Specialty Takeoff and Landings

In the grand scheme of things, as aviation is still quite a young industry, it’s probably no surprise that not all runways are terribly long. The weather will always add some level of unpredictability as well, and the FAA estimates that piston aircraft will experience engine failure once every 3,200 hours.

Turbine engine failure is much less frequent, but it’s still possible once every 375,000 hours. With all of this in mind, practicing landings in less-than-normal conditions is a must for all pilots. This article will take a look at different types of specialty plane landings and takeoffs! 

A specialty takeoff or landing is anyone that does not meet the criteria of a normal landing as stated above. For some pilots who fly off a home airstrip, every single takeoff and landing may be considered “specialty,” due to the surface or length of the airstrip, but major-traffic airports require specialty landings and takeoffs regularly, as well, most often involving wind or other inclement weather. 

Just as with a normal takeoff, the goal of a specialty takeoff is to get your aircraft airborne, and the goal of a specialty landing is to bring your aircraft safely back to the ground. Specialty takeoffs and landings simply have a few more factors pilots must consider and adapt to when performing the takeoff or landing. 

The safety of yourself and your passengers is the primary reason for knowing how to perform these procedures, but some commercial pilots must be experts in one or more of these takeoffs and landings. Bush pilots and search and rescue teams, for instance, often need to land on grass, some smaller airports, especially in mountainous areas, have shorter runways, and some places on the globe are eternally windy.

Specialty takeoffs tend to be a little easier to prepare for, because if conditions are too difficult, you have the choice of not taking off, unlike with landing. Here are 3 of the more common types of specialty plane takeoffs. 

Short-field takeoffs are fairly common with experimental and other small aircraft, especially if they operate out of a non-traditional airstrip, like someone’s field, for instance, but they can also be a necessity at some commercial airports, given the physical surroundings. 

The goal of a short-field takeoff is to get the best angle of climb speed even more than the rate of climb, as many short-field takeoffs occur because of physical barriers (often trees) in front of the pilot. 

Best For: Pilots whose runway ends with obstructions such as trees or buildings. 

Benefits: Short-field takeoffs can be a necessity, especially following an unscheduled landing. Being able to get your aircraft airborne in a short distance with a sharp angle of ascent can be the only safe way to get into the sky.

Disadvantages: Tactics vary greatly from aircraft to aircraft. 

Soft-field takeoffs are necessary when the ground is either muddy, snowy, or covered with something else that would make a pilot want to get their aircraft wheels off the ground as quickly as possible. As the consistency of a muddy or snowy runway will differ from foot to foot, soft-field takeoffs can be extra tricky and should be well-prepared for. 

Best For: Pilots who are on runways that are not clean and could have fluid friction between the wheel and the surface.

Benefits: Some runway conditions are simply impossible to fly out of without knowing the soft-field tactics. 

Disadvantages: The runway inconsistencies on a soft field can make flight impossible even with proper soft-field takeoff techniques. 

CATOBAR and STOBAR takeoffs (below) are both most commonly related to aircraft flying off of a ship. CATOBAR stands for Catapult Assisted Takeoff But Arrested Recovery. For the takeoff aspect, a catapult is used to propel the aircraft at a high speed in order to achieve lift more quickly than it could simply by using the engine. 

Best For: Flat-deck aircraft carriers. 

Benefits: Less pressure on pilots and can launch large aircraft in very short distances.

Disadvantages: Pilot dependence on catapult operators and other members of the launch team.

Short-Takeoff But Arrested Recovery systems use a curved launching point generally referred to as a “ski jump” to launch the aircraft into the air at a sharper angle than it would be able to reach simply by pulling up on a yoke.

Best For: Short runways (most often on ships) with no catapult system. 

Benefits: Less pilot dependence on others. 

Disadvantages: Somewhat dated. Most have upgraded to CATOBAR operations. 

Specialty landings are a different animal in the sense that they aren’t as easy to plan for. You don’t always have to take off, but you always have to land! Here are three specialty landings pilots need to be familiar with. 

The major objective in a short-field landing when compared to a normal landing is reaching your minimum controllable airspeed right before touching down. This equates to a low starting ground speed, ultimately allowing you to stop the aircraft in a shorter distance. It’s also one time that a nice, “firm” landing is welcomed, as that bump helps slow the aircraft as well. 

Best For: Pilots without a lot of runway space to bring their aircraft down. 

Benefits: Safety, for one, but practicing the techniques also gets pilots very familiar with the abilities of their aircraft. 

Disadvantages: It’s very scary landing at a near-stall speed the first couple of times. 

Ideal situations allow for pilots to land into the wind. But with singular runways at some locations, that can be impossible. Crosswind landings require pilots to land each wheel at a different time, helping it to straighten out when safely on the ground.

This in and of itself is the most difficult part of a crosswind landing. Doing so involves slipping the plane through the crosswind and using rudders to line the nose up with the desired landing position. 

Best For: Every pilot should try to practice a crosswind landing when conditions allow. 

Benefits: Some airports simply won’t allow for a headwind landing, so mastering this skill allows you to confidently fly to more places, even if they are historically windy. 

Disadvantages: Difficult to plan for practice, as wind is often quite unpredictable. 

Though perhaps the most frightening at first, a deadstick landing tends to be easier to control than a strong crosswind landing. It occurs when the aircraft has lost power but does not mean the flight controls have been compromised.

The dead stick refers to a prop that is no longer spinning. All fixed-wing aircraft have the ability to glide after an engine goes down, and deadstick landings are basically gliding to safety.

Sometimes it can be more difficult to find a safe landing area than actually completing the landing, and short-field, soft-field, and crosswind techniques may need to be implemented as well, depending on where you’re able to land. 

Best For: Every pilot needs to learn how to control their aircraft after power loss. 

Benefits: Practicing these landings allows you to stay calm if you lose power. 

Disadvantages: Unlike inclement weather conditions, you will rarely see the need for a deadspin landing until your aircraft propulsion fails. 

If you plan on being a pilot for an extended period of time you have to be extremely lucky to avoid one or more of the scenarios that would cause you to complete a specialty takeoff or landing. Preparing for these is a normal part of pilot education, and repetition will allow you to complete these maneuvers safely when you need to do so in a real-world scenario.

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