Another super video Larry. Good job getting off the ground quickly but remaining in ground effect. Lots of benefit from this approach. Keep ‘me coming...

Blue skies,
Tom

Thanks for the great Video Larry ! Always shot with such great care and quality. I am glad you posted this video because I consider downhill takeoffs very dangerous - and for tailwheel pilots a unique situation. The forward visibility even on a level surface is limited but on sloped terrain it is essentially blind. If the runway is narrow
it could result in being in a position where a collusion with obstacles could occur at a high speed. I now make sure my airplane is aligned perfected with the tailwheel in a straight position before take off. I also look for a forward reference for visual alignment before taking off. I mark the track for straight line in front of my left main out about 200 feet so I know if I am heading off course. Once I have enough airflow over the tail and can push the nose down the visibility is no longer a problem. I learned this lesson the hard way taking off at one of the strips Larry posted in his video and cracked the lens on my left wingtip. It could have been much worse than just a 100 dollar mistake.

Josh

Even if there is a strong tailwind you are ALWAYS A lot safer to take off downhill, NEVER take off uphill, no mater what the wind.

Good video larry.

Oldfart wrote:Even if there is a strong tailwind you are ALWAYS A lot safer to take off downhill, NEVER take off uphill, no mater what the wind.

Even on a 1 degree slope with 50 knots of wind? Come on, ALWAYS and NEVER are rarely accurate. Weigh the performance gains of each choice and make a decision as PIC.

asa wrote:Good video larry.

Oldfart wrote:Even if there is a strong tailwind you are ALWAYS A lot safer to take off downhill, NEVER take off uphill, no mater what the wind.

Even on a 1 degree slope with 50 knots of wind? Come on, ALWAYS and NEVER are rarely accurate. Weigh the performance gains of each choice and make a decision as PIC.

I'm gonna go with Asa. Rhere is more to it then just being downhill. Once you get to a certain slope, then yes downhill is safer, but I'd rather take off uphill with no obstacles and a head wind then downhill I to obstacles with a strong tailwind...

Common sense boys, obviously you would take off uphill (0.5%) into a 60 knot wind. I'm talking DOWNHILL, not a slight percentage hint of uphill but a reasonable slope.

Six degrees is all the road engineer will accept before switchback. Way too much for an airplane. In 60 mph wind I can hover most small airplanes out of ground effect. Does anyone know the slope that would require an airport to be listed as one way on the chart? Also down drainage egress is important with most small airplanes. I don't know of a one degree slope to make it, in low ground effect, to down drainage egress but it may be out there somewhere. The tactical situation is always fluid. Trying to climb too quickly causes lots of accidents in most any situation.

We have a paved county road up to the ski area above my place, a sign at one point says it's a 12% grade. And yes, in the right conditions (meaning the wrong conditions) it gets real sporty! The road is straight at that point, for about 1/4 mile. Then, as the road continues up the mountain, and gets to the steep part, the switchbacks start. My old property was right off one of the switchbacks, and I often would be in my shop, on my bicycle and with the door open, and give one tiny nudge to the bike, and not stop (or pedal) for 3.5 miles and after an elevation drop of 1640'. I hit over 50 mph a few times, (tucked, lot's of air in the tires) but usually in the 40's. My old runway on that property was 16% grade.

Using Google Earth, I see my current/new runway measures out 427' long, and has a 60' drop in that distance. That pencils out to 14.05% of grade. It's marked (or is supposed to be, when the new charts come out) as "hazardous/ private." Or maybe it's "private/ hazardous." I have never tried taking off up hill from it, but have from other minor slopes, when faced with a large enough wind factor to make doing so the obvious safest way to "go."

I like doing a downwind takeoff from time to time, it's a good reminder it's airspeed that keeps the plane in the air, not ground speed. Mackay Id always has about 15 mph of north wind in the AM, right down the runway. I'll hover fly to a landing as close as possible to the north end, as that's the nearest to Sammy's, the gas station (E-0, and cheap) convenience store, sandwich shop, and state liqueur outlet, it's all there! There is something about the asphalt there though, that makes it like a cheese grater, and I never back taxi but always takeoff downwind. I make extra sure to announce my intentions and to eyeball for traffic of course. It's good practice and something I like to keep current on, for when the situation calls for it, off or on airport. I always make sure to estimate my lift off point also.

Tom, re:

“ Using Google Earth, I see my current/new runway measures out 427' long, and has a 60' drop in that distance. That pencils out to 14.05% of grade. It's marked (or is supposed to be, when the new charts come out) as "hazardous/ private." Or maybe it's "private/ hazardous." I have never tried taking off up hill from it, but have from other minor slopes, when faced with a large enough wind factor to make doing so the obvious safest way to "go."

If by new charts, you mean the 26 Mar 2020 SLC sectional, I just received the paper version and don’t see your airport at all. Do see it on Apple Maps as Skyline however. FYI

Best,

the other Tommy

Deleted duplicate.

Skyline would be it. It only took about 10 years for me to get it relisted from my old location about 1 mile away. It should be on the next chart. I have to give the FAA lady I was dealing with towards the end of the process (I forgot about it for years at a time, then would have to start the process over) she never laughed out loud once, or asked if it was a joke. Now I'll probably be back on the mailing lists for the glossy magazines aimed towards major airports, selling things like riding floor polishers for the terminals, those are always good to have laying around the house for visitors to peruse.

I do see 1ID9, Simko Field on windy.com FYI.

Best,

Tommy

TommyN wrote:I do see 1ID9, Simko Field on windy.com FYI.

Best,

Tommy

A google search brought up half a dozen listings for "Simko Field (1ID9), Idaho".

My favorite is:

"GlobalAir.com › airport › local › ap...
SIMKO FLD Airport (1ID9) Hotels, Rental Cars, Golf Courses, and Restaurants - GlobalAir.com
Hotels, Restaurants, Rental Cars, Golfing, and Hamburgers near SIMKO FLD (1ID9). Results from ..."

I see why there's a regular stream of glossy ad-prints...

Fumble fingers + micro keys = duplicate posts

Mia culpa!. Duplicate post deleted.