Commercial pilot · ACS CA.IV.A · lesson pack

Normal Takeoff and Climb

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Why this one matters

The takeoff and initial climb are where the airplane is lowest, slowest and heaviest. In a faster, heavier commercial airplane, a late gear retraction, a missed power check or a turn back after an engine failure leave even less margin. Planning and precise speeds keep options open.

1 · Know these cold

•VX gives the most altitude per distance (obstacles); VY the most per minute. As altitude increases, indicated VX rises and VY falls until they meet at the absolute ceiling; as weight decreases both fall, so use the POH speeds for the actual weight.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aircraft Performance)
•Verify the runway before adding power: signs and markings, and the heading indicator against the runway number.(AC 91-73, Parts 91 and 135 Single Pilot Procedures During Taxi Operations)
•Advance the throttle smoothly to takeoff power and confirm the engine and flight instruments (manifold pressure, RPM, fuel flow, airspeed alive) before rotation.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.A.S7)
•Retract the gear once a positive rate of climb is established and a landing on the remaining runway is no longer possible, as the POH directs.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Transition to Complex Airplanes)
•Rotate at the recommended speed, accelerate to VY and hold it ±5 knots to a safe maneuvering altitude.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.A.S9-S13)
•Reduce from takeoff power to climb power (manifold pressure, then RPM) only as and when the POH says.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Transition to Complex Airplanes)
•Brief the abort point and the engine-failure plan before every takeoff.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)

2 · The lesson

Performance, speeds and configuration

High density altitude means less power and thrust and a higher true airspeed for liftoff: longer roll, weaker climb. Run the POH charts for the actual weight and conditions.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aircraft Performance)
VX for obstacles, VY for the normal climb. With altitude, VX (indicated) rises and VY falls; with less weight, both fall.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aircraft Performance)
Configure per the POH: flaps, trim, mixture for the field elevation, propeller full forward, fuel pump as directed.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
Choose the runway most nearly into the wind with enough length plus margin, within the airplane's performance and your own crosswind limit.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aircraft Performance)

The roll, the gear and the climb

Before entering the runway: complete the checklists; make the radio calls (or have the clearance at a towered airport); confirm it's the right runway and clear; check final; find the wind from the windsock, segmented circle or tetrahedron, the AWOS, ASOS or ATIS, ATC, or other traffic; then line up on the centerline.(AC 91-73, Parts 91 and 135 Single Pilot Procedures During Taxi Operations; Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.A.S1-S6)
Smooth power, check the engine indications early, right rudder for the left-turning tendencies, airspeed alive.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Takeoffs and Departure Climbs)
Rotate at the recommended speed, establish the VY attitude and trim. Gear up when a positive rate is established and you can no longer land on the remaining runway.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Transition to Complex Airplanes)
Configure (gear, flaps) as the POH directs. Hold VY to a safe maneuvering altitude: high enough to clear the obstacles and terrain and to fly the departure you planned, with room to handle a problem.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.A.S12-S13)
Comply with noise abatement procedures where published, without compromising safety.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.A.S15)

Wind, surface and wake on takeoff

Crosswind: full aileron into the wind at the start of the roll, reduced as the controls become effective; rudder holds the centerline. In a strong crosswind, hold the airplane on a little longer and lift off firmly. Stay in the slip (aileron into the wind, rudder for alignment) until well clear of the ground, then crab, wings level, to track the extended centerline.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Takeoffs and Departure Climbs)
Choose the runway by the airplane's performance, the distance available, the wind, and your own demonstrated crosswind limit. A tailwind costs more distance than the same headwind saves, and it flattens the climb gradient because groundspeed is higher. The POH maximum tailwind component, where published, is a hard limit.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aircraft Performance)
Gusts and wind shear are different. For gusts, use the POH speed additive. Known or reported low-level wind shear: wait it out. If you meet it after liftoff: maximum power, pitch to the attitude that keeps you flying without chasing airspeed, leave gear and flaps alone until clear, and report it.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Takeoffs and Departure Climbs; AC 00-54)
Wake: vortices start at rotation, are strongest behind a heavy, clean, slow airplane, sink several hundred feet per minute and drift downwind. Behind a larger airplane taking off, note its rotation point, lift off before it, climb above and upwind of its path, and stay out from below and behind it. When in doubt, wait at least 2 minutes.(AIM, Chapter 7, Wake Turbulence)
Grass, wet, snowy or uphill surfaces lengthen the roll: apply the POH corrections plus your own margin.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aircraft Performance)

