conventional takeoff and landing

thumb|Aircraft landing on a runway.

A conventional take-off and landing (CTOL), also known as horizontal take-off and landing (HTOL), is the usual process whereby fixed-wing aircraft perform takeoff and landing. As fixed-wing aircraft must have a forward motion to have relative air flow over the airfoils (wings) in order to generate lift, they require a period of ground acceleration before takeoff and conversely also a period of safe, gradual ground deceleration after landing, both translating to the necessity of sufficient distance for linear ground movement, which conventionally involve the use of dedicated runways.