Chair flying / Soft-Field Takeoff and Climb
Soft-Field Takeoff and Climb
Depart a soft or rough surface: keep weight off the nosewheel, transfer the load to the wings as early as possible, and use ground effect to accelerate before climbing.
Setup
- Flaps set to 25°
- Complete the before-takeoff checklist
- Keep the airplane rolling onto the runway — do not stopStopping on a soft surface risks bogging down. Make a rolling takeoff so the wheels never sit still in soft ground.
Execution
- Elevator full aft — do not stop
- Apply full power, then reduce elevator to about half back pressureFull aft elevator holds the nosewheel light on the roll; relax to roughly half as the nose comes up so it does not over-rotate.
- Lift off at the lowest possible airspeed
- Remain in ground effect and accelerate to Vx (66 kt)Ground effect (within about one wingspan of the surface) reduces induced drag, letting the airplane fly before it can safely climb.
Climb-out
- Climb at Vx (66 kt) for obstacles, or Vy (76 kt)
- Retract flaps once clear and at a safe airspeed
ACS tolerances
- Airspeed Vy +10/−5 kt
- Nosewheel held off the surface
Common errors
- Letting the airplane settle back onto the runway after lift-off
- Climbing out of ground effect before reaching a safe climb speed
- Over-rotating and stalling on the initial climb