Why don't we PRACTICE this?! - REJECTED TAKEOFF - AQP Grassroots: Pt. 2 

My only rejected take off was as a student pilot, my own fault. I was solo in a C172 at an untowered field, lost awareness of a plane on long final, and took the runway. When that plane declared a go around I realized my mistake and immediately rejected, but I was probably only going about 20-30 knots. I was so shook up at what might have happened I taxied back to the school and hung it up for the day.

Just added “abort point” to my pre takeoff brief. Thanks Josh

I've rejected a take-off only once (GA private pilot). My airspeed indicator didn't come "alive" as expected. After giving it a couple more seconds I pulled the throttle and got off the runway. Turns out a wasp had made a nest in the pitot tube.

Thanks Josh. I have a comment that the abort decision as described in your scenario is a bit wishy washy. In the airlines the emergency takeoff brief is specific and verbalised every takeoff. Eg “Prior to 80 knots I will reject for non normal indications, prior to V1 I will reject for engine failure, any fire or unsafe conditions. After V1 I will continue.” The key here is that it is a positive statement of what you will do, that is your decision on what you will do is already made before you take the active runway. To use in a GA operation it could as simple as “prior to taxiway G I will reject for low airspeed indications or abnormal engine operation” that is it is positive statement of what you are going to do if x happens. Another point that I feel needs refining from watching your demos is introducing stopping drills. In the airline world stopping drills are prescriptive on who does what. LHS calls STOP, closes the thrust levers, raises or checks the speed brake and selects reverse thrust, the other pilot backs up the LHS checking that everything is done and verbalises speed brake, reverse thrust actuations and if the auto brake RTO function is disabled. In GA you cause use the drill concept. The pilot should drill: call out loud STOPPING, close the throttle and apply braking and or raise the flaps if applicable to aircraft type. STOP-CHOP-BRAKE. Once remaining distance to stop is assured and safe to do advise ATC. The key here is that calling it defines your intention and changes the mindset/actions from taking off to stopping positively and applying the drill. Regards, Graeme

I was an 8 hour student pilot flying out of 1T8 (very liberal calling it 2900ft) and had only ever flew a Cherokee 160. That day I was flying in an Archer II and on rollout just before liftoff it sounded and felt different so I immediately cut power and called an abort. My instructor asked why and I said it just didn't feel right. He took the controls and performed the takeoff and everything was fine. Turns out, it was just a quieter plane than the 160. I never flew the Archer after that. I am happy you are doing this series as an aborted takeoff was something we never even discussed.

I love that you're doing this and I hope many people see this. And you're right, there does seem to be a disconnect in safety standards between commercial and general aviation. On a side note, my industry (health care) is slowly adapting many of the aviation safety standards and protocols to help reduce sentinel and adverse preventable events. My new training programs keep making mention to this industry. I'm happy to see that as it is much needed. Anyways, I love watching your videos. You're a highly skilled and professional aviator, as well as a pleasure to watch. Thank you.

Dude your Big Bear aborted takeoff was quick thinking. After watching that video I always assume rejecting the takeoff is "Plan A" and a completing the takeoff is "Plan B". Same logic applies with go-arounds/landings. Nice video!

Lots of comments are comparing GA to airline or large jet training/ flying. I think we get in trouble here since most AC certified over 12500lbs GTOW are supposed to fly on one engine. And with all large jets, that rule is tested over and over and practiced in the sim. So,..for a B767 CA , even an entire engine failure doesnt necessarily require an RTO, hence V1, V2 etc. For a C-172, there is no V2. We cant continue and return to field. While I agree with one commenter below, that there should be better "call-outs" for GA RTO scenarios, I think its best not to co-mingle the large jet RTO mind-set with our tiny GA brethren.

I love dans head in the back looking so intently on what’s happening lol

Excellent training. RTO is something the GA pilot just doesn’t think about as much as we should. Good job!

Only one rejected take-off "for real" for me. The engine did not create the thrust that I felt comfortable with. I rejected the take-off and rolled to the end, returned to the run-up to exercise the engine again. After the second run-up; I just didn't feel good with the mags, called it day and went and had an adult beverage. Turned out to be a bad mag. This was great Josh. Thanks!

