On Thu, 09 Nov 2006 18:36:36 +0100, Mxsmanic wrote:

Ron Wanttaja writes:

It's a moot point, since I usually keep the elevators full down for the initial
part of the takeoff roll.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this? Clearly, it keeps
the aircraft from leaving the ground, but other than that, what are
the pros and cons? Does it put stress on the nose gear?

Taildragger aircraft; no nose gear.

Due to poor forward visibility, I like to get the tail off the ground as early
as possible. Here's a video of the takeoff, shot from an aft-mounted camera on
the axle:

http://www.bowersflybaby.com/takeoff-tail.mpg

Once the tailwheel is off the ground, you can see it turn left and right as I
keep the plane tracking (sorta) straight using the rudder (to which the
tailwheel is connected via springs). You can make out the elevator position,
too.

Ron Wanttaja