What's the right way to handle elevator on tail-draggers during takeoff? Tell us what you think, then check out the September issue of Model Aviaton to see if Dave Scott agrees!
I vote "none of the above:"
Hold up elevator at start of takeoff roll. Release to neutral as soon as rudder becomes effective. When flying speed is achieved, use a touch of up to rotate and break ground.
IMO all three methods have merit. I employ all three, some times in one flight, landings and take offs are my favorite maneuvers as well as touch and go. I experiment with each trying to achieve a nice departure with my tail dragger planes. Our club field has cross winds 90% of the time.
When I fly off of grass, I need to use up elevator from the get go to keep from nosing over my warbirds. I ease up once the tail is up.
This poll is flawed because every plane is different. Wind and the surface you're taking off from also determines how you use your elevator.
There's no right or wrong answer here as any of those methods might be needed depending on the aircraft and setup. Some will need up elevator to keep the tail down to avoid a nose-over. A heavily laden or underpowered model might benefit from some down to lift the tail and reduce drag for the take-off roll. And still others won't need any input until the take-off rotation, and maybe not even until after to control the climb rate.
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Tail dragger takeoff poll
I vote "none of the above:"
Hold up elevator at start of takeoff roll. Release to neutral as soon as rudder becomes effective. When flying speed is achieved, use a touch of up to rotate and break ground.
tail dragger take off
IMO all three methods have merit. I employ all three, some times in one flight, landings and take offs are my favorite maneuvers as well as touch and go. I experiment with each trying to achieve a nice departure with my tail dragger planes. Our club field has cross winds 90% of the time.
Tail Dragger takeoff
When I fly off of grass, I need to use up elevator from the get go to keep from nosing over my warbirds. I ease up once the tail is up.
This poll is flawed because every plane is different. Wind and the surface you're taking off from also determines how you use your elevator.
Tail dragged take off poll
There's no right or wrong answer here as any of those methods might be needed depending on the aircraft and setup. Some will need up elevator to keep the tail down to avoid a nose-over. A heavily laden or underpowered model might benefit from some down to lift the tail and reduce drag for the take-off roll. And still others won't need any input until the take-off rotation, and maybe not even until after to control the climb rate.
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