I was lucky enough to have an instructor who used to fly skydive drops. That plane (C180) had suffered much abuse and one day climbing out at 450ft AGL with 3 divers on, the crank snapped. He got it on the ground in the neighbor's field and everyone walked away; once his knees stopped knocking! EFATO (Engine failure after take off) is on the EASA syllabus and we drilled that regularly. He would pull the power at 700ft and we had better get light in the seat and get to best glide right quick or I got "counseled". Recovery was at 500ft. My "rejected T/O" drill took place at 50ft AGL. Did it twice as I didn't get down fast enough the first time. It made a massive difference to have actually done it. I highly recommend any CFI to include rejected T/O on the runway and 50ft EFATO (on a long enough runway) in their course!

I learned this lesson the hard way just 2 weeks ago... Just like he mentions in the video, my son and I were headed to Oshkosh, and we were heavy with all of our camping gear. We were easily within POH weight limits, but nonetheless we were still heavy. We had departed our home field in northeast Texas shortly before noon on 07/24 and landed about 3 hrs later in central Missouri for a fuel stop. After fueling up and using the restroom, we got back in the plane and prepared for the second leg of our journey. Well, turns out it was a VERY HOT day, and it was now around 3pm in the afternoon... and DA was around 3300ft! We started our takeoff roll... the rotation speed for my plane is 80mph... but I wasn't able to get past ~73mph! About 2/3 down the runway I realized that our bird did NOT want to fly! So I chopped the throttle and aborted the takeoff; I began braking hard, but not too hard so as not to tip the nose down on my taildragger; and at the same time I had to stay on the rudder carefully to stay lined up with the center line. My decision to abort the takeoff was made suddenly and without warning, of course, and I succeeded in scaring the crap out of my 16yr old son! He was visibly shaken for quite a while after this incident. In retrospect, I AM pleased that my instinct kicked in and that I aborted the takeoff when I did, because if I hadn't I might not be typing this right now. But the hard lesson I learned was that I should have made the decision to abort MUCH earlier than I did! Why? Because I ran out of runway. :( Fortunately, at the end of the pavement was about 75 yards of very well-manicured, flat, smooth, grass... and in that tense moment I did not hesitate to use it! I needed the extra room to safely slow the plane down, and I knew the soft grass would help me do that. And it did. When finally slowed to a safe speed, I let the tail swing around, and we just sat there a moment in silence, thankful that we were no longer moving, and that nothing terrible had happened. I added some power, and we taxied right back onto the runway and then back to the FBO. The only thing damaged was my ego! But again, it could have turned out much, much worse... The rest of our trip to Oshkosh 2021 was thankfully undramatic and uneventful, as far as the flying part goes. But from this experience, I am now a better pilot. I now take the time to study runway diagrams very closely and pick a "no-go" point which, if I reach on takeoff roll but am not yet airborne, I'm aborting the takeoff. This series of videos is absolutely wonderful, and I look forward to watching all of them. And some of them, probably several times! Thanks for this video series, and your efforts to improve safety in general aviation... is very, very much appreciated!

Nice work.. I always do a verbal Pre-Take Off Safety brief, but I had not considered the actual location along the runway where rotation should be taking place. Up until now it was always based on rotation speed alone. Excellent point to keep in mind from now on, Thank You..

" To solve a problem you have to recognize you have a problem ".

I want to acknowledge that, prior to seeing this video, I actually just implemented this exact procedure with my CFI on our last flight, which was only my 4th flight of my training. I had told my CFI that I was concerned that "what if you were to pass out at some point?...I would have to manage this aircraft by myself." He agreed and so we added the "abort procedure" including the point by which we would reject the take off. I had added this to "my" pre-take off checklist. Prior to that point I only had 3.8 hours total flight time. I also want to acknowledge that watching your videos has helped my grow as a student pilot enormously! Thank you!

This content is great...I can’t wait to see more! Thanks for promoting safety in General Aviation, we need more of it!

