Originally Posted by
Pilot DAR
I will not raise the gear before positive rate and Vy, unless it's a Vx critical departure, which would be pushing things anyway! That said, I will generally wait until I have overflown whatever suitable wheels down runway over run, or clear area ahead could be used for an EFATO forced landing.
Decades back I was being checked out in a rental Piper Arrow IV in Florida. It was a hot day, and the instructor directed me into a runway a little shorter than I would have preferred. No problem getting in, but getting out was not a perfect scenario - there was lots of city off the departure end of the runway. I informed the instructor that because I felt this would be a more "maximum performance" departure, I would "lock off" the Piper Arrow automatic gear extension system, which I also knew (from previous embarrassing event) would prevent the retraction of the gear after an up selection, if the magic airspeed had not been reached. I wanted the gear to retract when I wanted it up, to make the most of my departure. The instructor (whom I'm not sure had ever flown an Arrow) a: did not understand what I was talking about, and b: then, upon my explanation, objected to my deliberately bypassing a safety system. I replied that he could allow me to do it and pass my ride, allow me to do it, and fail my ride, or take the airplane home without me aboard. I locked off the auto gear extension, departed just fine, and passed my ride. I wondered if the instructor went to review the POH for the Arrow IV that evening!
The challenge for low time pilots is deciding when they have "runway available for landing" . My experience is that newer pilots leave the gear down and thus sacrifice climb performance well after there is any reasonable chance of landing back on the runway surface in the event of an EFATO. Furthermore in almost all circumstances it is better to land off airfield with the wheels up in order to reduce the possibility of the airplane cartwheeling or overturning. An engine failure shortly after takeoff is one of the most desperate emergencies a SEP will ever face. Human factors research has convincingly shown that people have difficultly making rapid consequential decisions in time compressed high stress situations. This is why the concept of a hard line of go/no go at v1 was instituted. No analysis is required; below v1 you stop above v1 you go. If that is the best approach for professional pilots who fly everyday I don't think a higher level of performance is realistic for recreational pilots.
That is why I like the idea of climb speed positive rate gear up. If the engine fails after liftoff you have one less thing to worry about. Finally if the engine fails the insurance company just bought the airplane. What it looks like after the dust settles is immaterial, the only thing that matters is that nobody got hurt. There have been many tragic accidents where the pilot killed everyone trying to save the airplane.