Taking Off - I mean, literally!

CONTROL TOWER: Cessna 46889, Wind 290 at 12, Runway 30, Cleared for Take Off, no delay - traffic on a half-mile final.
CESSNA 46889 (Me): 46889 is rollin'...

The throttle goes all the way in, causing the throttle plate to open. A rush of warm summer air flows into the carburetor, where it marries the 100LL aviation gasoline. The air-fuel mixture penetrates into each of the 4 cylinders, where it is compressed, and then, ignited. This controlled burning of the fuel-mixture causes the engine to produce power, and it provides the force that rotates the propeller.

The airplane starts moving, and wow...what a feeling....we'll be flying in just about 25 seconds!!! Gosh...FLYING...I never thought I could fl...- Wait, I am about to wander off-track again. Ok, so now we are moving down the runway, the engine developing full power, and I focus on steering the airplane with the pedals (that’s right; when an airplane is on the ground, you steer with the pedals). After a few seconds I take a peak at the engine gauges - Temperature and pressure, to be specific. Any engine abnormality would most likely produce an unusual reading on the gauge - such a raise in temperature, or a drop in pressure, or both. Everything looks good, so I have a green light to keep going....

I continue steering straight down the centerline with the pedals, and next, I look at the Airspeed Indicator (that’s pilot talk for speedometer, since it measures the speed of the airplane through the air, rather then the speed at which the wheels are turning). This instrument is key during take off. Every airplane is designed to take off at a designated airspeed, which varies depending on weight, temperature, and other atmospheric factors. In this particular case, I am waiting for Cessna 46689 to reach 50 knots.

I can hear the sound of the air flowing around the cockpit getting louder, and from experience I just know we've reached 50 knots. The airspeed indicator confirms it. I pull gently, but positively on the yoke (flight control wheel), and the airplane's nose comes up about 12-14 degrees, and 2 seconds later the main wheels leave the ground. Gosh, I love the silence of this moment. During the ground roll, there is a lot of rattling, which stops as soon as we are airborne. I love this moment - when sound confirms we are no longer stuck to the ground. Sometimes I feel that when I leave this earth, to go meet the almighty, it will be this way...there is something divine about every take off (the same goes to successful landings too!)

The airplane is beautifully established on the target airspeed of 54 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS). At 50 feet over the runway I lower the nose to about 8-10 degrees and allow Cessna 46889 to accelerate. As we reach 60 KIAS I bring the flaps up, and seconds later we reach our final climb speed of 67 KIAS.

AIRSPEED: 67
POWER: Full
FLAPS: Up
MIXTURE: Rich
ENGINE INSTRUMENTS: Green
CLIMB CHECKLIST COMPLETE

CONTROL TOWER: Cessna 46889, You are leaving my airspace, change to advisory frequency approved - have a good flight...
CESSNA 46689 (Me): Hillsboro Tower, thanks. I am sure I will...