Planning for the takeoff that goes wrong

Brief an abort point and speed before you roll; if you aren't there, or anything is wrong, close the throttle and stop straight ahead.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Takeoffs and Departure Climbs)
Engine failure after liftoff with runway left: land on it (gear still down helps in a retractable). With no runway left at low altitude: lower the nose at once and hold best glide, pick a spot essentially straight ahead with only the small heading changes the altitude allows, run the POH items (fuel selector, mixture, magnetos) only if there is time, talk to ATC once the airplane is under control, and decide on the gear by the surface (down on a smooth field, up on rough or soft ground or water, per the POH).(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
Don't turn back at low altitude: it needs far more altitude than expected, and a steep slow turn can stall and spin.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)

Low, slow and busy

Look for traffic on final and on the runway before you line up or turn final, and use landing lights.(AC 90-48, Pilots' Role in Collision Avoidance)
Near the ground there's no room to recover: a skidding turn to final or a nose-high climb can stall and spin; a distraction can lead into terrain or obstacles.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
Fly the airplane first: checklists and calls before the critical moments. Overloaded on final, go around.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))

Want it all on one page, with scenarios? Read the full lesson.

On the flight

ACS standards

Establish a pitch attitude for the recommended speed or VY, ±5 knots.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.A.S11)
Maintain VY ±5 knots to a safe maneuvering altitude.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.A.S13)
Maintain directional control and wind-drift correction throughout the takeoff and climb.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.A.S14)

What your instructor is watching for

Your instructor watches for runway verification, a power check before rotation, centerline tracking, VY within 5 knots, gear and power changes at the right time, and a briefed abort and engine-failure plan.

3 · Say it out loud

Answer each one out loud, then check yourself and mark how it went.

Remember Recall it
“When do you retract the landing gear after takeoff?”
Understand Explain why
“Why not retract the gear the moment you lift off?”
Apply Use it on a flight
“At 400 feet in a retractable, the engine loses power. What do you do?”

4 · Common mistakes

Retracting the gear while runway remains.
You lose the option to land straight ahead if the engine fails.
Instead: Positive rate and no usable runway remaining, then gear up.
Chasing VY with pitch changes that are too large.
It's hard to hold ±5 knots without a known attitude.
Instead: Set the VY attitude you know, trim, then small corrections.
Skipping the takeoff power check.
A weak engine is discovered too late.
Instead: Confirm power and engine indications early in the roll.

5 · Quick check

Answer, then reveal. Flag anything you want to see again.

1. What are the commercial climb tolerances on a normal takeoff?
2. What does VX give you?
3. When is the gear retracted?
4. How do you confirm you're on the right runway?
Scenario5. Your engine fails at 200 feet with no runway left. What do you do?

Trained it? Now prove it: practice normal takeoff and climb out loud with our examiner.

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Connect it

One situation that runs across this lesson and its neighbors in the same ACS area. Decide first, then check.

Connect it · Takeoffs, Landings & Go-Arounds

On a power-off 180, a tailwind on base carries you past the point where you'd normally turn final, and you're high.

How do you fix it, and when is a go-around the right answer? Decide, then see the worked answer

The maneuver: from abeam the touchdown point, power to idle, then glide to the point through the abeam and base key positions, with pitch controlling airspeed. The standard is a touchdown at the proper pitch attitude, on or within 200 feet beyond the point, never short, with no side drift and the longitudinal axis over the centerline. The tailwind on base raised your groundspeed. Now: turn to final earlier with a normal, coordinated bank. If you've already overshot, accept it or go around, but never tighten the turn with bottom rudder or slip in the turn; slip only once you're established on final. To lose height you have a forward slip, flaps and S-turns, all tools the AFH lists for power-off accuracy approaches. A forward slip is deliberately uncoordinated, crossed controls; hold the airspeed with pitch, and before touchdown transition to a sideslip to stay aligned, or straighten out. Extend flaps in steps, and hold off full flaps until a landing at or beyond the point is assured; check the POH for restrictions on slips with flaps extended. Under the ACS this task gets one attempt: a go-around because you weren't going to meet the tolerances is unsatisfactory, and only a go-around forced by safety, such as traffic on the runway, is excused. Even so, if the approach isn't safe, go around.

Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.M and Appendix 3; AFH (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings

Brings together: Power-Off 180° Accuracy Approach and Landing · Go-Around/Rejected Landing

Teaching this? The instructor lesson plan →

Study aid, not FAA guidance. Sources: Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C); Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C); Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM); AC 91-73; Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B); Your airplane's POH/AFM. Checked against current sources 2026-11-13.