GREAT video. The other thing several instructors of mine never mentioned was planning for max weight takeoffs in min climb conditions on min-length runways. In 2005, it was late (2 AM), I was tired, and we had one more short hop of about 50 nm to reach our destination. The POH said we had enough runway, but the aircraft was old, so I added the 50-foot takeoff distance to the no-obstacle landing distance and it was about 500 feet shorter than the airfield. So, I talked things over with my passenger, who was also a pilot, but not type-rated in the aircraft I was flying. After about 20 minutes of figuring out the best way to approach the issue, we agreed that I'd monitor airspeed and call 'Rotate' when we reached Vr, while he'd call 'abort' when we reach the point where we only have the no-obstacle landing distance left. I called Vr first, or simultaneous, we'd continue. If he called abort first, we'd abort. Yes, it worked. I did a good runup at full throttle with the cowl flaps wide open. I leaned it to peak RPM, watching the engine gauges carefully, letting them settle for about 15 seconds, and released the brakes. We hit Vr about three seconds before we hit the no-obstacle landing distance remaining point. So, yes, it worked. But it didn't work well, as we could have had a sick engine, reached Vr before the distance remaining point, and made the mistake of taking it airborne. Put simply, it was a solution, but certainly not the best one. In fact, I was overthinking it, as Section 5 has a zero-obstacle ground roll chart. Given the inputs, our ground roll should have been 880 feet to Vr. The simplest solution would have been to call "distance" about 100 yards before the 1,000 foot point. What I think would work best for general aviation, however, is a table or chart with all inputs including density altitude, T/O weight, and headwind component resulting in two outputs: 1. Velocity (kts) 2. Time (seconds) ...for every 500' interval (500, 1000, 1500 etc.) where the velocity is below Vr. These distance increments are best, as they're easily identifiable on most airfields. Where they're not, the pilot can use both Velocity and Time to ascertain proper acceleration, the same as the big boys do. If you don't reach that velocity by that distance and/or elapsed time, abort.

When flying gliders the rejected takeoff on tow is something we always practice. It can get messy if the tow plane has a n engine problem and the glider pilot being towed is not ready for that scenario. Therefore it is something we always practice when instructing students.

After diverting to Bimini, Bahamas due to T/S, I waited while a monster downpour passed by. Unbeknownst to me, the residual low pressure left in my static ports and lines sucked in a few droplets of water. After the storm and under sunny skies, I back taxied to runway 28 and began my take-off roll. airspeed acted weird and came up to 60kts quicker than usual. I kept scanning it faster and more than normal and realized the needle stopped moving. IMMEDIATE power chop, brakes and control back pressure on the elevator. I always noticed on your vids that u always announce your about plan. I still forget to announce it every single time, but in the back of my mind I always have reflexes ready for the power chop thank for that experience in the Bahamas and your vids. Awsum video and great series!!!! Thanks! Mike L

This is what I have been preaching for years. Safety first! Think ahead! Great job putting this in a visual concept!

As an airline pilot we have a dedicated rejected takeoff checklist. We are required to do a rejected takeoff during our check rides and recurrent. Had to perform one cause my FOs seat flew back and he wasn’t in a position to take the aircraft. It’s definitely something we all should be thinking about. Love what your doing keep up the good work.

I used to fly out of San Marcos with my dad,... hearing the old numbers and taxiways brings up great memories!

I love this series already! Thank you for spreading the word on this important, life saving topic. I can’t wait for the rest of the series.

I,m going to brief my departures more after watching this video .. Thanks Josh .

Love the video, I'll definitely be more aware of these kinda situations when I fly!

I did one coming out of Lubbock Executive in 2016 taking my Navion cross country. Hard lesson to learn. After rotation, I only got about a 100fpm rate of climb, saw the powerlines at the end of the runway coming quick, and did exactly what you did at Big Bear.

Excellent! You are saving lives. I’m spreading the word. Working hard on my IFR.....OLD DOGS CAN LEARN NEW TRICKS. THANK YOU!

"Fly Like Your Life Depends On It ... Because it DOES!" THANK YOU for another AWESOME video and sharing your experience and passion for Aviation. 👍👍

Thanks so much for these videos Josh - and perfect timing being a brand new instructor with only a few dozen hours of instruction.

