What Speed Does a 747 Take-off and Land?

Jumbo Jet Take Off and landing speeds

What speed does a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet take-off and land at?

A look at the speed the at which the Boeing 747 takes off and lands

What speed does a Boeing 747 take off at?

A fully loaded Boeing 747 ‘Jumbo Jet’ on a normal long haul flight would take off at a speed of around 160 knots which is 184 mph. The calculated take-off speeds vary depending on environmental conditions, runway length and weight.

What speed does a Boeing 747 land at?

A 747 ‘Jumbo Jet’ would typically land at a speed of about 145kts-150kts (166mph-172mph), depending on the landing flap setting selected.

Engine Thrust

Most airlines and aircraft have a facility to de-rate thrust (or use assumed temperatures) for take-off. This occurs on runways where the aircraft has extra performance in hand e.g. the aircraft does not need the full length of the runway to take-off. Large commercial aircraft rarely use their full engine power for take-off as most runways at large airport long enough to support a reduction in thrust. Take-off thrust might be as little as 75% of the maximum thrust.

Taking off with reduced thrust reduces the temperature the various components in teh engine are exposed to. This in turn can significantly reduce engine wear and tear and thus maintenance costs, and ultimately extend the life of the engine.

Additional Speed for Landing

The greater the flap setting, the lower the take-off and landing speed. Jumbo Jets typically land at Flap 25 or 40. Pilots generally fly the approach speed faster than the actual touchdown speed to allow a speed ‘buffer’ in case of any airspeed fluctuations. This additional speed is ‘bled off’ during the flare or plain terms, the excess speed reduces as the nose is raised just before touchdown. In light wind conditions we would add 5 kts to the approach speed but in strong wind conditions up to 20kts can be added.