Folks - I have been flying a low wing tail dragger for my last 3 trips to the field. I would like to share my experience of take off with other beginners. I have a super sportster 40 powered by an OF 46FX.

Tail draggers can steer to one side during take off while still on the ground..

Tail draggers can tip over so be sure to hold up elevator to keep the tail down while on the ground..

Now - this is pretty much common knowledge and I knew you were supposed to release up elevator once the plane got moving but in my panic I never did! My engine was powerful enough to lift off anyway but it was all a bit hectic and at full power!

This weekend gone I realised what the trick is. DONT BE SCARED TO LET GO OF ELEVATOR once the plane is moving - it wont tip! I had visions of having to release elevator REAL slow and gentle. However I would run out of runway when trying this. Now I just smoothly and quickly release the elevator and hey presto.. the tail comes up and you get a nice smooth take off! It's great

photoniq.

Unfortunately, it's not the same with all taildraggers, they are as individual as you and I. Not every one you fly will be different, but some can be very different that others

What Minn says is true ... my tail draggers all take off differently, e.g. :

Black Horse SU31 (40) - does not pull much to one side when I throttle up, no need to hold any up ele, when the tail starts to lift you give some up ele and she will take off like a trainer

Black Horse Extra 300 (60) - does not pull much to one side when I throttle up, no need to hold any up ele, when the tail starts to lift you give some up ele and she will take off like a trainer

WM Rambler 40 - needs a little up ele to keep her nose from toppling over, then as speed picks up you release a little so that she will not 'jump' into the air and then add more up ele for her to lift off

Modeltech Raven (40) - does not pull much to one side when I throttle up, no need to hold any up ele, when the tail starts to lift you give some up ele and she will take off like a trainer

Modeltech Magic Extra - lifts off by itself but needs a little rudder correction

Phoenix Scanner (tricycle) - needs correction on the rudder if yo throttle up too fast

Maybe its how fast we throttle up, that causes the plane to pull to one side even more.

Same thing happend to me after reading on these forums about how i should hold my up elevator so i don't nose over. I did what i saw here but amlmost lost my plane. As i quickly ran out of runway and heading twoards some scary looking farm equipment so i pulled all the way and barely took off and it was a little hairy. So the more expeirenced guys said not to even touch the elevator until i had the speed. so i took of again and it didn't even attempt to nose over. So i guess it depnds with each plane.

I have a 60 size Sea Fury which needs up some steady up elevator to keep it from nosing over on takeoff.

I have a H9 Cap and I will tell you if you throttle up too slow, the plane will pull real bad to the left. If you get to mid throttle quickly, the plane only needs a hair of right rudder and the tail comes up. You have to hold the tail down to keep it from going too far and then the main wheels come up and you are in the air.

Never give the plane full throttle all at one shot!

i do.

I've got a Seagull Spacewalker that dosen't like to have the throttle babied on takeoff. You have to give it from 1/3 to 1/2 throttle right off the bat, and just stand on the rudder untill the tail comes off the deck. The tailwheel is iffy and it dosen't do a very good job. Once the rudder is flying, it's much better, but still a little squirrely.

On the other hand, I have a Sportsman Aviation FW-190 that is the exact opposite, it's straight as an arrow on the deck.


Like Minn said, they're all different...


Andy

On the Skyshark Fantasy wheel alignment is everything. I had some toe out in the wheels at first and it danced around a lot on takeoffs until I carefully aligned the wheels straight. Now, it rarely needs a gentle nudge on the rudder to track straight on takeoffs. I can relax elevator inputs almost as soon as I start throttling up.

As has been said, every tail dragger is different, and much of it depends on tire size and runway conditions. For example, both of my Super Sportsters have required me to hold a little up until take off speed was reached or they'd nose over, but didn't require much rudder correction.

My 4* also requires elevator for the full take off run, and more rudder than the Sportsters.

My Cub requires almost no elevator once the tail comes up, but requires constant rudder attention.
Dennis-

My little Phoenix Giles requires no elevator, and very little rudder input. Straight as you please. My GP J3 Cub 40 on the other hand, needs attention to the rudder ALL the time. Both fly great.

Not to be a contrarian, but...I have flown taildraggers for years, mostly Gee Bees and military fighters and it has been my practice to set the elevater trim so that I must add a bit os down elevater to get the tail up as I advance the throttle. As the plane comes up to speed down elevater is relaxed to keep the plane from nosing over. This allows me to keep the plane on the runway until I determine if there is enough speed for lift-off.
You will find that with planes such as the Corsair, holding up elevator is suicidal.

I fly off of grass - maybe that's why it is more important for me to hold up eleveator?

RevGQ - That's good to know. Thanks!

photoniq.

Its true that most scale planes like warbirds need up elevators on take off ... my SU31 does not ...

A bit of toe-in on the main landing gear will help a tail dragger track straighter and avoid ground loop.

Grass vs pavement makes a HUGE difference here. How many of the guys who never use the up elevator are flying from grass that isn't putting-green smooth?

On our field, there are some small bumps, and the mowing company sometimes misses days. So you have to hold a little up elevator at the very start of the roll with just about anything with wheels smaller than 4" or so, or you'll just nose-over. Once the plane gets moving (and it doesn't have to be moving much, just enough to handle the grass and bumps), you can let go of the elevator and go from there.

On pavement, you don't have this kind of problem.