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Chapter-6 Takeoffs and Climbs-V20_Sport Pilot Handbook 8/30/2021 6:10 PM Page 30

6-30 Rod Machado’s How to Fly an Airplane Handbook

The Short-Field Takeoff

E
Climb at Vy
retract flaps Courtesy: Gabhan Berry

D
Maintain Vx until
clear of obstacle B
C Rotate to Vx attitude
Establish a few knots below Vx A
attitude for Use all available
Vx climb runway for takeoff

Fig. 34

The short-field takeoff is accomplished at the best angle
of climb speed (Vx), which gives you the most altitude
gain for a given distance over the ground. B
Rotating to And
Generally speaking, the short-field takeoff is often Climbing at Vx
performed with anywhere from 10 to 25 degrees of
flaps (check your POH to be sure), which helps shorten
the ground run. This procedure also uses Vx or the
best angle of climb speed for the initial climb. Using A
Vx means that you’ll gain the most altitude for a given
distance over the ground. That means you’ll climb at
the steepest angle possible, which is the best way to
avoid an obstacle at the end of the runway (Figure 34,
position D). Once the obstacle is cleared, you’ll lower Rotating to the attitude for best angle of climb a few
the nose and climb at Vy (the best rate of climb places the airplane precisely at Vx (i.e., 60
knots below Vx (i.e., 57 knots) during the ground roll
speed), which allows you to gain the most altitude for knots) as climb attitude is established. Fig. 35
a given amount of time (Figure 34, position E).
Keep in mind that Vx is slower than Vy. Sometimes significantly slower. The point here is that when
climbing at Vx, you’re closer to stall speed than when climbing at Vy. So you have to be careful about
maintaining your airspeed (your attitude) during departure to prevent it from becoming too slow.
The other reason to carefully monitor your attitude and maintain the designated airspeed is that
even a slight variation from Vx can dramatically reduce the airplane’s climb performance. Slow to
less than Vx and you might see a several hundred feet per minute reduction in climb rate. That
might result in turning a 50-foot obstacle into a 49-foot obstacle and a one-foot cockpit decoration.
On the other hand, let your speed increase above Vx and you’ll definitely see an increase in your
rate of climb. But that’s a good thing, right? Wrong. It’s not at all good during a short-field takeoff
because while the climb rate increases slightly, the angle of climb decreases (see Figure 18 on Page
6-14). It’s the angle of climb that you want to maximize during the short-field takeoff.
The first step in making a short-field takeoff is to place the flaps at their recommended departure
setting. Then taxi to the very beginning of the runway, or at least the first point where a takeoff is