Most of the time we as pilots tend to look at landing as the most critical
phase of flight.  It's the maneuver we spent the most time perfecting
during pilot training, and the one most passengers use to judge our skill,
"That was a great landing Biff!"  But, strictly from the standpoint of
energy management, take off and climb out are much more critical.  You are
at your heaviest, slowest and least proven (the engine hasn't been running
for long).

As others have suggested, each take off is unique.  Different terrain,
procedures (noise abatement), traffic flow, weather, etc. all require a
different approach, er, departure (you know what I mean!) -- all with an
eye towards risk management.

For example:  A long runway, with no obstacles, and clear a departure path
with numerous off-field landing possibilities presents a relatively simple
scenario.  Accelerate to cruise-climb speed and keep the engine cool with
the peace of mind that comes with plenty of options. Should the engine
quit you're gonna land straight ahead.

On the other hand, a short runway with obstacles and few off-airport
landing choices means one must make trade-offs.  Perhaps use Vx until
clear of obstacles, transition to Vy until at a safe altitude to permit a
return to the field, then cruise-climb to reduce engine stress. In that
situation, you must be prepared to react appropriately to each of these
three distinct phases in the event of an engine failure.  As has been
noted, careful consideration and PLANNING AHEAD OF TIME can greatly
enhance your chances of survival.  I really like the way the Rick
Titsworth phrased it, "... I'd like to believe that choosing the departure
bail-out site before each [take-off] (he wrote landing, but I think he
mean take-off) and having a picture of it in my mind strongly biases me
toward that decision." Mind over matter -- I like it!

USAF KC-135 aircraft use three (that I remember) climb/departure modes:
Accelerated Climb, Max Climb and tactical.  Accl mode corresponds to the
first scenario I outlined above, Max to the second.  Accl starts with a
relatively shallow climb that steepens while the aircraft accelerates to
Vy, then climb continues at Vy.  Max mode climbs steeply at Vx to get the
aircraft away from the ground as quickly as possible, then levels to
accelerate to Vy once clear of obstacles.

As for tactical departures, these are used when bad guys with MANPAD (Man
Portable Air Defense) weapons are trying to shoot you down.  You stay as
low as possible and accelerate as quickly as possible to give the bad guys
the least time to develop a firing solution.  This obviously presents many
more risks in regards to flying the aircraft, but the tradeoff is lower
overall risk.

I don't think it's wise to confine oneself to one take off/climb mode.
It's all about analyzing the situation, prioritization and mitigating the
most relavent risks.  And, by all means, practice each of these maneuvers
before the real thing!


Mark Sletten
Legacy FG N828LM
http://www.legacyfgbuilder.com