As a current (pre-solo) student these are things I never thought about until watching you brief it in past videos. Thanks for this series!

This hits close to home for me. I had a close call the day after practicing short takeoffs and landings. I knew where my take off point was solo, but I had a passenger of 250lbs more. I knew my roll would take longer. I was in a Cherokee 140, on a 3600 foot untowered airport with a line of trees at the end. I began take off like normal. I noticed that I didn't have as much thrust as before, but I attributed it to the 250lbs more load. I reached my abort point , which like your dad, was too far down the runway. I killed the power, pushed the nose down, began breaking and ground effect lifted me off the runway. At that moment, my only thought was how much runway I had left... I didn't think I could get the plane down in time so I hit power again and focused on the stall buzer nosing down to increase speed then bringing the nose up till I heard stall buzzer... Done over and over until clear of tree line. After reaching pattern altitude, I began investigating what had happened. I discovered that while checking the mags, I over shot the both switch. I heard/felt one click and didn't visually confirm that I was on both. Once I put the mag to both, our thrust sucked us into the seat. Lesson learned. Might be a good AQP item to simulate. Especially since I couldn't hear any difference in the planes engine performance.

Excellent material! I’m sure you saved lives with this.

These videos are really good especially watching while going through my ratings and still been early on in learning to be a pilot they are really helpful and full of info that I can use to improve and better my training and skills.

Thank you Josh and Dan. Great video and great initiative you are running there. I’ll be talking with my instructor on the weekend as it’s highlighted for me an area of weakness in my training that I need to clean up.

Another great video! This is such important information; I hope someday all GA pilots will train like this!

Great video, very informative and effective in pushing the importance of training the uncommon training protocols.

Thanks Josh for all of your videos. They are incredibly interesting and important topics. I’m 61, got my license at 21 and I’m now just getting back in the air after family, profession and kids distracted me for a time. I was lucky enough to train in Aspen, learning all sorts of emergency situations, so finding you online at this stage has reconfirmed the importance of my initial training. As you point out, awareness is everything and having a predetermined plan is essential. Looking forward to watching and learning more from your flying experience.

I was off to do my long solo cross country for my private. but, when I advanced the power to full, my nose wheel wasn’t sounding right so I rejected the takeoff. Best lesson I have ever learned. Thank you for the awesome video. Looking forward to more

keep it coming buddy ....Great tools ...Thank you so much .

OUTSTANDING!!! You are defiantly a leader in our aviation future. Job DAMN well done!

OUTSTANDING video, in so many ways. I just made a few additions and tweaks to my Checklist because of this video. Everyone should exclusively use an electronic checklist for these very things. Once its on my checklist, it gets checked every flight, no matter what. Because of this video, I will now identify an abort point during my Before Take-off Briefing. Looking forward to the rest of the series. Thank you!!!

I really admire Dan for his efforts in promoting this AQP concept, and congratulations to you for the extremely well-produced and educational videos demonstrating the concepts. I hope that it will make a difference!

As a flight instructor I'm finding this really helpful. Especially watching your instructional technique

Great information and content! Keep up the great work, Josh!!!

Thanks Josh, excellent work!

I remember when you first posted your rejected take off in the mountains. Kuddos for spreading first hand knowledge to new pilots!

Great video! It reminded me of a time in 1971 with a rented 150 I took my cousin for a ride. I was toped off he weighed 275 I weighed 170 and a very hot August day at Canton, oh CAK had plenty of runway. I was never taught aborting a takeoff. I was 3/4 the way. down the runway when I felt it lift off. I knew I had a problem,I hope your video today taught pilots something. It sure snapped my memories back aways. You are a tremendous CFI. Fly safe

At my flight school, we did Reject take-of, before the Vr and also after Vr airborne whit RWY available. But in this video, I learn something new, to choose a metric point or visual point on the RWY to make that decision. Thank you! I'm Loving this new mentality in GA.

That's amazing work! It will save lives! Take care, sir!

