Basically, which do you prefer and why.

A long leisurely takeoff roll with gentle acceleration and straight gentle climb out.

A short takeoff roll with heavy acceleration and steep climb.

A long or short takeoff roll with a steep turn on departure.

A aggressive takeoff with a heavy thrust reduction and level off.

If none of these, insert the type of takeoff you like.

As long as the aircraft rotates before the end of the runway I'm easy

Aggressive takeoff with heavy thrust reduction and level off. Especially on 757s. Though, some of my most memorable takeoffs have been on MDs. This past summer out of DTW on a 29 year old -88, long takeoff roll and steep climb. My favorite however, was out of MCI to MSP on a DC-9-50 on NW. I swear the pilot flew that thing like a fighter jet.

-Rowen

I enjoy them all in their own way...

The most fun had to be as the sole passenger on a Lear 60XR out of BDL. Not much fuel and no luggage and the guys up front wanted to show me the aircraft's performance so we were climbing at about 11,000ft per minute. The dials in the cabin were stuck at 9999ft/min so I asked when we landed! Was like nothing else I'd flown outside of jet trainers in the military...

Concorde was memorable because of the takeoff speed alone. Was like a regular takeoff but in fast forward. All those buildings at LHR zipped past the window so quickly.

That said I still always crane my head out the window...a 747 lifting off JFK's 31L, with a tight left turn and a view of NYC's skyline at sunset never gets old...

757 out of SNA back in the day! Closest thing to the Space Shuttle.

n92r03 wrote:

757 out of SNA back in the day! Closest thing to the Space Shuttle.

This is what exactly came to mind when I read this. Even my 737-800 out of SNA last week was pretty fun.

I flew a 757 SJC-LAS about 10 years ago that had 10 passengers on it and probably next to no fuel for a 60 minute flight, that was a fun takeoff.

Takeoffs always seem longer than they really are when I'm in the cabin, so I prefer short, high-power takeoffs. I know how long the runways are and it always seems like we've gone an impossible distance before lifting off, especially on long-haul flights. Short-haul flights on smaller planes seem a little more reasonable, and on those I could live with any kind of takeoff.

I fly on ANA a lot and they used to have nosewheel cams turned on at takeoff, and I remember one takeoff at JFK where it really looked like we were headed for the trees. I'm sure it was mostly the field of view of the camera, but I saw the edge of the runway pass below the bottom of the screen and I could clearly see individual leaves on the trees before rotation. That I don't prefer! It was in summer and I'm sure the plane was well loaded so I'm not sure they could have done anything different, but I like my takeoffs a little shorter than that...

I also don't really like takeoffs with an *immediate* hard turn. A little bit after takeoff, ok. But I've been in takeoffs where the plane seems like it's going to scrape a wing, they go into a steep turn so quickly.

n92r03 wrote:

757 out of SNA back in the day! Closest thing to the Space Shuttle.

Totally agree. When EA first started flying the 757, I loved the way it climbed very quickly. Here's to the 797!

Damn... I always get scared about thrust reduction just after leaving the ground.
Hate it!

Andre3K wrote:

Basically, which do you prefer and why.

A short takeoff roll with heavy acceleration and steep climb.

I don't like long take off rolls, it makes me nervous. With the latter two, I like to pretend that ATC is not playing a part and we have the sky to ourselves! I feel I have got more value for my fare too if this kind of takeoff happens. I also like the fact that no one can stand up in the aisle/s, secondary reason.

vhqpa wrote:

As long as the aircraft rotates before the end of the runway I'm easy.

Yes, definitely!

ojjunior wrote:

Damn... I always get scared about thrust reduction just after leaving the ground. Hate it!

I do too.

I've never really thought about the thrust reduction but now that I have I realize I don't like it either.

Oh I should have added in do you prefer rolling takeoff's or standing takeoffs.

Andre3K wrote:

I've never really thought about the thrust reduction but now that I have I realize I don't like it either. Oh I should have added in do you prefer rolling takeoff's or standing takeoffs.

Rolling takeoffs feel a bit weird. I prefer the latter.

spacecadet wrote:

I also don't really like takeoffs with an *immediate* hard turn. A little bit after takeoff, ok. But I've been in takeoffs where the plane seems like it's going to scrape a wing, they go into a steep turn so quickly.

Depends on the aircraft, the 717 a case in point. I am not on a lot of flights where this kind of takeoff occurs though.

n92r03 wrote:

757 out of SNA back in the day! Closest thing to the Space Shuttle.

For me it was on a nearly empty UA 757 out of ORD on a very cold night. I was pinned to my seat.

Favorite takeoff of mine was a long and slow one in the darkest of nights at LAX on a PR A343 to MNL and the hairdryer engines came to life at FLEX and slowly lifted to the air like the turkey it was, I loved staring at the wings seeing it flex and watch the clouds get cut by its wings.

I also like all takeoffs in their own rights but a couple of my favorites.
I honk really long takeoff ropes are cool, think SQ A345 SIN-EWR
Short takeoffs are intense, like out if SDU.
Steep turns right after takeoffs are fun. I’m lucky to live in New York for that reason!!
I find intersection takeoffs really cool, much more then full length.
Takeing off steep and then leveling ohh quickly is really fun, and makes the loudness of the engine drag on for less time.

