TABLE OF CONTENTS Regardless of an aircraft's design mission, it must takeoff and land to start and finish its flight. Almost every conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL, as opposed to vertical takeoff and/or vertical landing using vectored thrust, etc.) aircraft was designed to meet specified maximum takeoff and landing distances. The ability to use shorter runways allows airliners to serve smaller cities or fly from a small runway near the business district of a large city, a light aircraft to land in a farmer's field and park next to his house, and military aircraft to operate from improvised runways close to the front lines or from established airfields whose runways have been damaged.
For an aircraft to take off, it uses excess thrust to accelerate to a safe flying speed. Normally airspeed 1.2 times the aircraft's stalling speed at its takeoff weight and configuration is considered safe to become airborne. This safe flying airspeed is called takeoff speed V TO. At or just prior to reaching takeoff speed, the pilot raises the aircraft's nose to establish a pitch attitude and angle of attack called the takeoff attitude. Once the takeoff attitude is established and the aircraft has sufficient speed, it generates enough lift to begin flying. Takeoff distance, then, is the distance required for the aircraft to accelerate to takeoff speed and rotate. Some aircraft design requirements specify a rotation time, usually around 3 s, which must be allowed, and the distance covered by...
