Depends on what one is flying, in my little fabric taildrager with 31 inch bush tires it really doesnt matter, just keep the tail wheel out of the dirt and due to the high flotation of the gear it pops of in the same distance, however in the 421 with narrow high presure tires it can double the T/O roll, made even worse by the fact that one cant use full power till about sixty kts {unless of course you want to buy new props each day} The worst time is in the spring thaw, soft spots can pop up and spoil your whole day, most of the strips carry a caution, "soft in Spring", given a choice , sea ice or a frozen lake are a better option.as for how much should one factor in to the T/O distance? I think Pappy J got it right!
Last edited by clunckdriver; 4th Feb 2010 at 20:15.