I prefer the really aggressive takeoff with lots of acceleration and a steep climbout. My most memorable takeoff in recent times was on a United Express E-175 out of MCI bound for ORD in first class. There was another aircraft on short final. They had just enough time for a quick takeoff and we were very light so they taxied right onto the runway and firewalled it without even stopping. The plane was only about half full so that little E Jet really scooted down the runway. I estimate that the takeoff roll was less than 30 seconds. We climbed out very steeply and they almost immediately put us into a sharp right hand turn. It was great fun.

The 757 was usually the hardest acceleration but I used to love the WN 732s with the club seats riding backwards hanging against the seat belts, those planes and the way the pilots flew them was an absolute blast.


Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

Any takeoff that doesn't involve a noise abatement climb-out...every time I fly out of TPA it freaks me out when we "coast" out over the bay then they throttle up again. Ugh.

KentB27 wrote:

I estimate that the takeoff roll was less than 30 seconds.

Just to let you know, most take off roles are less then 30 seconds.

BENAir01 wrote:

KentB27 wrote:

I estimate that the takeoff roll was less than 30 seconds.

Just to let you know, most take off roles are less then 30 seconds.

Proof?

I love any takeoff in a 757. Over the summer I had a takeoff in a light MD-90 that was pretty short and fast. I actually like the heavy thrust reductions. They give the takeoff a sense of uniqueness.

Taking off of runway 8 at ABQ is always fun as well with the sharp turn immediately after takeoff due to the Sandia mountains ahead. Good times...

Last flight I took on a QF B763ER was also, I found out later, the Captain's last at the controls. Might explain why it's my favorite take-off to date - standing start, throttles bent over the stops, a few moments of steeeeep climb, a sweeping right turn at a fairly absurd amount of bank, and then quite a bit more climb before the power came off.

Sorry, normal passengers :p

Short and powerful. Preferably by holding the aircraft on the brakes while adding power.

KentB27 wrote:

BENAir01 wrote:

KentB27 wrote:

I estimate that the takeoff roll was less than 30 seconds.

Just to let you know, most take off roles are less then 30 seconds.

Proof?

About 30 seconds is probably the norm, industrywide. Less than 30 is by no means impressive for an E175 though, certainly not a half-empty one. Those are some really cool little hot-rods.

VSMUT wrote:

Short and powerful. Preferably by holding the aircraft on the brakes while adding power.

KentB27 wrote:

BENAir01 wrote:

Just to let you know, most take off roles are less then 30 seconds.

Proof?

About 30 seconds is probably the norm, industrywide. Less than 30 is by no means impressive for an E175 though, certainly not a half-empty one. Those are some really cool little hot-rods.

I wish I actually knew how long it took. It was way shorter than a normal takeoff roll but I don't time takeoff rolls so it's hard to know for sure how long it took.

KentB27 wrote:

BENAir01 wrote:

KentB27 wrote:

I estimate that the takeoff roll was less than 30 seconds.

Just to let you know, most take off roles are less then 30 seconds.

Proof?

Just go watch a youtube video of any standard takeoff. Most hover in the 25-30 second range. Even the longest takeoff roles aren't much longer - SQ's A345s on the SIN-EWR sector took about 50 seconds to lift off.
By the way I should mention I wasn't trying to say that it wasn't a short takeoff or anything or say you were overreacting. I trust your judgment that it felt quick. All Im trying to say is you may have estimated it took longer then it really did.

If you’ve ever taken off from JFK’s 31L, you’ll recall the sharp left turn shortly after liftoff. In the 1970s, I remarked that our pilot ‘had the whole Atlantic Ocean to kind of sneak over to the left!’ The departure procedure is the same today, although I don’t know if it’s for noise abatement or LaGuardia traffic.

Speaking of LGA, takeoff and landing is always interesting! There’s always a full-thrust takeoff and a rather abrupt landing.

ojjunior wrote:

Damn... I always get scared about thrust reduction just after leaving the ground.
Hate it!

I don't get scared about it anymore but it did scare me as a kid. I've written in the past here about an engine fire on a DC-10 I was flying in when I was about 8, and that was right after the type certificate was reinstated after AA 191. Shortly after we took off, we leveled off and throttled back due to the engine fire. I always remembered that AA 191 throttled back after takeoff as well. So for a really long time, whenever the thrust reduction came even in a normal takeoff, I would feel a wave of panic come over me until I was sure nothing was wrong.

Now I don't mind it and I obviously know what it is. Part of that's just getting older and more experienced, but I think part of it may also be the way more modern planes sound and feel when thrust is reduced. It used to seem really abrupt and dramatic to me most of the time, as if the pilots were reacting to something unexpected. Accompanying the sound would usually be a feel of almost hitting something, like the brakes had been put on. Now it usually sounds and feels smoother, and more obviously planned. I think it's probably just smoother throttles in modern planes, and maybe different programming for the auto-throttles.

I've had some good takeoffs on the 757 like many others. My two most memorable were both TUL-DFW flights, first about 8-9 years ago was a 772 sub for a 752. Was a rocketship with a decent passenger load but not much fuel. The other was this past summer, a 763 sub for a 738, the bird from DFW went into maintenance in Tulsa while our plane was just coming back out, again decent pax load with very light fuel was a thrill ride on takeoff and initial climb!