Originally Posted by ronnie3585
[B]Wombat[B] suggested to lift off and fly in the ground effect to bulid up speed. Would it not be safer to leave the main wheels on the ground (provided you have the runway distance) in case of crosswind, gusts, aborting the take off etc, instead of wallowing around in the ground effect in a low speed/high drag situation?
I know there are many variables e.g. wind, weight, temp & pressure etc but is there one "safer" method for take offs?
Ronnie, one of the problems with asking a question on the forum, particularly a question of such importance as short field take off technique, is that you will inevitably get contradictory answers and as has happened in this case, things do go off at a tangent.
I watched the spat sunfish / QDM and this made me rethink what I told you. In the case of my advice, deploying flap just before rotating into the ground effect is, perhaps, best left until you have a bit more experience. Deploy prior to the roll. In both cases however, get it up into the ground effect at the advised speed. The ability of the aircraft to accelerate when in the ground effect is better than with wheels on the ground. When you reach speed to achieve a positive rate of climb, "rotate" a second time and up you go. Speeds for this in the Archer I fly are 45kts rotate into the ground effect (with 2 stages of flap), increase speed in the straight and level until 65 kts, then climb - still with flap. 500 ft, get rid of flap in stages.
Regarding using a gps to assist with shortfield landings is again, something I would suggest left until you have more experience. Whilst QDM may suggest a "glance" at the gps speed indicator prior to landing, the truth of the matter is that it is one more thing to worry about in what is already a high workload scenario. Leave it until you have a better idea of what you are doing.
When I learned STOL, (and I don't include in learning the five minutes you get during your PPL training) I found a FI who had a good reputation for such things. He started me off on a 600 mtr hard surface and only after I had nailed it (about four attempts) did he take me to the 450 mtr grass strip.
I must confess that I find STOL very very rewarding and get a buzz out of pulling up after a good short field landing. In fact, I am still amazed in how short a distance you can bring an aircraft to a full stop when doing it correctly.
Enjoy
The Wombat