I've practiced it since before solo. My first CFI did it right after rotation on a 3000 ft runway.

Excellent instruction method Josh. Well Done!!

Very nice, Josh and Dan! I agree with how you put this at the end: rather than introducing new additional rules, a different mindset across GA can make a huge positive impact. Things can go wrong, and we must be ready to recognize when that happens, and respond appropriately. A take-off plan is an important element for that. Best regards, Martin

Thanks Josh, its important to build in the what-ifs into our daily chores. As a past safety officer for my fire department, I always adapted other professions' safety. The fire service many years ago went to the sterile cockpit (crew compartment) while responding to calls to ensure our safety and arrival.

Great video. Keep them coming. I had 1 aborted takeoff in my Cherokee 180. The door wasn't secure and flapped in the wind. Scared the crap out of me. Pulled power and like the typical Cherokee it sank like a rock and I hit the runway hard. It all ended well. Can't wait for your series

Its easy to forget steps in aviation, especially when you don't train for them. Thank you so much for making this video. Hope the people who need so see this do.

Only rejected T/O that I ever had was when I was a solo student. The plane rolled about 3 feet then suddenly stopped. Turns out that tail tiedown rope worked really well. Was very embarresed but I learned to be MUCH more through on preflight after that.

Im glad Im watching this series. I want to start flight lessons this summer or this winter and this series is going to make me think about these things when I (hopefully) get my PPL. Thank you so much!

For what it’s worth, this is something I learned in gliders over 30 years ago, only they were called rope-break drills. Given that the appropriate action for LOTOT changes as one accelerates and then climbs, I decided for myself that before each takeoff, I would, based on wind speed and direction, runway in use, etc. identify what I would do at 0-100’ AGL; 100-400’AGL, and from. 400’ to pattern altitude (800’ AGL) if the towline snapped. This gave me a certain peace of mind having developed “a plan” before leaving the bosom of Mother Earth.

I had a very good instructor. He introduced rejected take offs after rotation and a altitude of abt 30-50 ft. Yes, we had a long runway but it didnt take much. I learned a lot from him.

I was there the day that bonanza crashed. Horrible sight but taught me a lot. A few weeks after the crash I was also taking off from corona and the airspeed indicator wasn’t indicating the actual speed the plane seemed to be going. I rejected the takeoff and later found out there was something wrong with the pitot tube. That crash was hard to see but made me a better pilot. Thanks for the great video josh!

This can be nicely done in a simulator, certified or home... Great content man!

Not a pilot but if flying as a passenger I would want the Pic to be aware of this. Great thing you and Dan are doing. It will save lives. Maybe yours or mine.

Good stuff! I've had four real aborted TO's, #1 Glider aerotow, #2 & #3 Experimental Aircraft #4 Twin 401. All stopped short of thresholds.

Great info. This hits home for me. Late last year I finished some rather extensive repairs on my Stinson 108. I had not flow that particular type taildragger in a several years. ( I did do myself the favor by going up with a CFI in a 170 just prior to this event) I performed a high speed taxi roll just shy of flying speed to reacquaint myself with the airplane and final leak checks. In the time from this high speed taxi and leak check complete, the winds had changed. Now the active runway had a slight (less than 4kts) Tail Wind! I considered that, maybe not as much as I would like to think. On roll out and then lift off the airplane did not "feel" right flying. I was maybe 50" or so with well over 6,00' remaining and decided to "put her back down". I normally have my point picked out. But I was already in the air and had the where with all to abort. All in all, the issue was the tail wind and a right wing that a tad heavy. All that is fixed and she is flying beautifully now. My take away is this should be every pilots REACTION, this needs to be taught in primary training. Thanks Josh and sorry to be long winded. (Pardon the pun)

I have had 3. Fouled plug (probably idling too rich after runup waiting to take off) with my family in the plane. Solo flight when a scat tube came loose and reduced power. Last one I was only on one mag during my seaplane endorsement (I think that I bumped into the key).

Really like this grassroot thing! A freaking + J!!! Just excellent!!! 👍👍👍

RTO is definitely going on my pre takeoff checklist. Thanks for the eye opener Josh.

