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Reduced Thrust Takeoff

Article Information

Category: Flight Technical (/index.php/Category:Flight_Technical)

Content source: SKYbrary (/index.php/About_SKYbrary)

Content control: SKYbrary (/index.php/About_SKYbrary)

Contents
1 Definition
2 Rationale
3 Advantages
4 Jet Engine Limitations /
 5 Methodology
6 Derate
7 Assumed Temperature
8 Operational Consequences
9 Threats
10 Defences
11 Accidents & Incidents
12 Related Articles
13 Further Reading

Definition
A reduced thrust takeoff is a takeoff that is accomplished utilising less thrust than the engines are
capable of producing under the existing conditions of temperature and pressure altitude
(/index.php/Hot_and_High_Operations).

Rationale
AOM (/index.php/Operations_Manual) limitations, the runway specific criteria of length, altitude and
obstacles factored against the actual aircraft weight and existing environmental conditions allow the
calculation of the actual amount of thrust necessary to meet Regulatory requirements for takeoff. In
a significant percentage of cases, the required thrust is less than that which the engines are capable
of producing.

/
Advantages
The primary advantage to a reduced thrust takeoff is cost savings through increased engine life and
reduced overhaul costs. Secondary advantages include fuel savings and that, under certain
circumstances, it may be possible to increase the maximum takeoff weight for a specific runway by
using a reduced thrust profile.

Jet Engine Limitations

The principal limitations of a jet engine are the maximum internal presure that the casing can
withstand and the maximum allowable operating temperature. At low altitudes and cooler outside
air temperatures (Operational Air Traffic (OAT) (/index.php/OAT)), engine pressure is the limiting factor
as the engine is capable of producing more pressure and, consequently, more thrust than the engine
can contain. The Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) (/index.php/FADEC) will be
programmed to flat rate the engine at a thrust corresponding to a safe internal engine pressure. This
thrust value is the rated or maximum thrust that the engine will produce. Engines are flat rated by
the manufacturer by referencing a specific environmental limit or flat rated temperature that is
expressed as an ISA+xx° value. At an OAT of ISA+xx° or below, the engine is capable of producing its
rated thrust. The FADEC compensates for varying OAT and presure altitude by adjusting fuel flow and
limiting the rotational speed of the engine. As the OAT increases above the flat rated temperature,
the engine is no longer capable of exceeding its limiting pressure, can no longer produce its rated
thrust and therefore becomes temperature limited. At this point, the FADEC limits the internal
temperature of the engine so the maximum temperature limit is not exceeded. As the OAT increases
from flat rated temperature to the maximum allowed for engine operation, there is a linear reduction
in the amount of thrust that the engine produces.

/
If the amount of thrust that the engine can generate under given environmental conditions exceeds
that required for takeoff, the FADEC can be "instructed" to reduce the amount of thrust to be
produced by the engine.

Methodology
There are two methods of achieving an acurately controlled reduction in engine thrust:

Derate, and
Assumed temperature (sometimes referred to as Flexible temperature or FLEX).

Dependant upon the engine manufacturer, one or both of these thrust reduction methods may be
available to the operator. When both possibilities are available, the engine design may allow that
both derate and assumed temperature can be used simultaneously or, conversely, the two methods
of reducing engine thrust may be mutually exclusive.

Derate
A derate selection electronically reduces the the rated thrust of the engine to either one or more
prespecified values or by a selectable percentage of the normal flat rated thrust. As this new thrust
limit cannot be exceeded during the takeoff phase, critical speeds such as Vmcg (/index.php/Vmcg)
and Vmca (/index.php/Vmca) change from those associated with full rated thrust. Consequently the
AOM (/index.php/AOM) must include performance data for all permissible derate selections.

Assumed Temperature
/
As stated above, at outside air temperatures above the flat rated temperature, there is a specific
thrust value (variable by pressure altitude) for each temperature. If the thrust requirement for the
takeoff is known, the associated temperature at which this thrust would be produced can be
extracted from the applicable charts. This "assumed" temperature is then entered into the FMS.
Note that regulations limit the amount by which normal takeoff thrust can be reduced to a maximum
of 25%. For assumed temperature thrust reduction, the full thrust values of Vmcg and Vmca must be
considered limiting as the full rated thrust for the actual OAT can be commanded by moving the
thrust levers appropriately.

