0.66 NM.
- Distance to threshold
- Great-circle distance was calculated from each GPX position sample to the fixed threshold reference using a geodesic distance calculation.
- Ground speed
- Ground speed was calculated from successive GPS positions using centered ten-second geodesic windows. It is movement over the ground, not cockpit indicated airspeed.
- Heart rate
- The Garmin TrackPointExtension contains one heart-rate value for each of the 7,158 track points. The full activity ranges from 60 to 114 beats per minute, with a median of 74. The selected KCLL final points range from 97 to 103, and the selected KAXH final points range from 94 to 97. Heart rate describes the wearer, not the aircraft.
- Weather-bounded speed estimate
- The 3D telemetry view applies the nearby reported wind magnitude to ground speed to show a broad possible air-mass-speed band. Because wind direction was variable or not sufficiently precise and the observation was not made at the aircraft, the result is not true airspeed or indicated airspeed.
- Median speed
- The reported median is the median of the smoothed ground-speed values within the defined runway-aligned final segment.
- Altitude normalization
- The Garmin track showed a local low offset near each runway. The analysis estimated corrections of approximately 126 feet at KCLL and 140 feet at KAXH. Corrected altitude was then compared with the published runway elevation to estimate height above the runway.
- Descent-path angle
- The estimated path angle was calculated from normalized vertical change and horizontal distance across the defined aligned segment. KAXH is reported both over the final 0.5 NM and over the broader late approach.
- Why values can differ
- GPS or barometric altitude can contain local offset. Ground speed differs from indicated airspeed because wind and air-mass movement affect the relationship between the airplane's motion through the air and over the ground. The FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge is included below as general reference material for these distinctions.
This is a computational analysis of consumer-device telemetry. It is not an FAA analysis, certified reconstruction, forensic laboratory report, or independent aviation expert opinion.
Additional Flight Data Welcome
My Garmin MARQ Aviator recorded the August 29 flight.
I welcome Jose Eduardo Capellan or GEM Aviation to provide any additional original, unmodified flight data they hold, including timestamps, GPS position, altitude, ground speed, airspeed if recorded, and other available flight parameters.
If additional objective data materially contradicts or changes the analysis presented here, I will update this account accordingly.
I am specifically interested in original exported data rather than screenshots or summarized interpretations.
A failure to provide additional data would not, by itself, establish suppression or concealment.