Normal Takeoff and Climb

• Climb airspeed/V-speed ±5 knots for each climb segment (AA.III.A.S13)
• Desired heading ±5° (AA.III.A.S14)

Around those two numbers sits the crew dimension the lower certificates never graded:

• Coordinate with the crew and complete the appropriate checklists prior to takeoff in a timely manner (AA.III.A.S1)
• Confirm takeoff power and proper engine and flight instrument indications prior to rotation, making callouts per the airplane or the operator's procedures (AA.III.A.S10)
• Retract gear and flaps in accordance with manufacturer or operator procedures and limitations (AA.III.A.S15)

The examiner is watching a crew procedure, not a stick-and-rudder maneuver.

From AFH ch. 16:

• VS — stalling speed or minimum steady flight speed at which the airplane is controllable
• VEF — the speed used during certification at which the critical engine is assumed to fail
• V1 — critical engine failure speed or takeoff decision speed: at speeds less than V1 it is considered safer to stop within the accelerate-stop distance; it is also the minimum speed, following a failure of the critical engine at VEF, at which the takeoff can be continued and the required height reached within the takeoff distance
• VR — rotation speed; cannot be less than V1 or less than 1.05 × VMC, and on an engine-out takeoff allows acceleration to V2 at the 35-foot height
• VLOF — lift-off speed, the engineering term for when the airplane first becomes airborne
• V2 — takeoff safety speed: the referenced airspeed obtained after lift-off at which the required one-engine-inoperative climb performance can be achieved

The actual numbers are weight- and type-specific — they come from your AFM data, never from memory.

Every applicant must brief before each takeoff. If the operator or manufacturer hasn't specified one, ACS Appendix 3 requires the briefing to cover the items appropriate to the conditions:

• Departure runway and departure procedure
• Power settings and speeds
• Abnormal or emergency procedures prior to or after reaching decision speed (V1 or VMC)
• Emergency return intentions
• Go-around/rejected landing procedures and initial rate of descent (for the landing briefing)
• What is expected of the other crewmembers during the takeoff and landing

If the first briefing is satisfactory, the evaluator may allow you to brief only the changes for the rest of the test. Single-pilot applicants must verbalize the briefings — silence is not an option.

Per AFH ch. 16:

• Pilot flying — concentrates on directional control, keeps the airplane exactly on centerline with wings level, holds slight forward pressure to keep the nose-wheel rolling firmly, monitors nose-wheel steering to about 80 knots (or VMCG), and keeps the other hand on the thrust levers until at least V1
• Pilot monitoring (not flying) — makes the final engine power adjustments (takeoff thrust set prior to reaching 60 knots), holds forward column pressure once the PF's hand comes up to the wheel, closely monitors aircraft systems, and calls out the V-speeds as directed in the captain's briefing

Although the PM watches the engine instruments throughout, the pilot flying (pilot in command) makes the decision to continue or reject — and a reject decision requires immediate retarding of the thrust levers.

Takeoff data — V1/VR and V2 speeds, takeoff power settings, and required field length — must be computed prior to each takeoff, based on:

• Airplane weight
• Runway length available and gradient
• Field temperature and barometric pressure
• Wind and icing conditions
• Runway condition

Without an FMS the data goes on a takeoff data card; with one, both pilots review the FMS entries or separately compute and cross-check against the card. If takeoff plans change while taxiing — new runway, new intersection — the crew recalculates (AFH ch. 16). This is the practical backbone of AA.III.A.R1: runway selection against aircraft limitations, available distance, surface conditions, and wind.

At VR the pilot monitoring makes the callout and the pilot flying rotates smoothly but deliberately at a constant rate — approximately 2.5° to 3° per second — to the airplane's specific takeoff pitch attitude, normally between 10° and 15° nose up, which stays constant regardless of weight. The objective is to accelerate through VLOF and attain V2 at 35 feet AGL (AFH ch. 16).

• Early or fast rotation extends the takeoff roll or produces an early lift-off, a lower climb rate, and divergence from the predicted flightpath
• Late rotation lengthens the roll, overshoots V2, and puts the takeoff and climb path below the predicted path — critical when runway or obstacle clearance is limited, and on some airplanes the achieved flightpath can fall below the engine-out scheduled flightpath

• Landing gear — retract after a positive rate of climb has been established and confirmed (AA.III.A.S15). Beware: the VSI and altimeter may not show a positive climb until 35 to 50 feet above the runway due to ground effect, and gear-door transit can temporarily add drag
• Flaps — not until passing obstruction clearance altitude or 400 feet AGL; hold the climb pitch attitude and let ground effect plus gear-drag reduction accelerate the airplane to flap retraction speed
• Trim — trim out longitudinal stick forces as a steady climb develops; if reducing power, reduce pitch simultaneously as needed
• Speed — limited to 250 KIAS below 10,000 feet MSL (91.117(a)); above that, climb at the AFM's best rate speed

(AFH ch. 16.) The Task closes with the after-takeoff checklist completed in a timely manner (AA.III.A.S18).

