Normal Takeoff and Climb

Knowledge: the applicant demonstrates instructional knowledge by describing and explaining. Skills: the applicant demonstrates and simultaneously explains how to perform each element (FAA-S-ACS-25). "Simultaneously" is the word that trips people — a silent, perfect takeoff is a failed Task; you have to fly it to standard and narrate it as you would to a presolo student.

Plan your narration in advance so it does not compete with the flying. The busiest moments (power application, rotation, initial climb) get the shortest sentences.

Use the explanation phase of the demonstration-performance method — done on the ground, before the airplane (AIH ch. 9). Cover:

• Objective and completion standard — what "good" looks like, in the ACS's own numbers
• Lesson content and the precise actions the learner will perform, plus the end result of those actions
• Safety procedures, including the positive exchange of flight controls
• Then encourage questions about any step they do not understand before you leave the room

The ACS objective for this Task ends with "and provide effective instruction" — the preflight brief is the first place the evaluator sees whether you can.

Short, sequential, in the same order you explained it on the ground (AIH ch. 9 — the demonstration should conform to the explanation):

1. "Runway 27, confirmed — centerline, heels on the floor."
2. "Throttle up smoothly, not abruptly — abrupt power yaws us left."
3. "Engine instruments green, airspeed alive."
4. "Right rudder holding the nose on those two points down the runway."
5. "Controls coming alive — feel the pressure build."
6. "Gentle back pressure, nose-wheel just off — that's rotation."
7. "Hold this attitude, let it fly off. Wings level, right rudder."
8. "Positive rate. Attitude first, airspeed second — checking VY."

Notice what is missing: no lecture on P-factor at 300 feet. Deep explanation belongs to the brief and the debrief.

• Rotate and lift off at the recommended airspeed and accelerate to VY (S11)
• Establish a pitch attitude to maintain the manufacturer's recommended speed or VY, ±5 knots (S12)
• Configure the airplane in accordance with manufacturer's guidance (S13)
• Maintain VY ±5 knots to a safe maneuvering altitude (S14)
• Maintain directional control and proper wind-drift correction throughout takeoff and climb (S15)
• And from outside that range: comply with noise abatement procedures (S16), complete the appropriate checklist(s) (S1), make radio calls as appropriate (S2), and verify the assigned/correct runway or takeoff path (S3)

You are required to analyze and correct these (AI.VII.A.S17), so know them by name (AFH ch. 6):

• Failure to review AFM/POH and performance charts; failure to clear the area
• Abrupt use of the throttle
• Failure to check engine instruments after applying takeoff power
• Failure to anticipate the left turning tendency — or overcorrecting for it
• Relying solely on the airspeed indicator instead of visual references for controllability
• Failure to attain proper lift-off attitude
• Inadequate compensation for torque/P-factor in the climb, resulting in a sideslip
• Over-controlling elevator and failing to trim
• Limiting the scan to straight ahead, causing a wing (usually the left) to drop after lift-off
• Failure to attain/maintain VY; "chasing" the airspeed indicator

It is a control-pressure problem, not a control-movement problem: a student pilot does not yet have a full appreciation of how control pressures vary with speed, and tends to move the controls through wide ranges seeking the pressures that feel familiar — so they over-control, and the airplane's sluggish response makes it worse (AFH ch. 6).

The AFH's fix:

• Have the student follow through lightly on the controls
• Feel for resistance together, to sense how much input is needed
• Point out the outside references that show how pressure and response change with airspeed

Coaching language: "Stop steering. Just rest your hands there and feel it get stiffer." And always stress the outside reference — for takeoff, the student should be looking far down the runway at two points aligned with it, not at the nose.

Teach it as an extension of crosswind taxi (AFH ch. 6). The sequence:

• Full aileron into the wind at the start of the roll, held as the airplane accelerates until the ailerons become effective — the student feels the pressure increase
• Rudder to keep the takeoff path straight; because the airplane weathervanes into the wind on the ground, this is typically downwind rudder
• Bleed aileron off only as needed to keep the wings level — maintain some aileron pressure throughout the roll
• Hold the mains on slightly longer than normal, then make a smooth but very definite lift-off so the airplane leaves under positive control and does not settle back while drifting

The listed error is using less than full aileron initially and mechanical use of aileron rather than judging lateral position from visual cues. If they under-correct, the airplane "skips" — a series of small bounces that develop into side-skipping and severe side loads. Say it as a picture, not a rule: "More aileron — you're sliding toward the left edge, watch the centerline move."

If no crosswind exists on the checkride, the ACS note requires your knowledge of crosswind elements to be evaluated through oral testing instead (FAA-S-ACS-25, VII.A note).

Because forcing it airborne early sets up the two worst takeoff outcomes (AFH ch. 6): too much back pressure before adequate flying speed makes the AOA excessive, so the airplane settles back to the runway or stalls; or, if the nose is allowed to lower after lift-off, AOA decreases and lift diminishes below what supports the airplane, so it settles back anyway.

So the teaching point is one sentence: hold the correct attitude constant after rotation. In ground effect the airplane will feel ready before it is — due to reduced drag it may seem able to take off below the recommended airspeed, but climbing out of ground effect below that speed leaves initial climb performance much less than at VY or even VX (AFH ch. 6).

