Yeah, its not an easy subject, it would be a lot easier if we didn't start with alot of dogma from other aircraft.
It is VERY important to use full power on a piston engine take off as well (because of cooling issues, you actually hurt a piston engine by "babying" it for takeoff) so you ALWAYS take off with full power, and you ALWAYS start at the beginning of the runway. Take those two sentances and forget em when you get to a jet.
Well, jets in some ways are about as close to piston props as they are to a helicopter....
It will be interesting to see the appeal of the Emirates pilots. I would like to know their backgrounds, and of course I would like to see the training department take it on the chin. It can't be the first time the crew members did this. Though obviously its the first time it bit em in the old arse... I suspect there have been a lot of slow rotations that were not commented on.
Cheers
Wino