Position the flight controls for the existing wind (AA.III.A.S5): during the roll, keep the wings level by displacing the control wheel into the crosswind — there is no torque-produced yaw to fight in a jet, which makes centerline control somewhat easier and automatically positions you well for an engine failure (AFH ch. 16). Know two test-specific facts:

• If no crosswind exists on test day, your crosswind knowledge is evaluated orally (Task note)
• In a full flight simulator, the evaluator sets a crosswind component between 10 and 15 knots, with discretion to go higher — but never above the operator's or AFM's demonstrated maximum (ACS Appendix 3)

ACS Appendix 3 defines it: a normal takeoff begins from a standing or rolling start — not from a touch-and-go — with all engines operating normally during the takeoff and initial climb phase. Area III as a whole requires at least three actual landings, at least one to a full stop, and the evaluator may combine landing Tasks with those in the Instrument Procedures and Emergency Operations Areas of Operation.

Verify the assigned/correct runway (AA.III.A.S3) with more than the sign at the hold-short line: before beginning the takeoff roll, ensure the runway numbers agree with the magnetic compass and heading indicators (AFH takeoff checks), and confirm the runway and position match expectations before aligning on centerline (AFH ch. 16). The takeoff briefing itself should include visual verification of the correct surface and direction to preclude a wrong-surface departure (AFH ch. 2). Wrong-surface events are the departure-side twin of the SAFO 17010 landing problem covered under Task III.B.

From PHAK ch. 14:

• Runway holding position markings — four yellow lines, two solid, two dashed; stop before the solid pair and never cross without a clearance
• Displaced threshold — the portion of runway behind it is available for takeoffs in either direction, or landings from the opposite direction; displacement only reduces the length available for landing
• Runway distance remaining signs — black background, white numeral, runway remaining in thousands of feet; the natural cross-check for the reject decision
• Lighting — runway edge lights are white (amber over the last 2,000 feet or half the runway, whichever is less, on instrument runways) with red end lights; runway centerline lights run white, alternate red and white for the next 2,000 feet, and turn all red for the last 1,000 feet

• Static: when runway length is limited, hold the brakes while the thrust levers come up to the AFM-specified setting, let the engines stabilize, and check the engine instruments before brake release — this assures symmetrical thrust and prevents overshooting the target setting. After release, set the pre-computed takeoff power
• Rolling: with sufficient runway, advance the thrust levers smoothly to the recommended intermediate setting as the airplane rolls onto the runway, let the engines stabilize, then proceed as in the static procedure; a rolling takeoff can also be made from the runway end by advancing thrust from idle as the brakes release

(AFH ch. 16.) Either way, takeoff thrust adjustments are complete prior to 60 knots, and a thrust lever comes back only if an engine exceeds a limitation.

The pilot flying keeps a hand on the thrust levers until V1 because that is the last point at which the reject option remains available: the PF (pilot in command) owns the continue/reject decision, and a reject requires immediate retarding of thrust. After V1, keeping a hand on the levers is no longer mandatory — the point for abort has passed — and both hands go to the control wheel for rotation (AFH ch. 16). Moving the hand is a deliberate signal, to yourself and the other pilot, that the airplane is now committed to fly. The decision logic itself is Task III.I's territory.

The takeoff and climb-out should be accomplished in accordance with a standard takeoff and departure profile developed for the particular make and model (AFH ch. 16) — a published picture of when rotation happens, when gear and flaps come up, what speed each climb segment is flown at, and where power changes occur. It is what makes AA.III.A.S13's "±5 knots for each climb segment" testable: each segment has a briefed target speed from the AFM or operator profile, and you fly it. Noise abatement procedures are folded in as practicable (AA.III.A.S17).

Increasing pitch slightly increases climb rate as airspeed bleeds off — down to L/DMAX, which is best angle-of-climb speed, where the rate of climb is actually less than it was at best rate speed. Trading airspeed for altitude beyond that is a zoom climb: an increased rate for a few thousand feet that ultimately reduces overall climb performance (AFH ch. 16). Comply with the request, but know where the energy is coming from.

Wingtip vortices are strongest when the generating aircraft is heavy, clean, and slow — exactly the departure case. From PHAK ch. 5:

• Rotate prior to the point at which the preceding aircraft rotated
• Avoid following another aircraft on a similar flight path within 1,000 feet vertically
• Vortices drift with the wind — a 10-knot wind moves them about 1,000 feet per minute, so factor wind into your lift-off point and initial track
• If unsure where the preceding aircraft rotated or touched down, approximately 3 minutes provides a margin

At ATP weight you are often the generator — but behind a heavier type, the geometry problem is yours to solve before brake release, as part of the briefing.