Mutt, take off cones, wind considerations, obstacle limitations etc. - all applies for an IFR departure. Except if it's a visual departure.
I think I'd better let the man himself reply...
I seriously doubt that his runway table was the later. Higher margins apply for uncertainty of navigation in clouds.
Funny old thing, there doesn't seem to be an input for met. visibility on my computer... The aeroplane appears to perform the same in 75m RVR as it does in CAVOK.
How does being visual allow you to improve your OEI climb gradient in the first couple of segments?
I agree that you shouldn't (always) follow the herd but if all great aviators that day took off except him, I'm not sure... He was correct and everybody else was endangering their flight? Pretty heavy allegation to all these pilots that day!
In all my 10K+ hours, I've never had a real engine failure on takeoff or an RTO>100kts. Looking back, I could have overloaded the aircraft on every departure so that it wouldn't have even been able climb after losing one and I'd have got away with it. For decades. Doesn't make it right and/or legal.
Personally, I wouldn't assume anything about the performance capability of an aircraft other than the one I was sitting in, even if it were the same type. I'd presume that they'd done their sums and were either happy or not. Their decision...