The phase in which an aircraft accelerates along the runway to rotation speed, raises its nose and climbs away to a safe height above any obstacles.
What it is
Take-off begins when the crew sets thrust at the start of the runway and, for performance purposes, ends when the aircraft reaches a reference height above the runway, typically 35 feet (about 11 metres) for transport jets. Whenever possible, aircraft take off into the wind, which lowers the ground speed needed to fly and shortens the run.
Before every departure the crew works out the performance figures: weight, temperature, airport elevation, wind and available runway length give the V1, VR and V2 speeds and the thrust required. Take-offs are often made at reduced thrust, below the maximum, because it extends engine life without eroding the required margins.
Heat and altitude both hurt take-off performance, since thinner air produces less lift and less thrust. That is why very high airports such as El Alto in Bolivia, around 4,000 metres above sea level, have exceptionally long runways.
On Vuelopedia
Vuelopedia model pages list the maximum take-off weight, and airport pages give the length and surface of their runways.
Related terms
Cite
To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.
This page was last updated on October 9, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Take-off. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/take-off
MLA
“Take-off.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/take-off. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Take-off.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/take-off.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Take-off. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/take-off (Accessed: 16 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_take_off,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Take-off}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-09},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/take-off},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/take-off}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/take-off |title=Take-off |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}