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Aviation glossary

V1, VR and V2

Also: V-speeds, take-off speeds, decision speed, rotation speed

Operations and flight

Reference speeds calculated for every take-off: V1, the decision speed; VR, the rotation speed; and V2, the safety speed for climbing with an engine out.

What it is

Before each take-off the crew calculates these speeds from the aircraft's weight, flap setting, runway and weather. V1 is the decision speed: if a serious problem arises before it is reached, the take-off is rejected and the aircraft can stop on the remaining runway; from V1 onwards, the take-off continues even if an engine fails.

VR is the rotation speed, at which the pilot gently pulls back to lift the nose. V2 is the take-off safety speed: the speed the aircraft must have reached by 35 feet above the runway to keep climbing with a margin, even with one engine inoperative.

V1 may never exceed VR, and V2 is higher than both. Many aircraft show them as markers on the speed tape, and during the take-off run the monitoring pilot calls out ‘V1’ and ‘rotate’. On a typical single-aisle jet, VR usually falls between 130 and 160 knots (roughly 240 to 300 km/h), depending on weight.

Related terms

Take-offThe 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. Take-off distanceDistance an aircraft needs from the start of its take-off run until it reaches a reference height above the runway, normally 35 feet for transport aircraft. MTOWMaximum weight at which an aircraft is certified to begin its take-off, including structure, crew, passengers, cargo and fuel. KnotUnit of speed used in aviation and at sea, equal to one nautical mile per hour, which is exactly 1.852 km/h. FlapMovable surface on the trailing edge of the wing that extends to increase lift at low speed during take-off and landing.
Whole glossary

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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). V1, VR and V2. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/v-speeds

MLA

“V1, VR and V2.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/v-speeds. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “V1, VR and V2.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/v-speeds.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) V1, VR and V2. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/v-speeds (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_v_speeds,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{V1, VR and V2}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/v-speeds},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/v-speeds}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/v-speeds |title=V1, VR and V2 |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}

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