Folks,
I worry about post V1 RTO discussions.
In the vast majority of cases, it means the captain deciding to definitely trash the aeroplane rather than fly it and possibly trash it. A split second decision, counter to all training and advice (ignoring the turkeys at FlightSafety), based on what information?
Did our compatriots in Concorde know what was actually going on - I don't think so. They didn't have the benefits of countless replays of the external view (which in truth many commentators still got wrong) and they had nothing to convince them that the aircraft would not fly away.
There will always be situations where the likelihood of trashing the jet is equal (double engine failure in a 3/4 holer just past one engine V1 without lots of runway remaining, for one!) and thus surviveability of the impact becomes the controlling factor. But I suggest that you need very clear and unambiguous indications to abandon the continued take-off after V1.
As to the example of the clever FO vs the dumb captain: there are a bunch of CRM issues involved and they are not all one way! The greatest priority must be to achieve a safe flight path and then to calmly deal with the problem in a co-ordinated and organised fashion. How quickly you proceed to that second step will be determined by the time available before there is likely to be a collateral control/damage consequence.
Hasten slowly...
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Stay Alive,
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