Crossword Genius

It can make a smooth take-off (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

plane

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'it can make a smooth take-off' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'it can make a' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'it' could be 'e' ('e' can mean 'electronic' which is similar to 'IT') and 'e' is present in the answer.
'a' could be 'an' and 'an' is located in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for plane that I've seen before include "Woodworking tool" , "This flier" , "Tool for smoothing wood" , "that soars into the sky" , "barked?" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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