The main runway, at 5,701 feet, is one of the shortest of any major airport in the United States. The short runway, coupled with local noise restrictions, requires a takeoff at or near full power, followed by a steep climb, a sudden reduction in power, and two turns closely following the Upper Newport Bay.
Pilot holds brakes, hits engines at full throttle, climbs steeply and cuts engines right at freeway, causing the plane to drop like a roller coaster.
from Fortress1753:
Just a quick comment re: your video of departing jet out of John Wayne Airport. While I understand how unnerving it can be, as a SWA captain with over 5000 hours in the 737 aircraft, I can assure you the 737 never even approaches the published stall speeds during this procedure. In addition, due to the atmospheric conditions @ SNA, most of the time we can achieve the Vr speed (the speed at which the jet actually reaches the ability to lift off of the runway)with somewhere between 85%-89% power range. In warmer climates, such as Phoenix, we use more power, in the 92%-97% range. Depending on the ambient air temperature, however, we may need to use more power, however, all of our engines are monitored by GE in real-time, and if we exceed 95% power on take-off, SWA is assessed a monetary penalty for "over stressing" the engines. Our normal climb-out procedures for SNA/John Wayne Airport calls for the FO to announce the first altitude marker of 800 AGL with the statement of "cutback 1", which translates to reducing the power to 70%. If you were not listening to the instructions on the ground, hearing the jet's engines spool down can be very disturbing, however, the jet never approaches a stall speed. At 1000 AGL, the FO calls for "cutback 2", which translates to reducing power down to 65%. Once we reach a certain altitude marker, we then advance power back up to a normal range, and proceed with our filed flight plan.
