how do you protect yourself from this with possible gusty conditions or the over enthusiastic F/O who gives it a " hefty heave ho" around the 10 NU mark?
If I am PF I look outside. Looking outside and feeling how the aircraft responds to the environment, makes adjustments quite easy - including adjustments for gusts.
If I am pilot monitoring, I look at the PFD, because I can't feel the control wheel of my F/O, and don't know how hard he/she pulls. I have my hands on my knees, with my thumbs ready to push against the control wheel, should they be over eager. With 33 cm tail clearance, it's occasionally necessary - especially with those that are doing the rotation heads down.
Next time you get a chance watch a B747-400 take-off. The rear fuselage often gets to within 1metre of the runway even on correctly flown, ideal takeoffs.
The minimum tail clearance for a 737-800 at flaps 1 and normal rotation is only 33 cm by the way
- that's why many airlines have a ban on flaps 1 takeoffs.
that is when you need to be head down, for accurate pitch and speed control.
TyroPicard, you don't need to control pitch or speed during rotation, you need to control your
rotation rate. It's done much easier by looking outside at at 3D environment, than on a flat 2D instrument. Once established in climb (rotation completed), you need to adjust the pitch to control speed.