22 Short Field Take-off and Landing
CASA Recreational Pilot License (Aeroplane) — CASA Sample Syllabus Lesson 22.
This lesson teaches two “maximum performance” skills: the short-field take-off — lifting off in the least distance and climbing at the best angle to clear an obstacle — and the short-field landing — crossing the boundary at the minimum safe speed, touching down at a nominated point, and stopping in the least distance. It builds the underpinning knowledge to calculate take-off and landing distance from the aircraft’s performance charts, resolve headwind and crosswind components, and load the aeroplane within weight and balance, then revises the engine-failure emergencies that matter most when operating from a marginal strip.
Theory Brief
Section titled “Theory Brief”The theory works from the numbers up: the factors that lengthen take-off and landing distance (density altitude, weight, wind, surface, slope), reading the performance charts for the distance required, resolving wind components, then the short-field take-off and landing techniques — including the best-angle climb for obstacle clearance — and a revision of engine failure after take-off and in the circuit. View the slides on this page below or open the slides directly.
NOTE: It would be worth having the performance charts for your particular training aeroplane ready to use throughout as well.
Pre-flight briefing notes
Section titled “Pre-flight briefing notes”The pre-flight brief (~10 min, immediately before the flight) works best as an interactive whiteboard session, not slides — checking the performance numbers the student calculated, walking through the take-off and landing profiles, and naming the threats of a marginal strip together. These printable notes give you the briefing components (aim, performance check, flight walk-through, threats, the go/no-go decision) with prompts and fill-in blanks, plus a front page to sketch your own whiteboard plan and running order. Although it will be helpful to plan and step through it yourself before the lesson, remember: modelling the process of the pre-flight brief — especially the go/no-go decision and the recovery rehearsal — matters more than presenting a polished brief. This is why we do it interactively rather than as a presentation. Download the PDF of the briefing notes to print or use offline.
In-flight notes
Section titled “In-flight notes”Instructor kneeboard reference for the airborne sequence — the short-field take-off, best-angle climb (with the engine-failure response), short-field landing, balloon/bounce recovery, the go-around, and engine failure in the circuit. These use a portrait layout for easier use on a kneeboard or device. View the slides on this page on the right or open the slides directly, or download the PDF of the in-flight notes to print or use on your device offline.
Post-flight debrief
Section titled “Post-flight debrief”I plan to add post-flight debriefs once I have more experience conducting them, but I’m assuming it’ll be more of a personal preference with assessment outcomes than a set of slides.
Useful resources for students
Section titled “Useful resources for students”- The NZ Civil Aviation Authority has a one-page short-field take-off and landing whiteboard that summarises the technique — suitable for the student to download for themselves.
- The FAA Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge Chapter 11 (Aircraft Performance) covers density altitude, take-off and landing distance, and wind components.
- The FAA Airplane Flying Handbook Chapters 6 and 9 cover short-field (maximum performance) take-offs and landings.
Example email to students before the lesson
Section titled “Example email to students before the lesson”If you are an instructor, feel free to modify this for your own use. Sending an email a few days before a lesson is a great way to engage people in the learning before they even arrive (if they have time and capacity).
Subject: Lesson 22 — Short field take-off and landing
Hi [name],
This lesson is all about getting the most out of the aeroplane: taking off and getting over an obstacle in the shortest distance, and landing precisely and stopping short. It’s a great, satisfying lesson — and it leans heavily on the performance planning we’ve been building up to.
We’ll do a short theory session (~0.5 hr) and about 1 hour of flying. Before the flight you’ll calculate the take-off and landing distances and the wind components for the day, so please bring your aircraft’s performance charts — we’ll work the real numbers together at the whiteboard. We’ll also revise the engine-failure actions, since the short-field profile gives the least margin.
If you’d like to prepare, you could watch a short-field technique video on YouTube and read the published briefing on this site [1], and have a look at the NZ CAA short-field whiteboard [2].
When: [day]
See you then! [1] https://open-aviation-solutions.github.io/open-aviation-briefings/recreational-pilot-license/22-short-field-take-off-and-landing/ [2] https://www.aviation.govt.nz/assets/licensing-and-certification/flight-instructor-guide/whiteboards/fig-whiteboard-am-sftl.pdf