Does anyone have any info on this?
I can find no reference whatsoever in the POH.
In the absence of any guidance I use take-off flap, full power before brake release and unstick a bit earlier than normal – say 60tks.
The TB9/10 (and 20, I suspect) wing is very draggy at low speeds, so care is needed. There was at least one accident where the aircraft was lifted off at too slowly then failed to accelerate in ground effect and went into the fence at the far end.
Whatever technique you choose, I suggest practising it on a nice long tarmac runway first.
My technique was to put in takeoff flap, go to max power on the brakes, hold neutral elevator and release the brakes. Passing about 20 knots apply very light back pressure to stop the nose jumping up and down, then fly off at between 60 and 65 depending on weight.
At the end of the day, these aren’t short field machines. The best way to take off in a short distance is to keep the weight down and find a headwind. I was comfortable down to 450m on tarmac and 600 on grass but never took mine below that. At those distances landing was normally limiting, especially on grass – they are pretty heavy aeroplanes and start skidding easily.
I think the terrible STOL performance of the TB10 might be why I now own a Zenair 701 (this is a normal landing, not even trying to be short):
That said, someone did suggest a technique to me (for short and perhaps soggy grass strips) that seems like it might have merit.
He reasoned that on a soft surface the first 10kts are the hardest to get, so advocated performing one’s lining-up turn at a reasonable speed and applying full power just before one is fully lined up. The idea is that then instead of being stationary at the start point at the application of full power, one is doing maybe 5kts at that same point at the application of full power.
A rolling departure is definitely good, yes.
The problem is that most airports where you can do that have acres of tarmac
Soggy grass is a “soft field takeoff” which is a different thing: you lift off the nose ASAP (maybe 30kt) to protect it and to stop it digging in. The price paid for this is a [much] longer takeoff roll than would otherwise be the case.
So what if it’s short and soggy?
I have a hankering to visit Glenforsa again… never taken the TB10 though. A C172 had no issues obviously.
Wouldn’t traditional nose wheel technique be to have take off flaps, full aft elevator in the initial acceleration and easing off back pressure as the aircraft approaches lift off speed – it then requires levelling off after lift off, emphasis on levelling off, in ground effect to accelerate to Vx.
You are not hauling it off, but easing it into the air. A laminar wing airfoil (not the case of the TB10?), might require a more sensitive technique as there is a higher risk of wing drop in leaving ground effect.
Glenforsa is closed until 1 May 2019. The runway is long, solid and well-drained but if in doubt, talk to Brendan at the hotel. Tel: +44 (0)1680 300377. He knows about aeroplanes.
Am aware, thanks – have been before.