The danger of assumption

Jim Burns wrote:
Particularly with low wing airplanes, this can produce a wheelbarrowing
effect where your mains get light, and even lift off, but you are holding
the nosewheel on the ground. Not good for the nose gear and any crosswind
gust could produce some rather interesting and dangerous effects.

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" wrote:
I think you missread what he wrote: not rotating
is a far cry from holding it down. When I accelerate
in a Cherokee, I hold the yoke neutral until I'm
ready to fly, then rotate and fly off immediately.
In a Cessna, I ease the yoke back once I'm at or
beyond stall speed and let it fly off when it's ready....
rolling on the mains only until it is.

He did misread what *she* wrote. I was not referring to "holding it
down", I meant pulling back *just enough* to get the weight off the
nosewheel (not enough to pull the nosewheel up), letting the nosewheel
and the airplane lift off the runway when it's ready, as you said,
rolling on the mains until it does. Is there a reason (other than runway
length) NOT to do this vs. abruptly rotating it off the runway at the
published rotation speed? The airplane performs better (no second or two
of hesitation before beginning the climb) with the former than with the
latter technique ... yet some pull the airplane up when they see the ASI
reach the published rotation speed even if the airplane doesn't act
ready to begin climbing. What say you?

unicate wrote:
He did misread what *she* wrote. I was not referring to "holding it
down", I meant pulling back *just enough* to get the weight off the
nosewheel (not enough to pull the nosewheel up), letting the nosewheel
and the airplane lift off the runway when it's ready, as you said,
rolling on the mains until it does. Is there a reason (other than runway
length) NOT to do this vs. abruptly rotating it off the runway at the
published rotation speed? The airplane performs better (no second or two
of hesitation before beginning the climb) with the former than with the
latter technique ... yet some pull the airplane up when they see the ASI
reach the published rotation speed even if the airplane doesn't act
ready to begin climbing. What say you?


The airplane probably hasn't read the book. If you can get the weight on the
mains without the nosewheel skipping up and down, go for it irregardless of
published rotation speed. The aircraft will fly when she's ready. I don't
particularly care what speed she lifts off at... but I will attempt to
immediately accelerate to best rate.

I'm as bit pickier about numbers in multiengine aircraft, but that's another
story....



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE