Ask Me Everything3

The aircraft stands motionless at the end of the runway. When the crew receive permission to take off, the engines are powered up, the brakes are released, and the takeoff run begins.

Control tower: Airport traffic controllers watch the aircraft and talk to the pilots from the control tower.

Airport building: Passengers wait in departure lounges for their planes to be madę ready.

Runway markings: The

edges and centerline of

the runway are marked

- with painted lines and I colored lights.

When the aircraft reaches a speed called V1, there is not enough runway left for it to stop, so it must take off. For a twin-engine jet airliner,

V1 is around155 knots, or 178 mph (287 kph).

Taxiways: Planes make their way from the terminal buildings to the runway along roads called taxiways.

Grooves: The runway surface usually has grooves cut across it to provide grip for aircraft tires in wet weather.

\J ■ The next vital speed is called VR (rotation velocity). At this speed, the pilot raises the plane’s nose, and it takes off. This occurs at around 160 knots, or 184 mph (296 kph).

Construction materiał

The top of the runway is madę of asphalt or concrete.

Reach for the sky

Each takeoff at an airport is planned with great care. Preparations begin long before an aircraft climbs into the sky—there is paperwork to be completed, fuel to be loaded, and checks to be madę. Then, as the piane accelerates down the runway, the crew make decisions about what to do at three critical speeds, called V1, VR, and V2

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