Editing Takeoff (section)

{{short description|Phase of flight in which a vehicle leaves the land or water surface}}
{{other uses}}
[[File:An F-A-18C Hornet launches from the flight deck of the conventionally powered aircraft carrier.jpg|thumb|An [[McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet|F/A-18]] taking off from an [[aircraft carrier]]]]
[[File:Embraer 175 (Air Canada) 091.jpg|thumb|An [[Embraer E175]] taking off]]

'''Takeoff''' is the phase of [[flight]] in which an [[aerospace]] vehicle leaves the ground and becomes airborne. For aircraft traveling vertically, this is known as '''liftoff'''.

For [[aircraft]] that take off horizontally, this usually involves starting with a transition from moving along the ground on a [[runway]]. For [[balloon (aircraft)|balloons]], [[helicopter]]s and some specialized fixed-wing aircraft ([[VTOL]] aircraft such as the [[Hawker Siddeley Harrier|Harrier]] and the [[Bell Boeing V22 Osprey]]), no runway is needed.