Dan is correct about the lack of after-takeoff emergency training for Private Pilot. As instructors, we typically gloss over the subject by saying, “If you have available runway, land on it. Otherwise (below some arbitrary minimum, usually 1000 AGL), land straight ahead or 30 degrees left/right.” That’s it. We instructors don’t go into the granular details and the ACS doesn’t require detailed Skill/Knowledge/Risk understanding from practical test applicants.
For a standard VFR flight in an SEL airplane, I contend that the most dangerous period of the entire flight lasts between 45 and 60 seconds, starting very shortly after rotation. In spite of the fact that an inordinate number of fatalities occur during this period, we continue to inadequately train students to recognize the dynamics of the takeoff profile and the mitigations available to reduce this risk. Things need to change.
- Russ Still