OVERVIEW

So we'll open the throttle and gather speed, For the Airman's life is life indeed. As the engine roars away, Gone are the cares of the Earth below. As up through the clouds we go, With an even-increasing sway.

A.C. Kermode ^[188], 1956

The words of Kermode, in his classical book on flight mechanics, sound eerie to the modern high-flyer. Take-off and landing are nowadays smooth operations servo assisted by on-board computers. Landing still requires good pilot skills, which are best appreciated in bad weather conditions and at night. The first instrumented landing, by James Doolittle in September 1929, is now a forgotten piece of aeronautical history.

Take-off and landing are defined as terminal phases of the aircraft flight, and are accelerated or decelerated flights, respectively. Both operations are affected by prevailing winds. As it will be shown, it is convenient to take off and land in the wind. Side winds can affect the stability of the aircraft.

In this chapter we will solve take-off and landing problems of conventional aircraft on horizontal runways. Cases other than these will be considered in Chapter 16, which deals with V/STOL vehicles. Take-off and landing are heavily regulated by the aviation authorities. Each regulation reports different lift-off C _L, initial gradient, height clearance, etc. For example, in North America the regulations for conventional, utility, acrobatic, and commuter-category airplanes are FAR Title 14, Part 23, Subpart B, of the airworthiness standards.