Be careful - as the old sci fi show put it "danger, Will Robinson".
it was certain that we would right fly through a dense bird concentration.
not good
We decided of rotating very slowly
probably a smart move in the circumstances - PROVIDED you don't lose one and there are no nasty close in obstacles. Very much a case of horses for courses.
However, the reject might also be a good option in some situations and potentially better than keeping on with the takeoff - the
SYD 727 mishap provides some useful thoughts on the relative go/stop considerations (I don't know if TAA had the nosewheel brakes mod but, with that, stopping on the 727 was awesome).
Seeing you had such a runway pad, had you given any thought to abandoning the takeoff instead of delaying the rotation ? .. noting that this presumes that you have some knowledge of your stopping performance above the particular V1.
Was this delayed rotation, lifting off much later than the performance calculation, outside of the minimum gradient limits?
almost certainly yes. Whether that is dangerous or not on the day depends on the runway environment and the takeoff calculations.
I cannot think why we can't delay the rotation, even if obstacles and a 2nd segment obstacle clearance limit were of concern.
depends entirely on the specifics of the runway. Almost certainly you will be below the calculated NFP for a period. The potential consequences will depend on the specific circumstances and whether you lose an engine .. and where
as long as we lift off passing at 50ft above the clearway or the other end threshould, our second segment gradient will be obstacle free.
in general, absolutely NOT so. End of strip obstacle clear gradients can be quite significant and well outside the typical heavy aircraft's OEI capability. While you may well have a benign runway with negligible EOS profile problems, generally that is not the case.
What you appear to be doing is confusing obstacle clear gradients with both WAT and on the day OEI/AEO gradients.
In that situation it was the best decision since
very likely the case, being mindful of Chesley Sullenberger's mishap.