Soft field takeoff scenario

[C Gattman]

You're making a soft-field takeoff. Procedure calls for keeping back
pressure on the elevator to reduce the weight on the nosewheel, but,
doing so causes your airplane to come off the ground right before
normal Vr.

Your choices are:

1) Keep the airplane in ground effect until Vx or Vy.
2) Touch down until you have sufficient airspeed
3) Continue to climb even though you're below Vx and Vy.

Seems to me there's only one safe answer.

One FAA examiner told a CFI candidate recently that this scenario
should probably earn a failed checkride, but I'm not sure what
alternative the examiner presented. Everybody who's performed that
maneuver in that particular airplane has encountered this: speedo
error, whatever...it comes off the ground at around Vr +2 if you hold
the nose back, a few knots IAS before Vx and Vy.

Another examiner who said she had a couple thousand hours in that make
and model --PA28R-200-- said that's normal and that the previous
examiner was incorrect and that the applicant had flown the procedure
properly.

I did my checkride (with the latter) by prefacing the maneuver: "When
you follow the procedure by the book, the airplane will come off the
ground before Vx. When it does, I'm going to...." Turns out, it
was the right answer. :>

-c

[BT]

The first examiner should be drawn and quartered.. and then shot.
That is exactly what will happen, you will get off the ground sooner, flying
in ground effect, reducing drag of wheels rolling through wet soft / rough
terrain and allow an acceleration to Vx/Vy sooner.
BT

Post by C Gattman
You're making a soft-field takeoff. Procedure calls for keeping back
pressure on the elevator to reduce the weight on the nosewheel, but,
doing so causes your airplane to come off the ground right before
normal Vr.
1) Keep the airplane in ground effect until Vx or Vy.
2) Touch down until you have sufficient airspeed
3) Continue to climb even though you're below Vx and Vy.
Seems to me there's only one safe answer.
One FAA examiner told a CFI candidate recently that this scenario
should probably earn a failed checkride, but I'm not sure what
alternative the examiner presented. Everybody who's performed that
maneuver in that particular airplane has encountered this: speedo
error, whatever...it comes off the ground at around Vr +2 if you hold
the nose back, a few knots IAS before Vx and Vy.
Another examiner who said she had a couple thousand hours in that make
and model --PA28R-200-- said that's normal and that the previous
examiner was incorrect and that the applicant had flown the procedure
properly.
I did my checkride (with the latter) by prefacing the maneuver: "When
you follow the procedure by the book, the airplane will come off the
ground before Vx. When it does, I'm going to...." Turns out, it
was the right answer. :>
-c

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Post by C Gattman
You're making a soft-field takeoff. Procedure calls for keeping back
pressure on the elevator to reduce the weight on the nosewheel, but,
doing so causes your airplane to come off the ground right before
normal Vr.

Yea, Vmu... It's less than Vr.

Post by C Gattman
1) Keep the airplane in ground effect until Vx or Vy.
2) Touch down until you have sufficient airspeed
3) Continue to climb even though you're below Vx and Vy.
Seems to me there's only one safe answer.

Can't argue with that.

Sometimes I wonder if people make this stuff up about examiners. But, I
suspect that they don't. :-(