Plain English Meaning

The act of getting the airplane off the ground and safely into the air, from the moment you push the power up to the point you are climbing away cleanly.

Full Definition

The phase of flight in which an airplane transitions from ground operation to flight, beginning with the application of takeoff power and ending when the airplane has lifted off the runway, established a positive rate of climb, and reached a safe maneuvering altitude.

Context Anchor

Seen in basic flight training whenever a flight begins, and in handbook discussions about how the four basic flight are combined to get the airplane .