Many fixed-wing STOL aircraft are bush planes, though some, like the de Havilland Canada Dash-7, are designed for use on prepared airstrips; likewise, many STOL aircraft are taildraggers, though there are exceptions like the PAC P-750 XSTOL, the Quest Kodiak, the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and the Peterson 260SE.

[1] Of equal importance to short ground run is the ability to clear obstacles, such as hills, on both take off and landing.

For takeoff, large power/weight ratios and low drag result in a high rate of climb required to clear obstacles.

For landing, high drag allows the aeroplane to descend steeply to the runway without building excess speed resulting in a longer ground run.

[citation needed] A number of aircraft modification companies offer STOL kits for improving short-field performance.

However, it has been tentatively defined as an aircraft that upon taking off needs only 1,000 ft (305 m) of runway to clear a 50-ft (15-m) obstacle at the end of that distance and upon landing can clear the same obstacle and then land within 1,000 ft.The STOL mode of flight is one during which an airplane taking off or landing is operated at climb-out and approach speeds lower than the conventionally accepted margins of airspeed above the power-off stalling speed of the airplane.Additionally, some aircraft manufacturers market their products as STOL without providing evidence that the aircraft meets any accepted definition.

[25] In aviation, rough-field capability is the ability for an aircraft to land/take-off from an unprepared/damaged (usually short) runway or grass field, highway, wasteland etc.