RCU Forums - Tri-cycle or Tail Dragger?

Quote:

ORIGINAL: elenasgrumpy
...While agree with Chuck on the up elevator during taxi on runway & thought I agreed on a little up elevator during take off till I built up little speed then let the elevator go back to neutral until ready to lift off, I no longer do that. My original Instructor who has just recently been able to return to flying is a long time Warbird flier & regular participant at the Castle Airforce Base yearly "Rally of the Giants" (strictly Military pattern flying) told me not to do that. once lined up on the run way & ready to take off he told me not to hold the elevator as i built up speed because for one it is not necessary and secondly it can cause the plane to try to lift off & fly while still at to low of an airspeed causing it to lift off too early & stall. I ried it his way & he was right. I'm sure Chuck's way is just as effective with proper timing & experience...

On some of my planes I can get away with no up elevator. On others, if I don't hold some up, they will nose over as soon as I apply throttle. The ones most prone to nosing over have the smallest wheels. While I know larger wheels will reduce this tendency, on those planes I don't want the additional drag or weight. Flying off smoother surfaces would also help. It all depends on the plane and runway. IMO, knowing how to handle the elevator during takeoff is part of being able to fly a taildragger. Whether it needs to be done or not depends on the conditions...