Take-off and landing
Start from the flight manual figure, switch on the factors that apply today, and see the factored distance against the runway you have. The CAA's Safety Sense Leaflet 09 table, multiplied out for you, with the working shown.
Aeroplane
Warrior II POH (VB-1180) charts at 2,440 lb: short-field take-off with flaps 25°, lift-off 52 KIAS, 57 KIAS at 50 ft; landing flaps 40°, 63 KIAS approach. Earlier 2,325 lb Warriors: about 503 m to 50 ft and 354 m to land.
Reference figures (unfactored, from the flight manual)
Sea level, 15°C, nil wind, level dry paved runway, at the reference weight. The run and roll are optional: they unlock the take-off run against TORA and the accelerate-stop estimate.
Runway
Declared distances from the AIP or the airfield's own page. Leave any blank to skip the comparison. Enter the runway you intend to use: the other end is worked out too.
Factors
Switch on what applies. Each row shows its take-off and landing multipliers; they are all multiplied together, then the safety factor last.
+20% take-off and +10% landing for every 10% above the reference weight. At or below it the factor is 1: the leaflet gives no credit for a light load (use the POH graph for that).
Pressure altitude 307 ft · ISA +1°C · density altitude 379 ft
+10% take-off and +5% landing per 1,000 ft of pressure altitude, and the same again per 10°C above ISA at that altitude. A cold day earns no credit.
Grass factors apply up to 20 cm; the flight manual's own grass figures take precedence when it has them. A wet paved surface only affects the landing.
Runway 27: 7 kt head, 4 kt cross from the left · runway 09: 7 kt tail, 4 kt cross from the right
+20% per tailwind component equal to 10% of the lift-off speed (52 kt here, so 5.2 kt of tailwind is ×1.20). A headwind earns no credit from the leaflet.
×1.33 take-off and ×1.43 landing, applied after everything else. Commercial operators must; the CAA strongly encourages private pilots to do the same. Switch off only if your figures are already factored (some CAA UK Supplements are).
Result: runway 27
503 m × 1.04 × 1.01 × 1.20 × 1.33 = 843 m
flight manual conditions safety factor
Take-off run: about 588 m under the same factors. SSL 7c warned the true effect on the run or roll is greater than on the distance.
358 m × 1.02 × 1.01 × 1.15 × 1.43 = 607 m
flight manual conditions safety factor
Landing roll: about 310 m under the same factors. SSL 7c warned the true effect on the run or roll is greater than on the distance.
Accelerate-stop estimate: 998 m (factored take-off run + factored landing roll + 100 m for reaction). SSL 09 suggests having at least this much runway so a rejected take-off at rotation still stops on the surface.
Working: every factor applied
| Factor | Take-off | Landing |
|---|---|---|
| Weight 1,107 kg, at or below the 1,107 kg reference (no credit taken) | ×1.00 | ×1.00 |
| Elevation pressure altitude 307 ft | ×1.04 | ×1.02 |
| Temperature ISA +1°C | ×1.01 | ×1.01 |
| Surface Dry grass (up to 20 cm) | ×1.20 | ×1.15 |
| Wind 7 kt headwind (no credit taken) | ×1.00 | ×1.00 |
| Safety factor applied last, as for commercial operations | ×1.33 | ×1.43 |
Which end?
| Runway | Wind | Take-off | Landing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 7 kt head, 4 kt cross from the left | 843 m | 607 m |
| 09 | 7 kt tail, 4 kt cross from the right | 1,071 m | 770 m |
The same wind and slope seen from each end. Crosswind is the same either way; check it against the demonstrated crosswind limit separately.
The CAA table (Safety Sense Leaflet 09, Aug 2024)
| For every | Take-off | Landing |
|---|---|---|
| 10% increase in weight | ×1.20 | ×1.10 |
| 1,000 ft increase in elevation | ×1.10 | ×1.05 |
| 10°C increase in temperature | ×1.10 | ×1.05 |
| Tailwind component of 10% of lift-off speed | ×1.20 | ×1.20 |
| 2% slope, uphill | ×1.10 | – |
| 2% slope, downhill | – | ×1.10 |
| Dry grass (up to 20 cm) | ×1.20 | ×1.15 |
| Wet grass (up to 20 cm) | ×1.30 | ×1.35 |
| Wet paved surface | – | ×1.15 |
| Soft ground or snow | ×1.25 | ×1.25 |
| General safety factor (after the others) | ×1.33 | ×1.43 |
"It is not recommended to operate if the factored distances required exceed those available." The same table appears in the Skyway Code (CAP 1535). The superseded SSL 7c added: the effect on the ground run is greater than on the distance; very short wet grass may be slippery (up to +60% landing); assume 150% of a tailwind and no more than 50% of a headwind; and any departure from normal technique lengthens the distance.
Factors from CAA Safety Sense Leaflet 09 "Weight, Balance and Performance" (Aug 2024) and the Skyway Code. Your flight manual governs: these multipliers stand in for its graphs, they do not replace them. The theory is in the performance section of the Aircraft Technical study guide.