Definition
The distance an aircraft travels along the runway from the start of the takeoff roll until the wheels leave the ground.
Plain English
The length of runway the airplane uses while rolling on the ground before it lifts off.
Context Anchor
Seen in takeoff performance planning, weight-and-balance discussions, and runway length decisions before departure.
Derivation
“Takeoff” means the aircraft leaving the ground. “Run” here uses the older sense of a continuous movement over a distance, not running on foot. Together, the phrase points to the aircraft’s ground movement before liftoff.
Why Pilots Care
A longer takeoff run reduces the margin of safety on short runways and can make departure impossible under high weight, temperature, or altitude conditions.
Grounding Statement
Picture the airplane accelerating along the runway; the distance it covers before it becomes airborne is the takeoff run.
Intuition Check
Do not read “run” as the whole takeoff or climb. In this context, takeoff run means only the ground distance before liftoff.
Example Sentence 1
At maximum gross weight on a hot day, the takeoff run nearly doubled compared to the standard-day figure in the handbook.
Example Sentence 2
Lowering fuel load shortened the takeoff run enough to allow departure from the short mountain strip.