From this viewing area, you are approximately 1/2 way down the 6,100 foot length of Runway 11-29 at San Luis Obispo Regional Airport. It's a very popular spot to plane watch.
If you have ever seen a show depicting an aircraft taking off, you probably heard the Co-Pilot tell the Captain, "V1" followed by either, "Vr" or "Rotate". What does this mean?
**V1 is the critical engine failure recognition speed or takeoff decision speed. It is the decision speed nominated by the pilot which satisfies all safety rules, and above which the takeoff will continue even if an engine fails. The speed will vary among aircraft types and varies according to factors such as aircraft weight, runway length, wing flap setting, engine thrust used and runway surface contamination. The US Federal Aviation Administration defines V1 as the maximum speed in the takeoff at which the pilot must take the first action (e.g., apply brakes, reduce thrust, deploy speed brakes) to stop the airplane within the accelerate-stop distance. Once past V1, an aircraft is commited to the takeoff. Any attempt to stop from a speed above V1 will mean going off the end of the runway.
**Vr, or rotation speed, is the speed at which the pilot begins pulling back on the controls to pitch the aircraft up and lift the nosewheel.
For radio users: Tower-124.0 Ground- 121.6
Checkout the attached airport map to get a feel for where things are. More info available through AirNav.com/airport/KSBP