Takeoff

From the start of the takeoff roll to a few hundred feet above the runway — statistically one of the two most dangerous parts of a flight.

The takeoff is defined around V1, the decision speed. Before V1 the takeoff can be rejected on the remaining runway; after it, the crew are committed to fly and must handle any failure in the air. Rejected takeoffs above V1 are a recurring accident category.

Takeoff accidents also involve performance data — wrong weights, wrong thrust settings, the wrong intersection — and configuration errors such as an incorrect flap setting.

Related terms

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