What features does a plane need to take off?

Answer 1

A plane requires something which will create a force called lift.

Lift is a force which overcomes the weight (due to gravity) of the plane and allows it to fly.

To keep things simple, as a plane accelerates down the runway air passes over its wings. The wings are shaped so that the air that passes over the top of the wing has to travel a slightly further distance in the same amount of time as that which passes under the wing. This means that the air above the wing travels faster and due to the laws of physics this creates lower pressure above than below the wing. This creates lift and makes the plane want to rise into the air.

When the plane is travelling at sufficient speed so that enough lift is generated, the pilot pulls back on the yoke (the control), which is known as "rotating", and the nose raises off of the ground and the plane climbs into the air.

So the fundamental answer to your question is that a plane needs something which will cause lift (wings) and something which will allow it to travel fast enough so that the needed amount of lift can be generated (engines which produce thrust).