Definition
A training maneuver in which an aircraft lands on the runway, then immediately accelerates and takes off again without coming to a full stop or exiting the runway.
Plain English
The pilot lands, keeps rolling down the runway, and takes off again in one continuous motion — no stopping, no taxiing off.
Context Anchor
Common during landing practice, especially when a student pilot is repeating several landings in one flight.
Derivation
The name describes the action literally: the wheels 'touch' the runway and the aircraft 'goes' again. The phrase comes from training shorthand and has been the standard term for decades.
Why Pilots Care
Allows pilots to practice multiple landings and takeoffs efficiently in one lesson, building proficiency faster than full-stop landings.
Grounding Statement
Picture the wheels touching the runway briefly, the aircraft staying in motion, and the pilot adding power to fly away again.
Intuition Check
Do not read “touch-and-go” here as “risky” or “uncertain.” In this aviation use, it means a landing immediately followed by another takeoff.
Example Sentence 1
The student flew six touch-and-go landings in the traffic pattern before her instructor signed her off for solo.
Example Sentence 2
Tower cleared the aircraft for a touch-and-go instead of a full stop on the runway.