Operational Consequences
A reduced thrust takeoff will result in a slower acceleration on the runway, a longer takeoff roll and a
reduced initial climb rate.

Threats
The principal risks associated with a reduced thrust takeoff are the potential of miscalculating either
or both of the derate or assumed temperature values and the possiblity of entering incorrect values
into the aircraft Flight Management System (/index.php/Flight_Management_System) (FMS). Either of
these errors could result in the engines producing insufficient thrust to safely execute the takeoff.

Defences

/
When derate or assumed temperature calculations are made by the pilots utilizing either manual or
electronic means, each of the pilots should make the calculations independently and then compare
the results. Differences must be reconciled. Likewise, all FMS entries should be crosschecked by
both pilots for accuracy.

Accidents & Incidents

A345, Melbourne Australia, 2009 (/index.php/A345,_Melbourne_Australia,_2009) (On 20 March 2009
an Airbus A340-500, operated by Emirates, commenced a take-off roll for a normal reduced-thrust
take-off on runway 16 at Melbourne Airport. The attempt to get the aircraft airborne resulted in a tail
strike and an overrun because insufficient thrust had been set based upon an incorrect flight crew
data entry.)
A320, Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg France, 2014 (/index.php/A320,_Basel-Mulhouse-
Freiburg_France,_2014) (On 6 October 2014, an A320 crew requested, accepted and continued with
an intersection take off but failed to correct the takeoff performance data previously entered for a
full length take off which would have given 65% more TODA. Recognition of the error and application
of TOGA enabled completion of the take-off but the Investigation concluded that a rejected take off
from high speed would have resulted in an overrun. It also concluded that despite change after a
similar event involving the same operator a year earlier, relevant crew procedures were conducive to
error.)
A320, Porto Portugal, 2013 (/index.php/A320,_Porto_Portugal,_2013) (On 1 October 2013, an Airbus
A320 took off from a runway intersection at Porto which provided 1900 metres TORA using take off
thrust that had been calculated for the full runway length of 3480 metres TORA. It became airborne
350 metres prior to the end of the runway but the subsequent Investigation concluded that it would
not have been able to safely reject the take-off or continue it, had an engine failed at high speed.

/
 The event was attributed to distraction and the inappropriate formulation of the operating airline's
procedures for the pre take-off phase of flight.)
B738, Belfast International UK, 2017 (/index.php/B738,_Belfast_International_UK,_2017) (On 21 July
2017, a Boeing 737-800 taking off from Belfast was only airborne near the runway end of the runway
and then only climbed at a very shallow angle until additional thrust was eventually added. The
Investigation found that the thrust set had been based on an incorrectly input surface temperature
of -52°C, the expected top of climb temperature, instead of the actual surface temperature.
Although inadequate acceleration had been detected before V1, the crew did not intervene. It was
noted that neither the installed FMC software nor the EFBs in use were conducive to detection of
the data input error.)
B773, Auckland Airport New Zealand, 2007 (/index.php/B773,_Auckland_Airport_New_Zealand,_2007)
(On 22 March 2007, an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER, started its take-off on runway 05 Right at
Auckland International Airport bound for Sydney. The pilots misunderstood that the runway length
had been reduced during a period of runway works and started their take-off with less engine thrust
and flap than were required. During the take-off they saw work vehicles in the distance on the
runway and, realising something was amiss, immediately applied full engine thrust and got airborne
within the available runway length and cleared the work vehicles by about 28 metres.)

... further results (/index.php/Special:Ask/-5B-5BRE::Reduced-20Thrust-20Take-20Off-5D-

5D/-3FSynopsis/mainlabel%3D/limit%3D5/order%3Drandom/sort%3D/offset%3D5/format%3Dul)

Related Articles
Use of Erroneous Parameters at Take-Off (/index.php/Use_of_Erroneous_Parameters_at_Take-Off)
Aircraft Performance (/index.php/Aircraft_Performance)
European Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (EAPPRE)
(/index.php/European_Action_Plan_for_the_Prevention_of_Runway_Excursions) Edition 1.0, January
/
 2013.

Further Reading
Pilot Guide to Takeoff Safety (http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/1150.pdf)
Airbus - Understanding Takeoff Speeds (http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/493.pdf)
Takeoff Performance Calculation and Entry Errors (http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/1748.p
df)

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