I know there are many variables e.g. wind, weight, temp & pressure etc but is there one "safer" method for take offs?
It depends on the aircraft type, too. That's why the best advice is to follow the advice in the book.
I learnt to fly on PA28s. My instructor taught me to do a short-field take-off by holding the controls fully back and getting the aircraft airborne asap, then holding it in ground effect. This technique works perfectly well on a PA28. I then tried it on a C152, and found that holding the controls fully back in a C152 results in a sufficient increase in drag that the aircraft will not get airborne. Fortunately, I was on a long runway when I discovered this.
(Incidentally, although I don't fly PA28s all that regularly any more and never into short fields, I don't believe the technique I've described is what the book says, so it's not what I would teach either. But it does demonstrate nicely that a technique which works well on one aircraft type might not work on another.)
FFF
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