Good article. I remember many a conversation with Russ Evans about 'certification' flying vs 'real world flying.' Anyone else who has done an instructor renewal with him will probably also remember as it is one of his pet subjects - especially with regard to multis also.
This quote is what I was getting at earlier:
If you will allow me to separate the takeoff maneuver itself from the climb well after the takeoff maneuver is complete, then Vx and Vy have nothing to do with the takeoff. Vx and Vy are steady-state airspeeds that are useful for steady-state conditions. The takeoff is not such a steady-state condition, and these speeds are not useful below 50' (except for test pilots during certification).
Having flown in this environment with soft fields, short fields, and fields with crazy slopes and obstacles, one way strips with tailwinds etc. this advice is very much worth paying attention to. Even seasoned bush pilots can get undone on this one and a P-Chart determined TOW could kill you:
Soft Fields - These are among the most challenging of all conditions faced by bush pilots. The "softness" of the runway is very seldom constant along the runway, there will be "soft spots" and "hard spots," and speed gained on the "hard spots" may be lost again in the "soft spots." There is simply no book data that will help, and no reliable rules. Soft fields simply cannot be simulated properly, and few pilots will ever have the opportunity, or the desire to play with them. Few wish to expose expensive machinery to deep mud or snow for fear of damage, and even deep wet grass can make an awful mess.
One bit that he mentions regarding 'cleaning up' I would like to add a caution note to:
With more experience, and in some conditions, it may be better to be able to retract the gear without looking for the switch (with practice), and retract it early to get over some distant obstacle, or even to get out of ground effect.
One of the things that really ticks me off these days is seeing people take off on a long runway in a single-engine retractable gear machine and wouldn't you know? The wheels have barely left the runway and already they are being retracted! On most runways this just simply isn't necessary. I know of a fellow in the States who belly landed and damaged a perfectly good Bonanza back on a huge runway after having the proverbial 50' engine failure. If he had just left the wheels down there would have been NO damage at all. Leave this bit of performance advice to when you really need it - don't do it as standard practice all the time on long runways with low-level density altitudes. There is absolutely no advantage in doing so.