Great job. Was in the second row of passenger seats on a 727 going ATL to LGA and the center engine gave a shudder just after rotation. The crew did a perfect TRO and I took the next flight out. It was the first of a series of engine failures in 727 and MD-80 birds One poor woman was killed a few weeks later at JAX when a rotor vane entered the cabin on a fail.

I had two aborted takes offs in a J3 Cub back to back in 2014, it was my first flight taking my father in-law. I used a irrigation pivot as my go/no go lift off point. This was a home runway deal. Never gave it much thought until now, that’s how to still with a plan. It’s not a SIM! Great Video.

As a student pilot, really enjoying this series. Part of our pre-flight checklist is to discuss an abort plan. So hopefully this type of AQP training will take hold in general aviation.

Really enjoying this series... Student Pilot.

Great series!!!!!

Great videos Josh, I’m a student pilot in Australia and I was fortunate enough at the flight school I’m with and the instructor I had to be taught to think about aborting take off and engine failure straight after take off during my training for first solo and it’s so important to do a Departure brief and know your abort point as well as what to do after take off.

So glad to see this type of training. Had a rejected take off earlier this year. Rolling down the runway and the airspeed indicator counted up but slowly. Plane kept accelerating like normal but airspeed didn't match what the plane felt like. Shut it down right before the plane was ready to fly and the airspeed indicator stuck at 60kts. A&P found a mud dauber nest in the pitot head.

Great video. So important to have RTO in mind.

First Off: Gig’Em Aggies. Glad your representing ‘Ol Army in such a positive way. Second: I am very thankful for your video series. I will be applying this to my Aero club.

I departed once (172 with 2 adults and 2 kids) from Big Bear years ago. The almost full load and high altitude made for a VERY long takeoff roll. Then there is the slow and shallow climb out over water. I kid you not it was the scariest takeoff I ever did (and everything was normal!). I was sure glad I got some high altitude training at this airport before doing it myself.

Looking forward to the series!

Good stuff! Thanks

Excellent. There was more than one incident as a student where I pushed the envelop of getting airborne before the end of the runway (on touch-n-goes). One was during a 2nd supervised solo after landing too far down the runway. I really think my instructor should have said something to me about that. Another was where I didn't quite get the throttle all the way in (on a slightly over powered 172). Way passed the point of no return I noticed I wasn't climbing as I should and pushed the throttle the rest of the way in. My first instinct should have been to abort waaaay before that.

Luckily my are school in there integrated course practices RTO's in a simulator but before every flight we recite a RTO briefing just to make sure that we are aware. The biggest issue that we have is runway lengths therefore we are not able to select a abort point. That said it is a very important skill to have.

Very helpful content! Thank you

Great stuff....thank you

Rejected a takeoff once as a solo student pilot because the fuel pressure gauge dropped to zero on the roll and I figured better safe than sorry. It was a wonky gauge. I was lucky to have had a CFI who made me brief rejected takeoffs (usually framed as engine failures) before every flight in the runup area. However, I learned about abort *points* from watching this channel! Great video as always.

Awesome job. Thank you

Something so simply but could literally save your life ... thank you Joshua

Good video. At our school we do set an abort take off point as well before each take off and mentally go over the emergency procedures during take off so you're mentally prepared.

Kinda surprise that hearing people never talked about it, flight training I had from private though CFI we had thousands of briefing for this and for every single take off we review what we do we do if there is a case anything went wrong during takeoff roll or after lift off, and pretty much whole multi engine is about this, one good habit for this is always knowing how long the runway is and performance calculation and also use google map to precheck what’s surrounding the airport and runway where we can put down the aircraft if runway is not long enough, good video!

I was in about 30hrs training asked CFI to do a rejected takeoff, I want to understand everything that goes with it. We both kept forgetting to do it until lesson was over. Well Corna hit and put a holt on flying. When over with this pandemic we are doing it for sure. I think it should be mandatory to learn.