Decided before you taxi, briefed out loud, and never improvised:

• A rejection point — identify a point along the runway at which the airplane should be airborne; if that point is reached and the airplane is not airborne, discontinue the takeoff (AFH ch. 6). Reject with power to idle, maximum braking, directional control maintained.
• A runway-remaining estimate — the POH ground roll distances for takeoff and landing, added together, give a good estimate of the runway needed to accelerate and then stop.
• Engine failure after lift-off — first responsibility is aircraft control. At a climb attitude without power the airplane is at or near a stalling AOA while you may still be holding right rudder — lower the nose immediately, coordinate, and glide toward a plausible area, preferably straight ahead. Do not attempt a turn back unless specifically trained and sufficient altitude exists.
• A hard rule for taking the controls, briefed before engine start.

Set a limit before you fly, and honor it. AIH ch. 9 is blunt: flight instructors should always guard the controls and be prepared to take control, and when necessary take the controls and calmly announce, "I have the flight controls." Do not leave the student on the controls — anxious learners can be incredibly strong and usually exhibit reactions inappropriate to the situation, and there is nothing to be gained by having to fight for control. Learners should never be allowed to exceed the flight instructor's limits, and instructors should not exceed their own ability to perceive a problem, decide, and physically react.

Practical takeoff triggers: drift toward a runway edge you cannot recover with a verbal cue, a wing dropping after lift-off with no correction, a pitch attitude that will not accelerate to VY, or any engine indication you do not like below your rejection point.

That the airplane will not behave the way they have learned, due to decreased load (AFH ch. 6):

• Becomes airborne earlier and climbs more rapidly
• Pitch attitude for initial climb may differ
• Flight controls may seem more sensitive

Say it out loud beforehand, because the AFH names the consequence of not saying it: if the difference is unexpected it may result in increased anxiety that remains until after the landing, and the perception of an "abnormal" takeoff frequently results in poor performance on the subsequent landing.

Frame them by when each one bites on the takeoff:

• Torque reaction — an equal and opposite rolling moment from the engine and propeller. On the ground it loads the left main; the AFH notes torque imparts a rolling force most evident as the landing gear is leaving the surface (AFH ch. 6).
• P-factor — the descending (right) blade meets a higher AOA at high pitch attitudes and low airspeed, so thrust is asymmetric to the right of centerline, yawing the nose left. Largest at the highest pitch, lowest speed part of the climb.
• Spiraling slipstream — the corkscrew flow strikes the left side of the vertical fin, yawing left. Strongest at high power and low airspeed.

The teaching consequence: rudder requirement is not constant — it is maximum at low airspeed and high power, and decreases as you accelerate. That is why progressively smaller rudder deflections are needed to maintain direction as the roll continues (AFH ch. 6), and why holding a fixed foot position produces a sideslip in the climb.

Because control effectiveness is a function of airflow, not of a number on the dial. As speed builds, the surfaces in the propeller slipstream become effective first, then all controls become effective enough to maneuver about all three axes (AFH ch. 6).

The instructor point: the feel of resistance to control movement is not a measure of the airplane's speed, but of its controllability. Teach the student to wait for the airplane's reaction to the applied pressure and sense the resistance, rather than controlling by movement. That single distinction — pressure and response, not deflection — resolves most of the over-controlling seen on early takeoffs.

Ground effect exists up to roughly one wingspan above the surface. It works by reducing upwash, downwash, and wingtip vortices, which cuts induced drag: about 25% at a height of ¼ the span, about 50% at 1/10 the span (AFH ch. 6). It is not a cushion of air; it is less drag.

Teach the exit, not the entry, because that is where accidents live. Climbing out of ground effect the airplane:

• Requires an increase in AOA to hold the same lift coefficient
• Experiences an increase in induced drag and thrust required
• Has a pitch-up tendency and needs less elevator travel because of increased downwash on the tail
• Sees a reduction in static source pressure and a corresponding increase in indicated airspeed

So: under high density altitude, high temperature, and/or maximum gross weight, the airplane may lift off but be unable to climb out of ground effect. Ground effect also makes the ASI and altimeter read slightly low and the VSI indicate a descent.

Make the student say the four inputs out loud: pilot capability, airplane performance and limitations, available distance, and wind (AI.VII.A.R1). Then walk the specific effects (AI.VII.A.R2):

• Crosswind — compare the component to the airplane's maximum demonstrated crosswind, established by certification testing showing satisfactory controllability in 90° crosswinds up to 0.2 VSO and placarded in airplanes certificated after May 3, 1962 (AFH ch. 9). It is a demonstrated value, not a limitation — but for a student it is a hard number and should be treated as one.
• Tailwind — check the POH: the airplane must be approved for a takeoff with a tailwind, with sufficient performance and runway length (AFH ch. 6). Headwind exists to reduce groundspeed at lift-off, shortening the roll and reducing gear stress.
• Windshear and wake turbulence — for an immediate takeoff behind a large, heavy airplane, avoid its flightpath or rotate prior to the point at which it rotated (AFH ch. 6).
• Surface/condition — soft or contaminated surfaces get Task VII.C technique, not normal technique.
• Density altitude — high density altitudes reduce engine and propeller performance, increase takeoff rolls, and decrease climb performance.

By modeling it and then handing it over. Concretely:

• Verify assigned/correct runway or takeoff path (AI.VII.A.S3) — make it a spoken item every time: runway number on the sign, on the heading indicator, and on the pavement.
• Clear the approach and takeoff paths before taxiing into position, and announce intentions on CTAF at nontowered fields (AFH ch. 6).
• Model the sterile flight deck — the 14 CFR 121.542 rule requires airline crews to refrain from nonessential activities during taxi, takeoff, landing, and below 10,000 feet, and AIH ch. 9 says the instructor should not only teach the concept but model such behavior in flight instruction.
• Give the student the scan, not just the airplane: proper scanning is essential during takeoff and climb, both for attitude and direction and for avoiding collisions near the airport (AFH ch. 6).