Why do we take off with maximum power settings? In most GA prop airplanes, take-off is executed with full throttle and high rpm. The usual reasoning is that this way, we leave the first few hundred feet, where failures are most severe, behind as fast as possible.
Isn't this like driving a car, seeing ice/playing kids/any other hazard, and speed up to leave the danger behind? In other words: Shouldn't we be most careful and conservative near the ground, with as little stress to the engine as feasible?
It should come as no surprise that flying an airplane is not like driving a car. When driving a car, you can come to a complete stop and nothing exciting will happen. You cannot do this in an airplane; coming to a complete stop is either the beginning or the end of a great deal of excitement.
Flying near the ground in any circumstance is a hazard. As you say, the goal is to get away from the ground as quickly as possible. This should not be &quot;stress to the engine&quot;, engines are designed and maintained to support the full throttle takeoff.