@aviation 101, i last practiced this on coventry's rwy at full throttle as we had decided on an airspeed indication problem. that was around 3 years ago now & i was surprised at how long we took to stop on a fully paved long runway from 55 knots. under moderate to heavy braking.Something to think about undee shortfield grass/gravel runways for sure. like the chanel & what you are all doing. Just hope this covid-19 thing eases up soon as we are all grounded here in the UK and getting out of practice.

Great demonstration and thank for explaining in depth that just because you may have several hundred or thousands of feet of additional runway, if you're not in the air when you should be, abort and find out why.

Great video. I've never practiced rejected takeoffs. But I will very soon. Yesterday I practiced direct crosswind takeoffs & landings taking off from 9R at KOPF with winds 17016G26kt..

I Iive in corona, CA and was at Chino airport when 36TT crashed....It was a really shitty week but an eye opener for all of us.

Hi ! It’s awesome what you are doing. My instructor did me some aboarding practice time to time but not using the trotte because the student can see it and then think “ho yes this is what he wants to do it” but instead he pressed very smoothly on the breakers. That makes a better feeling of the airplane. But the most important is the briefing before takeoff : beeing in the mood of “no, we won’t take off if...” and also “what do I need to do when I am aboarding”

George (Farris, at A&B) gave me some mock 'engine failure on takeoff' scenarios during my pre-solo checkout. I wasn't expecting them at all and did not do well on the first one, but he kept running me through them to drill down the instinct of "push forward" instead of the intuitive "pull back". I really didn't do much more practical training on them other than my instructor having my audibly talk through my abort plan during taxi, but I still think about those takeoffs at KHYI whenever I take off now

This is why, even if one isn't going to become an airline pilot, I advocate that everyone accumulate ratings and training as much as possible as if one will enter the airlines in the future. For example, I did do a rejected takeoff in single engines once during my PP training, but those were routine during my multi-engine private and commercial training. Takeoff briefings were also standard during multi training, and then I wondered why we didn't do that all the time when flying single engines. I would also say that shutting down engines in the air in a twin, while it's not the same, helped me get over the possible fear of that happening in a single and immediately thinking (out of fright) that there are no options for the emergency. That's similar to engaging in spin training for CFI, where you feel a bit more confident in getting out of one as well as recognizing the incipient characteristics prior to a full stall, as compared to just flying with spin awareness knowledge from a book as a private pilot, that you probably forget after the checkride is over.

I usually work an rto into any training session where I'm doing multiple touch and goes. I do full stops, stop and go, touch and go, RTO, and low approaches. All useful to stay proficient on. One thing I've never done is re-land the plane. I think once you take off you can't actually reject that take off (unless you have a flux capacitor on board maybe). To be clear... I do this at an untowered field.

Not a pilot, but was an active skydiver in the 80's. This reminded me of an aborted take off in a Beech D-18. I was in the copilot seat. We had a cross wind that I don't think the drop zone staff realized when they told us what runway to use. We started all the way over on one side of the runway, but as soon as the tail lifted, we almost instantly drifted to the other side of the runway. The pilot IMMEDIATELY shut it down, but with an aircraft that big we had a lot of momentum that the pilot was having a hard time controlling, and we drifted off the runway and ground-looped. (I can still visualize the dirt-clods and gravel blowing across the windscreen.) Fortunately, we didn't put a wheel in a hole or anything like that and the aircraft came to rest without further incident. Of course, being filled with a bunch of us silly skydivers, one jumper in the back shouted up 'do you want us to push it back on the runway?' The pilot's response was 'No you dummies, just get out of the damn plane!' We all hurried out then... 😉

Nice vid Josh. I really like what you're trying to do here. Bravo. I had a rejected after take off (like you) once, with a passenger, as a newly qualified private pilot. Very sobering, and my return to the runway looked very much like yours. And it was all improvised as you said, nothing in the training for that. It was a faulty stall warner, that just didn't stop sounding in a PA28. I do think as light aircraft pilots though, we're more aware of the performance variations, than maybe a commercial jet pilot. That seemed to be the case with your students too, who spotted the failure well before the defined point. I've always found it difficult to find a defined point on the airfields I fly from. Quite often, they're shorter fields, with not many intersecting runways, and taxiways, and no other clear markers.